Despite starting the season 1-4, the Los Angeles Rams have rebounded to win the NFC West for the fourth time since Sean McVay took over as head coach.
The Rams were able to win the division before their Week 18 game against the Seattle Seahawks, which presents an interesting dilemma for the coaching staff.
L.A. is currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC but can drop to fourth if they lose to Seattle and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 18. If the Rams are the third seed, they would host either the Washington Commanders or Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs while if they are fourth, they would host either the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.
It appears the Rams will prioritize health over seeding though as McVay revealed on the Coach McVay Show that they will likely rest some key guys in Week 18 in order to give them a week off before the playoffs:
“Those are always the great questions you ask yourself. And I think you have a responsibility as a head coach and with your coaching staff to collaborate and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to compete every opportunity that we get.’ You don’t minimize the importance of every single game. But relative to what’s at risk, what’s at reward in terms of either or, and being able to maybe get some guys that are – you know, the toll that a season takes – get them back, refreshed, rejuvenated. Typically, we’ve erred on the side of leaning a little bit more towards that and I would imagine as we continue to finalize our plans, that’s probably the direction we’ll go.”
Resting guys when a playoff spot is locked up is something the Rams have done in the past so McVay said they will lean on that experience when making a decision this time:
“In each of those instances, I don’t necessarily look at what occurred when we played, but I do think it served us well going into Detroit. Came up a point short. And I think in a lot of instances, that Atlanta game leading into the wild-card game – first home playoff game at the Coliseum – I thought our guys were ready to go. And there were some instances where you say as a coach, man, you want to do a lot better job for guys. I think it served us well for what the intent was. Obviously, the goal is to be as fresh, as sharp as we can possibly be when the playoffs kick off, while not minimizing the importance of every single game is a blessing to play in.”
Matthew Stafford has played every snap at quarterback for the Rams this season and there’s no denying the 36-year-old can use a week off. That means Jimmy Garoppolo would get the start, which McVay is excited about:
“I think he’s a really, really good football player and I’m looking forward to seeing him just go play the way he’s capable of and it’s a great challenge against an excellent defense that’s hitting their stride at the right time.”
McVay also discussed some players he’s looking forward to seeing get reps on Sunday:
“There’s a handful of guys that could come to mind immediately, but I’m excited about seeing Blake Corum get a heavy workload. I’m excited to see what Cody Schrader is about. I’ve loved what I’ve seen from him in some of these practice settings. I think Blake has flashed in some of the opportunities that he’s gotten. Looking to see some of these offensive linemen get opportunities that have done an excellent job presenting looks and helping our defense grow throughout the season.”
If Blake Corum and Cody Schrader are getting work at running back then that means Kyren Williams will likely sit out as well. Other key veterans like Cooper Kupp, Rob Havenstein and Darious Williams will all likely get the week off too.
Puka Nacua is 10 yards away from another 1,000-yard receiving season so he could potentially try to get those as quickly as possible before joining the other starters on the bench to avoid getting injured.
Rams-Seahawks set for Sunday at 1:25 p.m PT
If there were playoff implications for the Rams’ game against the Seahawks in Week 18 then it likely would have taken place on Saturday night. With the Rams already clinching though, the NFL decided to put the game on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.
