Facing a Week 18 game that really mattered, the Los Angeles Rams opted to sit starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and instead start Jimmy Garoppolo under center. His reward: the most dangerous wild card in the playoffs.
The Rams lost to the Seattle Seahawks 30-25 on Sunday, leaving them in the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs. The No. 3 Buccaneers will now face the Washington Commanders in the wild card round, while the Rams will have to take the loser of the “Sunday Night Football” clash between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings.
You can probably figure out what the best matchup is.
Still, the Rams were quick to remind the Seahawks, and the rest of the NFC West, that they still had a game to play next week.
It’s not that Garoppolo was a disaster, though. He finished the game going 27 of 41 for 334 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while playing a short offense. In addition to Stafford, Rams head coach Sean McVay opted to sit running back Kyren Williams, wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, guard Kevin Dotson and tackles Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein.
Third-string running back Ronnie Rivers recorded 48 rushing yards on 12 attempts, while No. 2 running back Blake Corum had two rushes for 10 yards. Jordan Whittington was the leading receiver with 86 yards on three receptions.
Essentially, McVay decided he would rather face the Vikings or Lions with his offense as healthy as possible than face the Commanders with one of their biggest contributors possibly injured. McVay has never worried about people questioning his decisions.
For a minute, however, it looked like the Rams were going to have their cake and eat it too. They took a 25-24 lead into the fourth quarter, and although the Seahawks responded with a touchdown from Geno Smith to Noah Fant, they drove into the red zone for a game-winning touchdown.
However, that shot missed and ended with a pass to the ground by Garoppolo.
The victory makes the Seahawks one of 15 NFL teams to reach 10 wins this season, and the only one not to make the playoffs. At least they can enter the offseason knowing they made life a little more difficult for a division rival.
Complete NFC Playoff Standings
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Detroit Lions/Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
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Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
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Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
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Minnesota Vikings/Detroit Lions (14-2)
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Washington Commanders (12-5)
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Green Bay Packers (11-6)
Span: Seattle Seahawks (10-7)