Loss to Seattle drops Rams to No. 4 seed, setting up a MNF playoff game vs. Minnesota
Rams players and coaches left SoFi Stadium on Sunday not knowing who they would play in an NFC wild-card game.
The Rams ensured their waiting game by losing to the Seattle Seahawks 30-25 in front of 72,610.
But whether it would be the Detroit Lions or the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night at SoFi Stadium did not matter to the Rams after they fell from the No. 3 to the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
“We respect all,” coach Sean McVay said, “but we fear none.”
Rams players echoed McVay’s sentiment after completing a season that featured a rebound from a 1-4 start to finish 10-7.
They might as well start printing T-shirts now with the slogan, “Don’t matter who it is.”
It is the Vikings (14-3), who lost to the Lions (15-2) in the regular-season finale late Sunday, 31-9, and became the No. 5 seed wild-card team.
“Don’t matter who it is,” said running back Kyren Williams, who was held out of the game along with quarterback Matthew Stafford, receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua offensive linemen Alaric Jackson and Kevin Dotson.
Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse agreed.
“They gotta come to SoFi,” Verse said. “It don’t matter who it is.
“You could put anybody out there. It don’t matter.”
The Chargers will open the NFL playoffs with an AFC wild-card game on Saturday at Houston and the Rams will close the weekend with a Monday night game at home.
The Rams went into the game with the NFC West title and a playoff berth in hand.
If they held the No. 3 seed, they would have played the Washington Commanders.
McVay opted to rest Stafford and the other key players, even if it meant a potential matchup against the Lions or Vikings, who were fighting for the No. 1 seed and a bye.
“You can’t worry about ducking people,” McVay said, “if you want to try to be able to advance and you really expect to be able to make some noise when you get in. You’re going to have to play people eventually.
“I felt like it was the smart move for our football team.”
Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed for 334 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, and rookie Joshua Karty kicked four field goals. But it was not enough on a day when Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith passed for four touchdowns.
The Rams also lost running back Blake Corum, who suffered a broken forearm that will keep him out of the playoffs, McVay said.
Still, the Rams were upbeat as they pondered whether they would play the Lions for the third time in a year or the Vikings for the second time this season.
The Rams lost to the Lions 24-23 in an NFC wild-card game last season at Detroit, and also lost to them 26-20 in overtime in the season opener at Detroit.
On Oct. 24, the Rams defeated the Vikings 30-20 at SoFi Stadium.
“It doesn’t matter who comes to SoFi,” defensive tackle Kobie Turner said. “We’re going to be ready for them and we’re going to have a ton of energy. I know SoFi is going to be rocking with us and we’re going to have a great time.”
The Rams could have clinched the No. 3 seed before kickoff had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but the Buccaneers’ victory put the pressure on the Rams.
The Seahawks had a 17-13 at halftime lead and were ahead 24-22 midway through the fourth quarter, when Karty gave the Rams a 25-24 lead with his fourth field goal.
The Seahawks went ahead on tight end Noah Fant’s acrobatic touchdown catch with 3:19 left.
Check out the game summary from the Rams’ loss Sunday.
The Rams drove to the Seahawks’ nine-yard line in the final minute, but Garoppolo’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
“Had a lot of fun out there,” Garoppolo said, “just came up a little short.”
Neither McVay nor his players spent any time bemoaning the result ... not with a playoff game coming up.
“We’ve been putting ourselves in position this entire last back half of the season,” Turner said, “so we’re ready to go.”
McVay pronounced they would hold nothing back.
The Rams are “going to swing” and “shoot our shot,” McVay said.
“We’re not going to be afraid to do anything,” he said, “other than go for it.”
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