Tag: rams playoffs

Sean McVay won’t reveal Rams’ starting QB for wild card vs. Seahawks

Sean McVay has not decided who will start at quarterback for the Rams on Saturday.

The Rams have a decision to make at quarterback for their upcoming playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks, and Sean McVay isn’t keen on revealing who their starter will be. With Jared Goff coming off thumb surgery and John Wolford playing well in his place in Sunday’s win, the Rams have a lot to consider before naming a starter.

McVay was obviously asked about it on Tuesday during his media session and he told reporters that he won’t announce the Rams’ starter before the game. He made it clear that Goff’s thumb is a factor in this and said he’s “our starting quarterback,” but he may not be healthy enough to face the Seahawks.

The Rams visit the Seahawks on Saturday at 1:40 p.m. PT for the first round of the playoffs, so McVay has some time before deciding who will start under center. But no one should expect an announcement well before kickoff.

He has until 1:39 on Saturday and he plans to use every second available.

Wolford threw for 231 yards and rushed for another 56 on the ground in the Rams’ Week 17 win over Arizona, showing he’s capable of starting in the NFL. And with mobility being his best attribute, there are certain plays he can run that Goff can’t.

McVay wouldn’t even rule out playing both quarterbacks against Seattle.

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Should the Rams start John Wolford or Jared Goff vs. Seahawks?

Should the Rams ride the hot hand with John Wolford or go back to their $134 million man?

If you were told at the beginning of the 2020 season that the Rams would have a quarterback controversy on their hands for the playoffs, you’d undoubtedly laugh. You’d wonder who would possibly be good enough to push Jared Goff – a guy the Rams paid $134 million – for playing time under center, given the team’s lack of talent and experience behind him on the depth chart.

But here we are in the first week of 2021, with the Rams facing a legitimately difficult decision at the most important position in sports. Do they ride the hot hand with John Wolford, who helped lead the Rams to a Week 17 victory over the Cardinals? Or do they go back to the guy who has led them for the last four years?

Regardless of who the Rams pick, it’ll be the defense that needs to carry this team in the postseason. But there are pros and cons to each side of the debate, with each quarterback bringing different things to the table.

Watch: Rams drop epic playoff hype video narrated by Eric Dickerson

This playoff preview is sure to give you the chills as a Rams fan.

Expectations weren’t high for the Rams this season. After missing the playoffs in 2019, and overhauling a portion of their roster during the offseason, few people expected Los Angeles to make much noise.

But here we are at the end of the regular season, and the Rams are back in the playoffs for the third time in four years. Thanks to their league-leading defense, an innovative coach and a strong running game, the Rams have the potential to make a run in the postseason.

They’ll have to play much better than they did in the last three weeks, but don’t count this team out.

With wild-card weekend just days away, the Rams dropped a chilling hype video narrated by Eric Dickerson to get fans ready for January football. It begins with a game against the Seahawks, a rubber match after splitting the series 1-1 in the regular season.

After watching this video, it’s impossible not to be pumped for the postseason.

The NFC is loaded with quality teams, including the Packers, Saints, Bucs and Seahawks. The Rams are capable of beating all those teams – they knocked off the Bucs and Seahawks already this year – but they’ll need to be at their best for the next month if they’re to make another Super Bowl run.

For now, they remain focused on Seattle, and Seattle only, as Saturday’s rematch approaches.

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Aaron Donald on facing Seahawks in playoffs: ‘That’s exactly what we wanted’

Aaron Donald is excited to face the Seahawks for the third time this season – this one coming in the playoffs.

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The Rams were left with a sour taste in their mouths last week when they were crushed by the Seahawks on the road, 20-9. It dropped their record to 9-6 and put them in danger of missing the playoffs.

But by beating the Cardinals on Sunday, the Rams set up a third meeting with the Seahawks – their second in a three-week span. As the No. 6 seed, the Rams will visit the Seahawks on Wild Card Weekend to open the playoffs, squaring off on Saturday afternoon.

