Sitting at 5-6 and thinking about a playoff berth is not a new thing for the St. Louis Rams.
The last time the Rams made the playoffs, in 2004, they had a 5-6 record after 11 games, before finishing with an 8-8 mark and a wild card ticket to the postseason. They beat the Seahawks REDACTED and lost to the Falcons in the divisional game.
A more apt comparison for the Rams might be last year's New York Jets. With a rookie QB at the helm, Mark Sanchez, they finished at 9-7 and lost to the Colts in the conference championship game. Ok, that's apt maybe only because of the rookie QB, but you never know.
Since 1990, when the current playoff structure was instituted, 14 teams have made the playoffs with a losing record through their first 11 games. The 1996 Jaguars were the only other one of those 14 teams that went as far as the conference championship.