With the Los Angeles Rams having clinched a playoff spot, will coach Sean McVay play his starters?
Will Rams Play Starters in Week 18?
QB1. pic.twitter.com/EQW4Xph1zm
— x – Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 2, 2026
The Rams (11-5) could know their playoff seeding before they step foot on the field at SoFi Stadium to play the Arizona Cardinals (3-13) on Sunday afternoon.
The Seattle Seahawks (13-3) face the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) on Saturday night in a game with massive seeding implications. The winner of the game wins the NFC West, earns the No. 1 seed, and secures a first-round bye.
A Seahawks win means the NFC runs through Seattle. It also means the Rams can move to the No. 5 seed with a win over the Cardinals.
A 49ers win means San Francisco takes the NFC West and the No. 1 seed. It also locks the Seahawks into the No. 5 seed and the Rams into the No. 6 seed, regardless of what happens on Sunday.
With potentially nothing to gain, would McVay consider resting his starters before their playoff game next weekend?
“No,” McVay said when asked if Saturday’s result would affect his decision to play the starters.
The comment supports McVay’s thoughts after Monday night’s loss to the Falcons. During the postgame presser, McVay said his starters would play in Week 18 no matter what.
“No, they were going to play anyways,” McVay said in his press conference. “We need to play. We need to play better football. So I don’t know what the consequences are in those different types of things, but we got to play better.”
Rams’ Last Two Games Have Gone Haywire
Lumen Field is laterally shaking. The Seahawks go for two and the win in OT to beat the Rams, 38-37, after the Rams were up by 16 points with 8:05 left in the fourth quarter. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/rFeyl39NDc
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 19, 2025
In the past, McVay has typically rested his starters in meaningless games before the postseason. However, McVay is unhappy with how his team looked in the Rams’ 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead. MVP candidate Matthew Stafford played arguably his worst game of the season, finishing with 269 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The week before, the Rams lost a 38-37 overtime shootout to the Seahawks.
The Rams are clearly one of the best teams in the NFC. If Los Angeles makes the Super Bowl, no one would be surprised.
However, the Rams have disappointed in the last two games, and McVay believes playing the Cardinals in Week 18 could get the team back on track.