They split the season series 1-1, and Aaron Donald is excited to face the Rams’ division rival for a third time next weekend in a win-or-go-home rubber match.

After L.A.’s win over Arizona, Donald said facing the Seahawks is “exactly what we wanted.”

Donald has always played well against the Seahawks, so it’s no surprise that he wants another shot at them. Seattle clinched the NFC West by beating the Rams last weekend, but L.A. will try to avenge that loss by eliminating its rival from the postseason with a win.

Kickoff is set for 4:40 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon on FOX.

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Rams finally clinch playoff berth with win over Cardinals

The Rams are heading to the playoffs for the third time in four years.

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The Los Angeles Rams are officially heading to the playoffs for the third time in four seasons under Sean McVay. On Sunday, they knocked off the Arizona Cardinals, 18-7, finally locking up a spot in the postseason after missing opportunities to do so against the Jets and Seahawks the last two weeks.

The Rams had a great chance to make the playoffs coming into this week, with only one scenario making it possible for them to miss the postseason. It would’ve required them to lose to the Cardinals and the Bears also beat the Packers, neither of which happened.

After going 12 years in a row from 2005-2016 without making the playoffs, the Rams have now made it three times since 2017 – a remarkable feat for McVay during his first stint as a head coach.

After missing the postseason in 2019, the Rams bounced back to secure a spot in the dance by going 10-6 this year. It wasn’t always pretty, and their losses to the Jets and Seahawks were disappointing, but at least they’re one of the final 12 teams left.

Up next, the Rams will face the Seahawks on wild-card weekend, a game that will be played in Seattle.

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Scenarios for Rams to clinch 5th, 6th or 7th seed in NFC playoffs

Here’s how the Rams could earn the fifth, sixth or seventh seed in the NFC depending on Week 17’s results.

Despite losing their last two games to the Jets and Seahawks, the Rams’ playoff hopes are still very much alive. In fact, it’s more likely than not that Los Angeles will be in the postseason field, holding a 79% chance to make it, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Assuming they do secure a spot in the playoffs, they’ll be locked into the No. 5, 6 or 7 seed in the NFC. The Seahawks have already clinched the NFC West, so the Rams would be a wild-card team, just as the Cardinals could be.

It all comes down to Rams-Cardinals and Bears-Packers for the final wild-card spots, though Buccaneers-Falcons will also play a role in playoff seeding. If the Rams win, they’ll either be the No. 5 or 6 seed. If they lose, they’ll be the seventh NFC team or miss the playoffs altogether.

Here are the scenarios for L.A. in Week 17.

Rams clinch No. 5 seed if:
Rams win AND
Buccaneers lose

Rams clinch No. 6 seed if:
Rams win AND
Buccaneers win

Rams clinch No. 7 seed if:
Rams lose AND
Bears lose

Rams miss playoffs if:
Rams lose AND
Bears win

Obviously, the best-case scenario now is locking up the No. 5 seed. That would guarantee the Rams a first-round matchup with the winner of the NFC East, which will be Washington, the Cowboys or the Giants. But unfortunately, it’s hard to see the Bucs losing to the Falcons, which must happen if L.A. is to jump up to the fifth seed.

If all the favorites in the NFC win as they’re expected to in Week 16, it would put the Packers in the top spot with a first-round bye, the Saints second and the Seahawks third.

If the Rams secure the No. 6 seed, it would require them to head up to Seattle for the second time in three weeks for a third matchup with the Seahawks. As good as the Seahawks are, that would be better than heading to Green Bay or New Orleans.

There’s still a lot to be sorted out in the NFC, but what we know is the Rams will be on the road in the wild-card round – if they make it into the playoffs at all.

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Two ways Rams can clinch a playoff berth in Week 17 after losing to Seahawks

Week 17 isn’t a must-win for the Rams, but it’s close to it.

