After playing what was supposed to be an international game on Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams were given Week 12 off. That presented a unique opportunity for the players to have Thanksgiving off, allowing them to spend the holiday with family and friends.
While the Rams were downing turkey and all the great Thanksgiving dishes, three games were going on across the NFL: Bears-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys and Falcons-Saints. Not a single one of those games worked in the Rams’ favor, however.
The Bears knocked off the Lions to pull within the Rams in the NFC, the Cowboys beat the Redskins at home and the Saints moved to 10-1. Without even playing, the Rams (and Todd Gurley) relinquished two “leads” they held almost all season long.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 121 yards, surpassing Gurley for the league lead. He now has 1,074 yards this season, while Gurley is a close second at 1,043. Kareem Hunt is far back in third with 824 yards. Last year, Hunt overtook Gurley for the rushing title in Week 17 with one carry while the Rams rested their starters.
As for the Rams as a team, they no longer sit alone with the best record in football, nor do they currently hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC anymore. With the Saints’ win over Atlanta, they move to 10-1, tying the Rams. Since New Orleans beat the Rams previously, they own the tiebreaker over L.A.
There are still five games to go for each squad and the Rams have the easiest remaining schedule in football, but the Saints control their own destiny when it comes to home-field advantage.
To make matters worse, the Bears could potentially take the No. 2 seed from the Rams in Week 14. In order for that to happen, the Rams would have to lose to the Lions next week – which is unlikely, of course – and the Bears would have to beat the Giants. Then, with the Rams and Bears meeting on Dec. 9, a win by Chicago would put it above the Rams in the NFC.
Dropping to the Lions after a bye week with Aqib Talib most likely returning is hard to imagine happening, but stranger things have happened. No matter how you cut it, Thanksgiving’s slate of games yielded some bad results for the Rams.