The Los Angeles Rams have clinched the NFC West title. Even after a rough 1-4 start to the season, they battled back to earn ten wins and a playoff spot. Now, the Rams will roll out Jimmy Garoppolo instead of Matthew Stafford for their Week 18 game against the Seahawks. Head coach Sean McVay announced the move on Wednesday, per Gary Klein of the LA Times.

“Jimmy Garoppolo will start at quarterback against Seahawks, McVay said,” Klein reported on social media.

This news came a day after McVay hinted at resting starters for Week 18. They can slide to the four seed, but are in the playoffs regardless of the outcome.

This is the second consecutive year that Stafford has been given the last week off. Last season, Carson Wentz started for the Rams against the 49ers backup, winning their tenth game. Now, Garappolo will look to shine and land another backup job next season just like Wentz did. His impressive performance landed him the Chiefs backup job.

The Seahawks were eliminated when the Rams clinched the NFC West. It was the Commanders' victory over the Falcons that gave LA the Strength of Schedule tiebreaker and sealed the division. Washington also clinched their own spot over Seattle with that win, as they have 11 wins and Geno Smith's team has only nine.

Rams playoff outlook heading into Week 18

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The only spot up for grabs in the NFC is the South division champion. The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dueling for the final spot and the Rams are interested in who wins it. If Tampa wins, they clinch the South and move to 10-7. If Garoppolo falls to the Seahawks, LA would fall to the fourth seed. Every other possibility keeps them at number three.

The seeding of the NFC division champions is important because of the greatness of the NFC North. Whoever loses the Lions-Vikings duel on Sunday night will be the fifth seed, and the Rams will want to avoid them. So Sunday's game is not entirely meaningless and the pressure is on Garoppolo to succeed.

A matchup with the Commanders would not be easy either. They are the sixth seed and will stay there with a win over the Cowboys. Jayden Daniels has been incredible as a rookie and East Coast teams usually have a lot of fans at SoFi Stadium. It was a great regular season for Matthew Stafford and the Rams but it must continue in January.