Who's number 1?
Not the one Rams. At least not now.
Before last Sunday's game vs. Carolina PanthersThe Rams finished first in the NFC.
With the loss, the Rams (9-3) are in second place heading into Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals (3-9) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Currently, the Chicago Bears (9-3) hold first place.
How tight Rams coach Sean McVay and his players keeping an eye on the race for first place – and home-field advantage in the playoffs?
“It doesn’t matter at all to me,” McVay said.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford Apparently he feels the same.
“That’s the last thing on my mind right now,” he said.
Of course.
The Panthers snapped the Rams' six-game winning streak and knocked the Rams off their perch atop the NFC.
The Rams are trying to gain momentum and stay atop the NFC West.
“Last week is a phenomenal reminder that … you're getting ahead of yourself, we're not even going to make the playoffs if we're not careful,” McVay said.
Or as a recipient Davante Adams wrote: “They were just singing our praises a week ago and now they're saying 'We suck' just because we go out and don't win the game.”
Barring a complete collapse, the Rams are on track to make the playoffs. But the Seattle Seahawks (9-3) and San Francisco 49ers (9-4) — also in the NFC West — are among the teams remaining in contention for first place.
It's that time of year when playoff predictions are everywhere.
“I’m not naive to the fact that every time you turn on the NFL Network or ESPN or watch the games … and it comes up,” McVay said. “Our guys see it, but I think they're also smart and humble enough to know that none of it is a big deal… It's something you know about, but for us it doesn't matter at all.”
In his first eight seasons with the Rams, McVay led them to the Super Bowl twice, and neither team had a home game in each round.
In 2018, the Rams had a bye in the wild card round and then defeated the Dallas Cowboys at the Coliseum and the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome en route to Super Bowl LIII, where they lost to the New England Patriots.
There was no goodbye for the Rams in 2021. They defeated the Cardinals at Sophie Stadium, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa and the San Francisco 49ers at Sophie Stadium to advance to Super Bowl LVI. The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals at Sophie Stadium to win the title.
After Sunday's game, the Rams will host the Detroit Lions and then play Thursday Night Football in Seattle. They travel to Atlanta to play the Falcons and finish the season at home against the Cardinals.
“If you said, 'Would I be happier if we ended up in a position where it meant we won more games, which would maybe give you a chance to get an automatic bid to the divisional round?' Yes, of course,” McVay said.
The past two seasons, the Rams have been eliminated from the playoffs on the road.
In 2023, the Lions beat them in a wild card game at Ford Field. Last season, the Rams lost in the divisional round in Philadelphia to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles.
“I don't think travel had anything to do with us losing those games,” McVay said.
If the Rams have a first-place or playoff berth heading into the finale against the Cardinals, McVay, as he has done the last few seasons, may choose to rest most of his starters.
“We're trained to do whatever's right in front of us, and if that means making a play for that seed or all the marbles or whatever, we'll go out and do it,” Stafford said. “If you need to sit and relax and take care of yourself, you will do it.
“We're far from that conversation at this point. We're focused on Arizona and trying to get the outcome we want.”
