The Los Angeles Rams did the New England Patriots a solid Monday night.
In one of the most highly anticipated regular-season NFL games in recent memory, the Rams outgunned the Kansas City Chiefs 54-51 in a ridiculously entertaining affair at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The loss dropped the Chiefs to 9-2 on the season, putting them just 1 1/2 games ahead of the 7-3 Patriots in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs. If the teams finish with identical records, New England would own the tiebreaker thanks to its 43-40 victory over Kansas City in Week 6.
The Patriots currently sit in third place in the AFC standings behind the Chiefs and the 7-2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers, who they’ll visit in Week 15. Pittsburgh lost a thriller to New England in Week 15 last season — a game that wound up deciding the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Rounding out the Patriots’ remaining schedule are road dates against the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins and home matchups with the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Jets.
The Steelers, who are riding a six-game winning streak, have a much more difficult road ahead of them, including matchups with the 7-3 Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13 and the 9-1 New Orleans Saints in Week 16. They’ll also visit the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders and host the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Chiefs have what should be two layup games against the Raiders, but their home stretch also features home games against the Chargers and a tough Baltimore Ravens team and a trip to Seattle to play the Seahawks.
The Rams, meanwhile, improved to 10-1 with the win, maintaining their edge over the Saints atop the NFC.
Here are the full standings after Week 11:
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs (9-2; AFC West leader)
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1; AFC North leader)
3. New England Patriots (7-3; AFC East leader)
4. Houston Texans (7-3; AFC South leader)
5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3; first wild card)
6. Baltimore Ravens (5-5; second wild card)
In the hunt: Cincinnati Bengals (5-5), Miami Dolphins (5-5), Indianapolis Colts (5-5), Tennessee Titans (5-5)
Long shots: Denver Broncos (3-6), Cleveland Browns (3-6-1), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7), Buffalo Bills (3-7), New York Jets (3-7), Oakland Raiders (2-8)
NFC
1. Los Angeles Rams (10-1; NFC West leader)
2. New Orleans Saints (9-1; NFC South leader)
3. Chicago Bears (7-3; NFC North leader)
4. Washington Redskins (6-4; NFC East leader)
5. Carolina Panthers (6-4; first wild card)
6. Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1; second wild card)
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (5-5), Dallas Cowboys (5-5), Green Bay Packers (4-5-1)
Long shots: Atlanta Falcons (4-6), Detroit Lions (4-6), Philadelphia Eagles (4-6), New York Giants (3-7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7), Arizona Cardinals (2-8), San Francisco 49ers (2-8)
