With a playoff berth secured, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay made the critical decision regarding his team’s approach to the final game of the regular season against the Seattle Seahawks. He weighed the importance of securing the No. 3 seed against the potential benefits of resting key players like quarterback Matthew Stafford. His final decision was to rest most of his starters and will likely keep the defense on a pitch count — deciding based on how the game unfolds in real time.
The Rams’ potential Wild Card opponents include the Washington Commanders, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. The final seeding and subsequent playoff matchups will be determined following the conclusion of Week 18.
Rams Win Locks In The 3-Seed
The Rams can secure the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs with a victory over the Seahawks in their Week 18 matchup on Sunday. This would position them to face either the Washington Commanders or the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round.
The Commanders will travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys in their season finale, while the Packers will conclude their season with a matchup against the Chicago Bears.
The Rams suffered a 24-19 defeat to the Packers at SoFi Stadium in Week 6, a loss that typified their early-season struggles. However, they have since rebounded with nine wins in their last 11 games.
4-Seed Possibilities
A loss to the Seahawks in Week 18 would drop the Rams to the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs, provided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the New Orleans Saints.
This scenario would result in a Wild Card matchup against either the Minnesota Vikings or the Detroit Lions, who are currently vying for the NFC North title and the top seed in the conference. The two NFC North teams play to decide the winner on Sunday.
The Lions defeated the Rams 26-20 in overtime in the season opener, while the Rams subsequently secured a 30-20 victory over the Vikings at SoFi Stadium in Week 7.
Rams Unconcerned With Seeding
McVay was asked if he had a preference in which seed his team finished the season;
“No, I think there’s a difference if you’re talking about playing for a bye,” McVay said about securing the 3 seed. “… Here, you’re talking about either the third or the fourth seed. You could sit here and try to play all these different things, [but] we have to be ready to go. Somebody’s coming in here and that’s going to be an excellent team that earned an opportunity to be in the postseason. If you want to do what you’re going to do, you can’t necessarily duck anybody. You always have to weigh that risk-reward of we want to continue to make sure that all these games are important. There’s maybe some flexibility that you have based on your injury situation.”