In the last two weeks, the job has been simple for the Rams: win and you’re in. All they needed to do was beat the Jets or Seahawks, and they’d have punched their ticket to the postseason. But after losing to both teams, the Rams are still searching for that playoff berth with one week to go.

Odds are still good that L.A. will be one of the seven NFC teams to make the postseason, but it wasn’t expected to come down to Week 17. Yet, here we are.

Heading into the season finale, the Rams are once again in a scenario where if they win, they’re in. They’re hosting the Cardinals, a team they’ve beaten seven times in a row, making this a very winnable game for L.A.

There’s also another scenario where the Rams could get in even if they lose to Arizona. Here are the two paths to the postseason:

  • Rams win/tie vs. Cardinals OR
  • Bears lose vs. Packers

Because the Seahawks won on Sunday, the Packers will still have a first-round bye to play for in Week 17 against Chicago – which is good news for the Rams. There was some concern that they might rest their starters in the finale, thus making it easier for the Bears to win. But that won’t be the case.

If the Rams do miss the playoffs, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves for an embarrassing late-season collapse in the final three weeks.

Explaining how the Rams still haven’t clinched a playoff berth yet

There’s only one possible scenario where the Rams miss out on the playoffs this year.

The Los Angeles Rams couldn’t have had an easier path to clinching a playoff berth in Week 15, needing to only tie or beat the 0-13 New York Jets. But as we all know, they failed to do that, losing 23-20 at home on Sunday afternoon.

They also could’ve gotten in with a tie in the Bears-Vikings game, but Chicago wound up winning that one 33-27 to keep its playoff hopes alive at 7-7.

As a result, the Rams still have not clinched a playoff berth yet. That seems impossible considering they’re 9-5, two games ahead of the Bears – who they already beat this season – with two games remaining.

There’s only one miraculous way the Rams can miss the playoffs, and it involves a very specific set of results in the final two weeks of the season from the Cardinals, Buccaneers and Bears. Here’s the scenario where Los Angeles finishes 9-7 and misses the postseason, with the Bucs, Bears and Cardinals taking the three wild-card spots.

  • Rams: Lose vs. Seahawks and Cardinals
  • Cardinals: Lose vs. 49ers, win vs. Rams
  • Buccaneers: Win at least 1 game vs. Lions and Falcons
  • Bears: Win vs. Jaguars, win vs. Packers

In that scenario, the Rams, Bears and Cardinals would all be tied at 9-7. The first tiebreaker would be between the Rams and Cardinals, based on win percentage in division games. If the Rams lose out, they will finish 2-4 in the NFC West, with Arizona going 3-3 by splitting its last two games.

So with Arizona winning the tiebreaker against the Rams, the next tiebreaker is decided between the Cardinals and Bears, and is based on win percentage in common games. The No. 6 seed would go to the Bears because they own that tiebreaker over Arizona.

Therefore, the Bucs are the No. 5 seed at 11-5, the Bears would be the No. 6 seed and Arizona would sneak in as the No. 7 seed, just ahead of the Rams.

Is all this likely to happen? Absolutely not. The Rams can clinch a playoff berth simply by beating the Seahawks or Cardinals in the final two weeks. Or, if they just tie in one of those two games. They can also clinch a berth if the Bears lose one of their next two games, or if Arizona wins this week against the 49ers.

It’s all very convoluted and confusing, but there is a single possible scenario where the Rams miss the playoffs. It’s just highly unlikely.

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Rams’ path to playoff berth, NFC West title in next 2 weeks couldn’t be clearer

The Rams can lock up a spot in the postseason with a win or tie against the Jets on Sunday.

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Sitting at 9-4 and positioned nicely in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams are extremely close to locking up a playoff berth for the third time in four seasons. Their path to the postseason is crystal clear as the regular season winds down, needing no help from anyone else to make the playoffs or even win the NFC West.

Los Angeles can clinch a postseason berth as early as this week when it hosts the New York Jets at SoFi Stadium for a Week 15 matchup. The Rams can’t lock up the division this week, but they will have a chance to in Week 16 when they visit the Seattle Seahawks.

