INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams clinched another playoff berth weeks ago, and their regular-season finale can have only a small impact on their seeding.
When faced with such a situation in
past seasons, coach Sean McVay has rested every starter possible, preserving his players' health for the playoff tests ahead.
So the fact nobody healthy is sitting out when the Rams (11-5) host the Arizona Cardinals (3-13) on Sunday is a clear indicator of McVay's frustration and disappointment with his team's two-game swoon.
The Rams were leading the NFC standings when they held a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter at Seattle on Dec. 18. They blew that game in an overtime thriller before traveling to Atlanta last Monday and falling behind 21-0 at halftime to the Falcons, who eventually kicked a late field goal to send the Rams to another embarrassing loss.
The Rams were a fashionable pick to win it all just two weeks ago, when they looked like the most complete team in the NFL. They've still got the same roster, but they could be in a different place mentally — and McVay wants them to play their way out of it against the Cardinals, who have lost eight straight and 13 of 14 since starting 2-0.
“We need to play better football,” McVay said.
Matthew Stafford said the Rams are not thinking about this relatively meaningless meeting with a downtrodden opponent as a practice game for their lengthy road trip in the wild-card round next week. While the MVP candidate's offense still leads the NFL in scoring and ranks second in total yards, that scoreless first half against Atlanta was grim: two interceptions, two punts and a turnover on downs.
“I think our team, our coaching staff, our players, we’re treating this as another opportunity to get better,” Stafford said. “We didn’t get the result that we wanted the last two times that we went out and played, so we’re excited to go get another opportunity.”
The Cards are wrapping up another rough season on the field where they played their only postseason game of the past decade, losing to the Rams in the wild-card round in January 2022.
Coach Jonathan Gannon said he told his team to play for “the Arizona Cardinal name on your chest and name on your back.”
“They have fun playing football,” Gannon added. "I told them today (that) two weeks from now you’re going to be watching these (playoff) games, and all these emotions are going to come up and they’re not going to be good emotions. I know that. That’s how I feel. I know that’s how they’ll feel, so maximize the opportunity to go play a game.”
The Rams will know before the game whether a win means anything at all.
If the San Francisco 49ers lose to Seattle on Saturday, the Rams will be playing to clinch the No. 5 seed and a trip to face the winner of the dismal NFC South in the wild-card round. Otherwise, the Rams will be the No. 6 seed heading to Chicago or Philadelphia.
Gannon enters his third-season finale with an uncertain future as a dismal year winds down.
The 42-year-old coach is 15-35 since being hired in 2023, going 4-13 in his first season before improving to 8-9 in 2024. The franchise appeared on the upswing, but the past few months have been brutally bad.
Owner Michael Bidwill hasn’t provided many clues about Gannon’s job status, but the coach said, “I feel good,” on Monday when asked if he’s been told that he will be back for a fourth season.
While receiver Davante Adams (hamstring) and safety Quentin Lake (elbow) are expected to sit out one more week, McVay is optimistic they'll both be ready for the playoffs. Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee (ankle) has a much better chance to return from a six-game absence Sunday after rejoining practice this week, and he could be key to an offense that has leaned heavily on three-tight-end formations since midseason.
“If he is able to go, it’d be great to be able to get him some snaps before the playoffs,” McVay said. "If he’s not, then we’re hopeful that the playoffs will represent for sure him being ready to go.”
The brightest spot of the Cardinals' season has been the emergence of tight end Trey McBride and receiver Michael Wilson.
McBride was already a known commodity, but he took another step forward this season with 119 receptions, an NFL record for a tight end. Wilson – a third-year receiver out of Stanford – has thrived in a bigger role this season and could eclipse 1,000 yards receiving this year with a big game against the Rams.
After his Monday night flop, Stafford gets one more game to make a case for his first NFL MVP award in a 17-year career — although he's not wasting an instant thinking about what has become a tight two-man derby with New England's Drake Maye.
As far as basic stats, Stafford leads Maye in yards passing and TD passes while playing a tougher schedule, and Maye leads in completion percentage and yards rushing while winning more games.
“I’m just trying to put as good of a season together as I possibly can,” Stafford said. “I would love to play perfect in every game, but I’m not a robot and it happens.”
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Phoenix contributed.
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