The Los Angeles Rams are one of the hottest teams in football right now. They’ve won three in a row and six of their last seven since the bye, catching fire at just the right time.
They’re a team no one wants to play in the postseason because with Matthew Stafford rolling, Kyren Williams playing well at running back and the defense exceeding expectations, Los Angeles is a scary team in the NFC right now.
Heading into the final week of the regular season, the Rams have very little to play for. They already clinched a playoff berth and are locked into the No. 6 or 7 seed with no chance to move into fifth or win the NFC West. Kyle Shanahan has already said the 49ers will rest some of their starters in Week 18 after locking up a first-round bye, and the Rams could potentially do the same.
It doesn’t make much of a difference if the Rams are the sixth or seventh seed, and it’s much more important for players such as Stafford, Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Williams to be healthy for the postseason run.
So it begs the question: Should the Rams rest some of their starters in the season finale?
Sean McVay has already thought about that possibility. It crossed his mind on the flight home after learning the Rams clinched a playoff berth. He hasn’t yet made a decision, but it sounds like at least some players will get a little bit of a break in the finale.
“I think the thing that’s important ideally when we get our players back on Wednesday, that’s when we’ll have that clarity. We’ve still got to take steps in the right direction regardless of if we play everybody, if we have the luxury of a couple people,” he said Monday. “But there’s never a perfect answer because you just don’t have the numbers. We had some similar situations like this before but you still have to stay sharp, you still have to stay crisp. But if there are some guys that could use the time or that actually need it based on their injury situation and that kind of makes those decisions for you. But when I talk to you guys on Wednesday, I’ll have some clarity. I started thinking about this on the flight home last night and there certainly isn’t a perfect answer, but what we will come to is what we think is best as it relates to not just this week, but more importantly the Wild Card weekend.”
It always comes down to the debate of rest vs. rust. If the Rams don’t play some of their top players, they risk falling out of the rhythm they’re in. As McVay said, they want to remain sharp for the playoffs, and taking a week off right before may not be the best option.
Granted, it’s no different than simply having a bye week and that often serves teams well, allowing players to come back fresh and healthier than usual. It’s not as if the Rams would be giving players two weeks off before a playoff game and bringing in the risk of rust even more.
As McVay said, there are certain players who could probably use a little bit of time off before the postseason. Cooper Kupp hasn’t looked fully healthy in the last two weeks and was shaken up in Sunday’s game. Tyler Higbee just injured his shoulder against the Giants and Bobby Brown III hyperextended his knee. Jordan Fuller sprained his ankle and Joe Noteboom not only played through a foot injury, but he also hurt his heel. Noteboom is typically a backup, but it’d probably be a good idea to rest him in Week 18 regardless and have someone else be the swing tackle.
Puka Nacua is chasing two rookie records and it would be a disservice to rest him in the finale, but he’s been banged up all season and would benefit from playing fewer snaps. Don’t be surprised if the Rams pull him after he breaks the reception and yardage records on Sunday.
The other factor to consider in all of this is the Rams’ projected opponent in the wild-card round. As of now, their likeliest opponent is the Lions. If they lose, the Cowboys become their most probable opponent in the first round because they would fall to seventh if the Packers beat the Bears.
Would the Rams rather go on the road to Detroit and face the Lions or head to Dallas for another postseason matchup with the Cowboys? That’s truly a toss-up, but McVay may prefer to face one team or the other.
When it comes to resting players, there’s no right answer. But for now, the Rams are at least considering giving some players a lighter week against the 49ers.
