The Los Angeles Rams are currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC for the playoffs but they’re not guaranteed to stay there. With one week to go in the regular season, the Rams could drop to No. 4 if they lose and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win on Sunday afternoon.
That’s particularly notable because Sean McVay said Matthew Stafford will rest this week, giving Jimmy Garoppolo the start at quarterback.
“I’m always trying to make decisions that I think are best for our football team,” he said. “It might not be best for everybody else, but if you said risk-reward, I think it’s a great opportunity for Jimmy to be able to play. I think it’s also an awesome opportunity for Matthew to be able to get rested, rejuvenated and ready to roll for the playoffs.”
As the No. 3 seed, the Rams would face either the Packers or Commanders in the wild-card round. If they fall to No. 4, they’d host the Vikings or Lions. There’s no question the Vikings and Lions are both better teams than the Packers and Commanders, but McVay doesn’t care who the Rams have to play in the first round.
He explained why seeding didn’t influence his decision to rest players and it doesn’t matter to him whether the Rams are the No. 3 or 4.
“No, I think there’s a difference if you’re talking about playing for a bye,” he said. “… 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.”
Even with the possibility of falling to the No. 4 seed, it’s hard to blame McVay for wanting to rest his players, particularly Stafford. He’s played every snap this season and although he’s had good protection up front, playing 16 straight games and not missing a play wears on a player’s body.
McVay believes there’s a benefit to having his top players rested for the playoff run, while also avoiding any possible injuries suffered in an otherwise meaningless season finale knowing the Rams have already clinched the division title.
“While we want to finish the season strong, I think it does provide possibly the opportunity for guys to get some reps that they wouldn’t otherwise get and then guys that have had a bunch of wear and tear on their bodies to get fresh where it actually acts as a bye, if you will,” he continued. “Whether it be the right or wrong approach, I always do what we think is best and certainly it’s a collaborative effort in terms of making those decisions. But ultimately if you asked, does the third or the fourth seed really matter? It doesn’t because I know that you’re going to play an excellent team, whoever ends up as the five, six, or seven of the teams that could be in that spot.”
Even if the Rams stay in the No. 3 spot by winning on Sunday, there’s a good chance they’ll have to face the Lions or Vikings at some point in the postseason. As McVay said, you can’t duck anybody and you’ll have to beat the best to be the best.
His logic is sound, even if it didn’t work in 2017 or 2023.