The Los Angeles Rams dropped a big game to the Atlanta Falcons, and what it means for their playoff seeding.
The Los Angeles Rams had a rough night. After a pick-six from Matthew Stafford, the whole night went from bad to worse.
Stafford had a very uncharacteristic night, where he threw three interceptions, for the first time since 2022.
That wasn't the only offensive issue, as backup offensive lineman D.J. Humphries committed multiple penalties that wiped away big gains, and a Puka Nacua touchdown.
Nacua also had an uncharacteristic night, only bringing in 47 yards and one touchdown.
The run game for the Rams was nearly non-existent through most of the game. Blake Corum was injured and left the game well into the second quarter, and Kyren Williams did not get till after the injury to Corum.
Williams secured 92 yards on the ground, but it wasn't enough. Stafford overthrew Xavier Smith and what could have been the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Tutu Atwell also dropped a bomb that could have been called pass interference on the Falcons.
Simply put, a ton of miscues led to the Rams falling to 11-5 on the season. Despite the loss, Los Angeles still has a chance to improve to the fifth seed.
Currently, the Rams are the sixth seed, and that could matter a great deal in the grand scheme of things.
Should the Rams keep the sixth seed, they will play the third seed. That could either be the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles or the unpredictable and dangerous Chicago Bears.
If the Rams were to secure the fifth seed, they would instead play the fourth seed, which would be either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Carolina Panthers.
Any team is dangerous in the playoffs, but Los Angeles might want a better shot at leaving the Wild Card Round by taking on the Buccaneers or Panthers, who are much worse than the Eagles or Bears, on paper.
It will be interesting to see what Sean McVay wants to do for Week 18. The Rams are beaten up, and they could use a week to rest starters.
Kevin Dotson and Alaric Jackson were ruled out with injuries, and Humphries struggled greatly in relief. The run game was nowhere to be seen for the first half, and a big reason for that could be due to not having two starters on the line.
Davante Adams has also been out with a hamstring ailment, along with Josh Wallace.
The Rams could do well with resting for a week, allowing their starters to get ready for the playoffs.
Then again, if McVay sees the bigger strategy as landing the fifth seed, starters will play in Week 18.
There are some other scenarios that will need to play out for the Rams to land the fifth seed. The first is that they must beat the Arizona Cardinals.
If they beat the Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks would need to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, awarding the Rams the fifth seed. The good news is the Seahawks are angling for the top seed and a first-round bye, so they will be playing with intent.
McVay is sure to reveal the Rams' plans in the coming week, but it would make sense for the team to play their starters in their finale.