The Los Angeles Rams are flying high after clinching their first NFC West Division title since the 2003 NFL season. That said, the Rams have a number of options on how they could approach the final game of the 2017 NFL season.
Although other playoff teams have committed to playing all the way through, it seems head coach Sean McVay has other goals for the Rams this week. During the team’s press conference, McVay indicated that Los Angeles will likely rest their starters in the season finale versus the San Francisco 49ers:
Being locked into that 3rd or 4th seed — every single game is important — but I think it will provide an opportunity for us to potentially get some guys healthier, rest them, give some other guys a chance to step up,” McVay said. “How that affects the guys that are healthy that we want to be smart with is going to be determined as the week progresses. But it is one of those deals where I think you might see us rest some guys and use this week where, you don’t ever take anything for granted, but knowing that you do have a home playoff game regardless of how things play out, this might provide an opportunity for us to get some guys healthy.”
Aside from their recent slew of additions on IR, the Rams have been among the healthiest teams in the league this year, especially along the offensive line. As a result, McVay has no intention of testing his luck by trying to win a game with little playoff implications.
However, there has been some debate as to whether or not there is much use in trying to play for either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in this year’s NFC Playoffs. Either way, Los Angeles will have the home-field advantage against whatever team they ultimately match up with in the first-round.
