THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams had just won their 10th game of the season and had basically locked up a division title, sitting two games ahead in the NFC West with only two games remaining. But several of the players in the visiting locker room at CenturyLink Field in Seattle were beaming about something else on Sunday: The Rams haven't lost two consecutive games all season.

Instead, every loss has been followed by an impressive stretch of football.

The Rams lost to the Washington Redskins in Week 2, then won back-to-back road games against the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, then claimed four consecutive victories, outscoring the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Houston Texans by a combined 103 points. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11, then beat the New Orleans Saints at home and the Cardinals on the road. They suffered a heartbreaking home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, then answered with a convincing road win over the Seahawks in Week 15.

Despite entering 2017 with the NFL's second-youngest roster, Jared Goff and the Rams are on the verge of clinching the NFC West. AP Photo/John Froschauer

"We don't let any team beat us twice, or something that happened the previous week carry into the following week of practice," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. "We're able to flush stuff pretty quickly and move on, and I think that's the sign of a good team."

The Rams went into Sunday's game as the No. 1 team with regards to Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, then won 42-7. Now they lead the NFL in point differential, are tied for the most points scored (438) and tied for the fifth-most forced turnovers (24). They have also joined the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jaguars, Eagles and Vikings as the only teams to not lose back-to-back games, a distinction reserved for only the game's elite.

"I don't know if you can really teach it," Goff said. "It's just part of who a team is, and I think most good teams are that way. They're able to kind of forget quickly if something doesn't go right. It's a 16-game season, and each one counts the same. So you kind of have to stick with that mentality."

The Rams displayed that mentality on Sunday, earning a regular-season victory that felt like so much more than that. They had slayed the mighty Seahawks for what in a larger sense seemed to represent a changing of the guard in their division, lifting themselves to the top while potentially ending a near-dynasty in Seattle. ESPN's Football Power Index now gives the Rams a 98 percent chance of winning the NFC West, but players brushed that aside as if their regular season still holds true meaning.

"We got a game next week," Rams outside linebacker Robert Quinn said when asked about his team's place in the standings. "We gotta win that one. It’s pretty simple. I don’t try to look at the big picture."

The Rams, who need one win or Seahawks loss to clinch the NFC West, travel to face the Tennessee Titans on Christmas Eve, then finish with a home game against the 49ers on New Year's Eve. The Seahawks travel to face the Cowboys, then wrap up their regular season at home against the Cardinals.

Rams coach Sean McVay likes to split the season up into quarters that represent mile markers for his team. The Rams went 3-1 in each of their first three quarters and can go 3-1 in their last one if they win out, which would give them a 12-4 record and perhaps even a chance -- slim as it might be -- to earn a first-round bye.

The Rams entered the season as the NFL's second-youngest team, but they have been masters at overcoming adversity, what little they have faced.

"I just love the resolve of this football team," McVay said. "I love the mental toughness and their ability to take things one day at a time. I think there is a true appreciation that we have, that we are continuing to gain as coaches and players, for just taking it one day at a time and not getting too far ahead of ourselves."