The Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Giants in Week 17 and coupled with a Seattle Seahawks loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sean McVay’s team has clinched a postseason berth.
Expectations surrounding the Rams this year were not high after they got rid of some key veterans from their Super Bowl run in the offseason. Many people looked at this season as a rebuilding year for the Rams, who have one of the youngest rosters in the league.
The Rams even started off 3-6 and the season wasn’t looking promising, but things turned around quickly from there as they have won six of their last seven to get to this point. Included in that was the Week 17 win over the Giants, which wasn’t as easy as it could’ve been.
Obviously no game is easy in the NFL, especially on the road in December, but the Rams hurt themselves with three costly turnovers and a missed field goal that allowed the Giants to stay in it. Kyren Williams had three touchdowns on the ground though and Matthew Stafford also found Cooper Kupp through the air for a touchdown.
The defense then came up with a big stop on a two-point conversion late, allowing the Rams to hang on for a 26-25 victory.
L.A. then got some help later in the day with a 30-23 victory by the Steelers over the Seahawks. The Rams are in the driver’s seat for the No. 6 seed in the NFC although they can also drop to seventh depending on the results of some other games across the league.
The Rams will travel to take on the division rival San Francisco 49ers on the road in Week 18, the final game of the regular season. The 49ers already clinched the No. 1 seed and the Rams have clinched a postseason berth, so it will be interesting to see who plays in that game for both teams.
Regardless, the Rams are heading back to the postseason for the fifth time in seven seasons under McVay. They will likely play one of the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys or Philadelphia Eagles in the first round, all very quality teams.