Here is the Rams’ playoff-clinching scenario for Week 15.

Rams clinch a playoff berth with:

  • Rams win/tie vs. Jets OR
  • Vikings-Bears tie

That’s it. That’s the entire extent of the Rams’ clinching scenario this week. It doesn’t get any easier than just needing to tie the 0-13 Jets, and as 17-point favorites, the Rams plan to do much more than match New York’s score. They expect to win, and win big.

Assuming they take care of the Jets, the Rams would be able to clinch the division title with a win over the Seahawks in Week 16 – regardless of whether Seattle beats Washington this week. In fact, even if the Seahawks lose to Washington on Sunday, Seattle can still take over the NFC West lead if it beats the Rams in Week 16.

The Rams and Seahawks are currently tied at 9-4, but because L.A. won the first meeting between these two teams, it holds the tiebreaker in head-to-head matchups. However, if the Seahawks beat them in Week 16 and knock off San Francisco in Week 17, they will be crowned NFC West champions.

Here are the easiest paths to the division crown for each team.

Rams clinch NFC West with:

  • Win vs. Jets AND
  • Win vs. Seahawks

Seahawks clinch NFC West with:

  • Win/loss vs. Washington AND
  • Win vs. Rams AND
  • Win vs. 49ers

There is a scenario where the Rams can win the division even if they lose to the Seahawks in Week 16. That would require L.A. to win in Week 15 and 17, and Seattle to lose in those two weeks. In that case, they would both be tied at 11-5, but the Rams would hold the tiebreaker based on division record.

All that said, the Rams’ path to the playoffs and NFC West crown couldn’t be simpler: Just win the next two games.

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NFC playoff picture: Where do Rams stand after Week 13 win?

The Rams rose to the No. 3 seed in the conference after beating the Cardinals on Sunday.

There was a lot on the line for the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 as the regular season comes down to the final stretch. A loss to the Cardinals would’ve dropped the Rams all the way to the No. 7 seed, putting them in a tie with Arizona at 7-5. A win would’ve improved their playoff odds further, with the possibility of taking the NFC West lead from the Seahawks.

Well, Week 13 went just about as well as the Rams could’ve hoped. They beat the Cardinals 38-28 at State Farm Stadium, pushing their record to 8-4. The Seahawks were stunned by the Giants at home, losing that game 17-12, also dropping their record to 8-4.

Thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Rams hold an edge over Seattle in the NFC West, reclaiming the division lead that they lost just a week ago. So where does that put the Rams in the overall playoff picture? Well, they’re in much better shape than they were last week.

Here are the latest NFC standings with each team’s Week 14 opponent (the 49ers play on Monday night against the Bills).

  1. Saints (10-2): at Eagles
  2. Packers (9-3): at Lions
  3. Rams (8-4): vs. Patriots
  4. Giants (5-7): vs. Cardinals
  5. Seahawks (8-4): vs. Jets
  6. Buccaneers (7-5): vs. Vikings
  7. Vikings (6-6): at Buccaneers
  8. Cardinals (6-6): at Giants
  9. 49ers (5-6): vs. Bills in Week 13, vs. Washington in Week 14

According to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff predictions, which are based on their Elo forecast, the Rams have a 98% chance to make the playoffs, a 59% chance to win the NFC West and a 3% chance to win the Super Bowl.

Prior to Week 13, the Rams had an 89% chance to make the postseason but only a 27% chance to win the division. Their odds of clinching a first-round bye with the No. 1 seed are still extremely long, being two games behind the Saints, but as long as the Rams get into the postseason, they’ll have a chance at making a run.

If L.A. beats the Patriots and Jets in the next two weeks, they’ll lock up a playoff berth and have a 69% chance to win the division, according to FiveThirtyEight. And regardless of what the Seahawks do, if the Rams win their next three games, they’ll clinch the NFC West in Week 16.