Scout.com > St. Louis Arizona May Hold the Cards in the Rams' Playoffs H Story URL: http://stl.scout.com/2/73220.html Rams Nation's Don Ackerman GridIronGateway.com Oct 31, 2002 Today, the Rams are going to miss the post-season for the 1st time since 1998 when they were 4 and 12. However, the season does not end today. Last season, the Rams were running away with the best record in the NFL. This season, the Rams are 3rd in their own division (they currently hold the tie-breaker as they beat Seattle 37 - 20 last week). Arizona May Hold the Cards in the Rams' Playoffs Hopes By Rams Nation's Don Ackerman After starting the season 0-5, the Rams have almost made it imperative to win each and every week. In the past, I would have held out hope for a championship but would be accused of being a fanatic (which I am!) and a hopeless fan. But this year is different! Like I said, if the playoffs started today, the Rams would be out. But let me tell you who would be trying to get in! With 4-3 records, the Falcons and Cardinals would be calculating tiebreakers to determine the final wild-card spot. That's the 6th best record today. What does it mean? What this means is that parity is our best friend. With 5 losses, the Rams have hope. If they win each week, the Saint Louis Rams can just about assuredly find themselves in the post-season. Strangely enough, if they lose, all hope is not lost. Though it probably holds no nation-wide attention, and as odd as it sounds, this week's game versus the Arizona Cardinals is actually doubly important to the Rams. Not only must the Rams win for their own sake, but putting another loss on their divisional foe who is above them in the standings is also important. If Arizona can win, it will make the Rams' hopes a bit dimmer. So it can be said that Arizona may hold the cards in the Rams' playoffs hopes. Ram on, Don   Copyright © Scout.com and GridIronGateway.com