Sunday is a coronation.
It's a Week 18 celebration for the Los Angeles Rams, who were 99 percent NFC West Champions the last time we saw them, but could not officially claim the crown until some 24 hours later when the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to make it official by way of the fifth playoff tiebreaker, strength of victory.
By far the most important victory of the season, it turns out, was a different overtime triumph – the one that LA delivered at Seattle in Week 9.
That set the table for clinching the division. The rematch with the Seahawks is about running the table.
On this week's Between the Horns, we analyzed the pros and cons of resting starters, potentially at the risk of conceding the three-seed in the NFC playoff standings (more on that below).
We also discussed who we're looking forward to seeing Sunday, either for the first time as a Ram or in a larger role than we've become accustomed to.
Atop my list, former first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes Jr., a cornerback LA claimed off waivers from Washington. Tap in to get nominees from Stu Jackson and D'Marco Farr.
Nothin' But a G Thang
It's a testament to Matthew Stafford's toughness and a healthy dose of good fortune that he and Tutu Atwelll are the only Rams who've attempted a pass for the Rams this season.
That will change on Sunday, when former arch-nemesis Jimmy Garoppolo makes his LA debut.
"It's never seamless, I wish it was. If it was, everyone would do it, but that's what makes this game great," Garoppolo said regarding stepping off the sideline and back into the huddle for the first time since Week 8 last season as a Las Vegas Raider. (Technically, he played three emergency snaps in Week 18.)
"There's going to be some adversity at some point, just being realistic about it. I like the crew that we're rolling out there with though, some good guys who have been in the fire for a little while now and we'll respond to it correctly."
Jimmy G was notoriously 8-0 against the Rams as the 49ers starter in the regular season, but was finally put through the Aaron Donald spin cycle in the 2021 NFC Championship game.
"I'm just excited for him to have an opportunity to go out there and play a game that he loves. He has embraced this role better than you could ever anticipate even though we knew he would embrace it because he's such a good dude and a great teammate," offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. The two were together in San Francisco prior to LaFleur becoming the New York Jets offensive coordinator in 2021. "I know Jimmy has Matthew's back and I know Matthew feels the same way about Jimmy. It's a pretty cool relationship they have."
Easy E
There's no rest for specialists, which is one of the reasons we were pumped to sit down with second-year punter Ethan Evans on the latest Rams Revealed.
He's the most improved player on the team and has been on a real heater lately.
Evans is also a key cog in the placekicking operation, so it was good to get his perspective on the work Joshua Karty has done to connect on the second-most field goals by a rookie in franchise history.
Verse-atility
As for the soon-to-be NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse is officially a Pro Bowler.
"We know in this building how much he impacts the game and it's just good to see he gets that recognition around the league," defensive coordinator Chris Shula said on Thursday. "He's a true three-down player."
Verse has been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks in 2024, but if you listen to his press conference, the announcement actually shocked him out of a dream state.
Wild Card Draw
In anticipation of Week 18, we've done our best to simplify the playoff seeding and Wild Card opponent scenarios for Sunday.
The Rams are currently the three-seed in the NFC. If New Orleans upsets Tampa Bay in the early window before LA kicks off at SoFi Stadium, the Rams will be locked into the three-seed. Otherwise, LA must beat Seattle to maintain the three-seed.
If the Rams are the three-seed, they will host either Washington or Green Bay next week. If the Commanders (currently the six-seed) win Sunday, the Packers game does not matter. If the Commanders stumble, the Packers can grab the six-seed by defeating the Chicago Bears.
Instead, if the Seahawks beat the Rams, and if the Bucs take care of business versus the Saints, then LA falls to the four-seed. In that case, the Rams would host the loser of the Sunday Night showdown between the Vikings and Lions in Detroit.
No one does Week 18 scenarios better than this man. I print out this grid every year.
Long Division
Before Sunday's finale against the Seahawks, we should highlight the secret to the Rams success the past two seasons – outplaying their primary competition.
In 2023, LA went 5-1 against the NFC West.
In 2024, the Rams are 4-1 with only an "inconsequential" game left against Seattle.
Therefore, the only NFC West games the Rams truly tried to win the last two seasons and did not?
Week 2 contests versus the 49ers (2023) and Cardinals (2024).
Parting Shots
Let's finish with a teaser for Wild Card weekend.
I can already anticipate that next week's conversation will center around Matthew Stafford and the offense, and their ability to deliver the caliber we saw versus Minnesota and Buffalo.
"The team will go as far as QB1 can take them" is a gross oversimplification, but there's more than a kernel of truth to that cliché with respect to the Rams.
And fair or foul, the referendum on their strategy of resting Stafford and protecting other key starters will be the outcome next Saturday/Sunday/Monday. That's weighty. But there's expressed optimism from the key stakeholders.
"I still don't think we've played our best football yet, particularly on offense," LaFleur said this week.
Make no mistake about it, we've got respect for everybody, but we don't fear anybody, either," head coach Sean McVay said on his show. "There's still some chapters that we expect to write."
"Hey, save the best for last."
