INSIDE SLANT
NFL Team Report - Los Angeles Rams</h2><br>Clinching division next box for Rams to check off<p></p> The Los Angeles Rams are back from their bye week, and with five games remaining in the regular season their objectives are clear: Wrap up their second straight NFC West division title as quickly as possible - that will happen with a win over the Lions on Sunday - and try to overtake the New Orleans Saints in the fight for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.<p></p> Beyond that, it's just a matter of getting themselves as ready as possible for a postseason run they hope ends up in Atlanta for Super Bowl XLIII.<p></p> Checking off the division championship box appears imminent. At 10-1 the Rams merely need one more win - or a Seattle Seahawks loss - to secure the crown.<p></p> That could have occurred during the bye week but the Seahawks went to Carolina and beat the Panthers to keep their slim division hopes alive.<p></p> "As far as saying would I have been upset if Carolina won? No, I wouldn't say that," said Rams head coach Sean McVay. "But the nice thing for us is, I think our guys have earned the right to say, 'Lot of respect for what Seattle has done.' They've done an excellent job winning two big games against the Packers and the Panthers the last handful of weeks. But if we take care of business this week, then that kind of takes care of itself."<p></p> It gets a little dicey beyond that, as the Rams need some help from outside sources to enhance their chances of catching the Saints, who own the tiebreaker advantage over the Rams thanks to their win over them in Week 9.<p></p> There is one guaranteed path to making sure the playoffs go through Los Angeles, and that is the Rams winning their remaining five games and the Saints losing one of their final five.<p></p> For now, though, the Rams remained focused on their short-term objectives. And that means making steady improvement over the next month or so.<p></p> "We've got to find a way to get better. Those good teams really do that," said McVay. "I think it's a credit to our players, to our coaches to be playing meaningful football this late in the season as you're going into your 12th game to have a chance to you know you win it then you end up getting the division title. That's certainly something we don't take for granted, but as long as we focus on that daily improvement, that daily excellence, then I think you naturally do kick it up a notch. (Cornerback) Aqib (Talib) is a guy that certainly has an understanding of playing in a lot of playoff games, where you kind of get down to this latter stretch of your regular season schedule. You've got to continue to get better if you expect to compete, but for us, that focus is on the Detroit Lions this week."<p></p> The Rams hope to get Talib back this week, which certainly will help their pass defense. Talib has missed the last eight games after suffering an ankle injury that required surgery in Week 3 against the Chargers. Talib was designated to return from the injured reserve list on Monday, and the Rams will use this week to decide whether he's ready to be activated to the 53-man roster in time for Sunday's game against the Lions.<p></p> "I know he's excited and just his presence for our team will be a big benefit to us - having him out on the practice field," said McVay. "He's been around a lot and he's voted a captain by his guys and he's clearly one of the leaders on this football team based on the production and the experience and really, just the way he handles himself. So, it's great to have him back out here and we're looking forward to seeing how he does this week."<p></p> SERIES HISTORY: 85th regular-season meeting, in a series that dates back to 1937. Rams lead series, 43-40-1, although the Lions won the last matchup 31-28 in 2016.
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