How St. Louis Rams Can Salvage Season, Make Most of Remaining Games

After suffering an extremely disappointing loss this past Sunday in San Diego, the St. Louis Rams fell to 4-7 on the season. It would take a slight miracle for them to qualify for postseason play.

After coming off a huge win over the Denver Broncos in Week 11, a road victory against the Chargers would have put the Rams at 5-6 and on the fringe of a wild card berth. Instead, they're likely building towards next season.

Looking at the rest of the Rams' schedule, they have a game against the Oakland Raiders before taking a road trip to face the Washington Redskins.

They will then have back-to-back home games against the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants. The season ends with a trip to Seattle to battle the Seahawks.

There are some very winnable games in there, so the Rams could finish the season strong. Yet even if they win out, 9-7 may not be good enough to make the playoffs.

Let's take a look at some ways the Rams can consider the 2014 season a success, even if they are excluded from postseason play.

Continue to Play Strong Defense

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Though the Rams have lost seven games this season, it's not because their defense has played poorly.

Though the defense got off to a slow start by not getting a single sack in the first five games of the season, they've posted 22 sacks in the last six games.

Robert Quinn has six sacks on the year and rookie Aaron Donald has posted five, a very encouraging sign for the team. With a healthy Chris Long, this is a defensive line that can be a menace to opponents for years to come.

Linebacker Alec Ogletree has had a good season, leading the team with 75 tackles. But he's also shown his ability to drop back into pass coverage, coming up with two interceptions and eight passes defensed on the year.

And what about T.J. McDonald? He is all over the field at the safety position and is seemingly in on every play.

"

A number of Rams on defense playing very well right now but perhaps none better than T.J. McDonald.

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 16, 2014"

Another great sign for the team has been the play of rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines. He leads the team with 12 passes defensed and is fourth with 52 tackles. He has played well in coverage and helps create the idea the defense could eventually be just as strong in the back as it is up front.

Throw in the midseason trade for Mark Barron, and the front office should be very happy with the defense it has built.

Play the Role of Spoiler

If you're a team that is not going to make the postseason, playing the role of spoiler can still be satisfying. With games against Arizona and Seattle still on the schedule, the Rams could deal those divisional opponents costly blows to their playoff hopes.

The Rams have already beaten Seattle this year and won't be afraid to go to Seattle for a second meeting. With that game coming in Week 17, it will likely be an important one for the Seahawks.

In Week 10 against Arizona, the Rams held a 14-10 lead on the road. Two late turnovers by quarterback Austin Davis cost them the game.

But despite the fact the Cardinals still hold the NFC's best record at 9-2, the Rams are one of the last teams they're going to want to face with a backup quarterback.

Look for the Rams to pull the upset in that game.

Play Hard for Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher is just 18-24-1 to this point as head coach of the St. Louis Rams, but the team is in good hands with him at the helm. He has won 160 games in the NFL.

Hopefully, the front office isn't considering making a move, but in the event it is, the players need to give their all for him over the last five games of the season.

Fisher has done well with the tools he's had at his disposal. Having to deal with the oft-injured Sam Bradford at quarterback, he's gotten decent production out of guys like Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis and Shaun Hill over the years.

If the Rams decide to invest in a new franchise quarterback next year, Fisher has earned the right to work with him.

"

If only Jeff Fisher had a quarterback.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) November 24, 2014"

On top of that, Fisher has had success against the NFC West, which has been the toughest division in the NFL over the last two seasons.

His divisional record is just 7-8-1, but he's gotten wins over both San Francisco and Seattle this year. Those two teams played for the NFC championship last year. Throw in the win over the Broncos and Fisher has beaten both teams that appeared in last year's Super Bowl.

All records and stats aside, the Rams are fortunate to have one of the best coaches in the entire NFL.