Subscribe
Follow Us
When the Los Angeles Rams take the field in Week 19, it will be one of the most challenging games in franchise history.
Preparing to play a game while the city they call home burns, impacting player homes, practice schedules, and the quality of air they have to breathe, the Rams have to board a plane, leaving their families and forfeiting home field advantage due to no fault of their own, fly to Arizona, and take on a 14-win team while their minds are miles away.
And the worst part? The Rams have to make these adjustments on the fly, with head coach Sean McVay noting that he expected to take the field at SoFi on Monday during his Thursday media session.
“I am expecting the game to be in SoFi. We're operating with the full expectation that that’s where we're going to play. As far as how [preparation] has been affected and altered, I think you acknowledge these things, but you also want to make sure that hey, how you can control making sure that you're doing the right things is preparing accordingly while also being mindful of this is bigger than football and if the people that you're directly involved with are affected, making sure that you're tending to that first,” McVay told reporters.
“You look at [Football Chief of Staff] Carter Crutchfield, [Senior Director of Football Operations] Sophie Harlan, so many of our staff members have done a great job, [Head of Football Affairs] Casey Africano of making sure that they're connected with the players and staff members to take care of that first and then ultimately, do a great job with our preparation so that we can play as well as possible on Monday.”
Now, for the Vikings, this is a little different, too, as plenty of their players have LA roots, and this is the first playoff game the NFL has moved since 1936, but Minnesota was always going to be on the road. If anything, they will have an advantage because the game will have no home field advantage, with Vikings fans far more likely to travel to see the game than LA fans currently dealing with multiple active wildfires.
Could the fires be gone before tipoff on Monday? Maybe so, but it's hard to imagine many fans are booking plane tickets while Santa Ana wind worries continue through the weekend.
Would anyone hold it against the Rams if they delivered a stinker against a team with more wins on the season? No, frankly, this feels like the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for McVay and company, but the Rams could easily take things the opposite way, too, putting the city on their shoulders and fighting for LA in its darkest hour. Considering the Rams already beat the Vikings this season, that feels like a real possibility.
1. The Rams step up and play for LA
Before evaluating any Xs and Os, the most important question to consider is the Rams' mentality, with the vibes having the potential to impact the game just as much as the plays called. Fortunately, during his Thursday media availability session, McVay let it be known that his team isn't going to roll over, instead giving it their all for LA.
“Well, you realize the perspective and you hate for situations like this to arise. There was something similar that we've been a part of in 2018 with ‘LA Together.' You talk about really what sports represents is an opportunity for people to come together and provide a temporary sense of relief from some of the things that they're going through. I am excited about the opportunity for our team to go compete where people can be proud and have a team that represents a lot of the things that are right about sports. I know we're going to prepare to the best of our ability to do that.”
Matthew Stafford echoed a similar sentiment on Thursday, hoping that having two LA teams in the playoffs could help to serve as a much-needed distraction in these trying times.
“Every time we suit up, we're the Los Angeles Rams. We play for the people in this community and the people that support us. This week will be another example of that. I'm sure, hopefully, it’s a great escape for people who have been going through a lot of tough times here in these last couple days, really football all weekend. Two teams in LA are in the playoffs.”
No matter how the final score of this game shakes out, it's clear the Rams will give it their all and really prove to fans in LA that they represent the city with pride.
2. Matthew Stafford attacks Minnesota's suspect secondary
Over the past few weeks, the Rams have had to rely on Kyren Williams to keep their offense going, with the pride of Notre Dame rushing for at least 100 yards in three of his last five games, while Stafford has been held under 200 yards passing in all but one game.
On paper, that strategy has been sound, as Williams fell just one yard short of 1,300 yards in his third professional season largely thanks to strong play in the second half of the season from his finally fortified offensive line. But in Week 19, that gameplan might be tested, as the Vikings' front seven has been incredibly strong against the run, finishing out the regular season with just 1,588 rushing yards allowed, which is the second-best mark in the entire NFL.
The Vikings' passing defense, however, is among the least effective units left in the postseason, with Brian Flores' defense actually allowing more passing yards, 4,114, than Kevin O'Connell's offense recorded in 2024, at 4,043. If the Rams are going to pull this game out in Arizona, they are going to have to win it through the air, with Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp taking advantage of the 28th-ranked passing defense in neutral territory.
A tough ask? Sure, what playoff game isn't? But back in Week 8, the Rams did just that, with Stafford throwing for 279 yards and four touchdowns in one of the best games of his 16th NFL season. If McVay comes correct with a strategy to attack the Vikings' outside cornerback tandem of Stephon Gilmore and Shaquill Griffin, and Stafford can get the ball to his playmakers, the Rams might just pull this one out.
3. Jared Verse and the Rams' D sack Sam Darnold's Cinderella run
In 2024, only three quarterbacks, Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, and Geno Smith, were sacked more times than Sam Darnold.
Playing behind an offensive line that saw seven players log at least 35 percent of the team's offensive snaps this season, Darnold was on the run often in 2024, being sacked an average of 2.8 times per game while dropping back an average of 32 times per game. Granted, he still took care of business to the tune of 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns versus just 12 interceptions, but in the three games the Vikings lost, Darnold was sacked nine times, which is above his season average.
In Week 8, the Rams took Darnold down three times, but if they are going to pull out the win in Arizona, they'll need to ensure that the pride of USC is rarely afforded a clean pocket to operate in. While the Rams were only able to amass eight sacks over their final five wins of the season, who knows, maybe that “Play for LA” mentality will lead to a defensive onslaught on Wild Card Weekend.
