An undermanned defense is somehow keeping the Rams in the playoff race

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams are only on the fringe of the NFC playoff race, and they would need a spectacular finish just to avoid their second straight losing season.

The fact that the rebuilding Rams (4-6) even have a chance at such a surge is a testament to the remarkable work done by their defense, which has overperformed this season after a massive roster purge.

Coordinator Raheem Morris' unit had another outstanding outing Sunday in . The Rams allowed 87 yards and just four first downs in Seattle's three-point second half, and LA kept the Seahawks out of the end zone for the final 50 minutes.

Matthew Stafford's offense finally scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, and the Rams won when Seattle missed a 55-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds. Everybody knew which unit got the job done for LA.

“Unbelievable effort by our defense today,” coach Sean McVay said. “They kept us in the game. I think the grit was on display. The mental toughness, the ability to get stops, the ability to be able to feed off of one another.”