Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams caught a much-needed break amid their two-game losing streak, and they did not even have to step onto the field to get it.
The Rams will finish out the 2025 regular season against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18. But before that, the Rams had plenty at stake in a primetime showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
Stafford and the Rams must still do their part, though.
Matthew Stafford, Rams Get Good News From Seahawks-49ers Game
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stafford and the Rams entered the day as the sixth-seed in the NFC, and they ended it in the same spot.
However, thanks to the Seattle Seahawks–who defeated the Rams in Week 16 to kick off LA’s current two-game skid–the Rams remain in position to climb another rung in the NFC standings before the postseason.
Seattle defeated the 49ers 13-3 on Saturday night.
“With the Seahawks’ win over the 49ers tonight, the Rams can secure the No. 5 seed with a win over the Cardinals tomorrow,” TheRams.com’s Stu Jackson posted on X on January 3.
The Rams were the No. 1 seed in the NFC just two weeks ago. However, with their losses to the Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 16 and then to the Atlanta Falcons on “Monday Night Football” in Week 17, the Rams needed help to avoid being the sixth seed.
They got it.
That checks a significant item off the list, but the Rams are hardly out of the woods in terms of giving themselves a better chance of hosting a playoff game this postseason.
As the No. 6 seed, the Rams would need the seventh-seed to upset the No. 2 squad. If LA earns the right to be the No. 5 seed, they give themselves two chances of hosting an opponent at SoFi Stadium.
Rams Not Worried About Seeding
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on against the Dallas Cowboys.
Stafford and the Rams’ starters are playing in the regular-season finale against the Cardinals, and it is not entirely due to what is on the line.
Rams head coach Sean McVay fielded a question regarding whether the outcome of Saturday’s contest between the 49ers and Seahawks would impact his decision to play Stafford and the other available starters against the Cardinals.
He answered, “No,” after shaking his head before the question was finished.
McVay spoke candidly about his decision to play the starters when he announced it, citing their performance over postseason positioning.
“Oh, we’re playing [starters],” McVay told reporters on December 29. “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 type of things, but we gotta play better.”
For his part, Stafford embraced the opportunity.
“I love to play. So, yeah, I’ll be ready to go,” Stafford told reporters on December 29 after admitting his shortcomings in the Rams’ loss to the Falcons.
Stafford and the Rams would need more breaks to get their home game in the postseason, even with a win over the Cardinals in Week 18. But they cannot concern themselves with that until they take care of business in the regular-season finale.
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