Following the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay seemingly made a decision on resting starters for Week 18.
The Los Angeles Rams dropped a big loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, which was chock full of miscues and turnovers, leading to a 27-24 loss.
Matthew Stafford looked off, as he committed three interceptions. Backup offensive lineman D.J. Humphries ran into multiple issues, wiping off big gains and touchdowns with penalties, and the run game seemed non-existent until the second half of the game.
Simply put, the Rams did not look like their normal selves, and it led head coach Sean McVay to make a final decision on the starters playing in Week 18.
Following the loss, McVay spoke to the media, where he explained that the Rams need to "play a better football." He also explained that the plan all along was to have the starters playing in the regular season finale.
"Oh, they're playing. Yeah, we're playing. No, they were going to play anyways. We need to play. We need to play better football. I don't know what the consequences are and those different types of things. But we gotta play better," McVay said.
It is understandable why McVay is upset with the team. The Rams looked unlike themselves against the Falcons.
After a second-quarter pick-six from Stafford, things went from bad to worse. Blake Corum was injured in the second, and Kyren Williams all but disappeared until the third quarter.
Los Angeles nearly authored the fouth-quarter comeback, but Stafford overthrew a wide-open Xavier Smith. A would-be touchdown for Puka Nacua was also wiped off the board with a Humphries penalty.
Tutu Atwell also nearly caught the go-ahead fourth quarter touchdown, but he dropped it.
Stafford did not get a lot of help, as multiple receivers also dropped the ball in would-be big passing situations.
Clearly, the Rams had an off night. McVay stating he doesn't understand the consequences of playing in Week 18 might be a little far-fethced.
Should the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles will receive the fifth seed.
Any other outcome, and they will stay at the sixth seed. The significance of this is either playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Carolina Panthers if the Rams secure the fifth seed, or facing the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles if they keep the sixth seed.
In that moment, McVay may not have known what the semantics of playoff seeding were, but he is likely knowledgeable on where the Rams currently stand.
It makes sense that McVay was going to play his starters, but it makes even more sense now. The Rams should be aiming for that fifth seed to play the winner of the NFC South.