In the regular-season finale against San Francisco, the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams will be without Matthew Stafford, Aaron Donald, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp, and linebacker Ernest Jones.
On Sunday, Carson Wentz will start for the Rams (9-7) for the first time, head coach Sean McVay announced on Wednesday. Along with Kupp, the MVP of Super Bowl 56, Jones, the Rams’ top tackler, and seven-time All-Pro defensive end Donald, Los Angeles will also be without Williams, the NFL’s second-leading rusher.
Due to injuries, swing tackle Joe Noteboom (plantar fascia) and tight end Tyler Higbee (dislocated shoulder) will both miss Week 18.
With the majority of the NFC playoff field still up in the air behind the top-seeded 49ers, the Rams have secured their fifth postseason berth in McVay’s seven seasons. It is evident that the coach does not place much value on the team receiving a slightly higher seed. McVay made it apparent that he wants his elite players to play as little as possible in a meaningless game, even beyond his rested stars.
“There’s not a perfect solution, especially when you’re talking about 53 guys (on the roster), 48 (who must be) active (on game day). We do have a couple of injuries,” McVay said. “This was just what we felt like was the best thing, but I do think it offers an opportunity for Carson to go play, and we’re excited to see him do his thing.”
Running back Christian McCaffrey and quarterback Brock Purdy are sidelined for the 49ers. Purdy’s seat will be taken by Sam Darnold.
If Los Angeles wins against the 49ers or if Green Bay falls to Chicago on Sunday, it will finish sixth in the NFC. Los Angeles is projected as the seventh seed if both the 49ers and the Packers triumph.
In the first round, the Rams might face Philadelphia, Dallas, or Detroit.
“When you look at the projections, I think they’re excellent teams regardless,” McVay stated. “We believed that this strategy was the most effective for our group. We felt that way, but you want to see guys go compete and perform well.”
In order to make sure he didn’t stop anyone from receiving a bonus, McVay emphasized that he paid attention to contract incentives for any players who were on rest.
Additionally, McVay said that rookie receiver Puka Nacua will play for the Rams in Santa Clara. Nacua needs four receptions and 29 yards to become the NFL rookie of the year in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
“I think you´d like to see him get an opportunity for him to do something special, and then be smart with him,” McVay said.
On November 8, just after backup Brett Rypien struggled during a defeat to Green Bay, Wentz signed a contract with the Rams. The veteran quarterback from Philadelphia, Wentz, who was selected second overall in the 2016 draft, had not appeared in the NFL since joining Washington.
Despite having just played three plays for the Rams thus far, he has almost two months of experience in McVay’s offense during practice.
“It’s been fun being here,” said Wentz, who will make his 93rd NFL start. “Obviously it’s a different role for me, and it’s been new in that regard, but it’s been a lot of fun working with Matthew and seeing how he goes about his business. It’s a very young coaching staff, and that’s been really fun to be a part of. It’s a very different scheme than what I’m used to, so for me it’s just been all about learning and accumulating knowledge within the system. I’ve enjoyed it.”
Dresser Winn, a rookie who was not selected in the draft, has been re-signed to the practice squad and will be Wentz’s backup.
The decision ends Stafford’s stellar regular season early. Stafford is a 15-year veteran who missed half of 2022 due to major ailments.
With 3,965 passing yards, Stafford is sixth in the NFL, but if he doesn’t play in San Francisco, he won’t be able to record his tenth career 4,000-yard season. In NFL history, only six quarterbacks have completed more passes than Stafford’s nine seasons with 4,000 yards.
“He understands the big picture,” McVay said. “You always talk through those things … but he understood. These guys all want to play (but) when you explain to them what our thought process was as coaches, they’re totally supportive.”
This season, Stafford has thrown 24 touchdown passes with 11 interceptions, but after recovering from a thumb injury that kept him out of the Rams’ final 1 1/2 games before their bye week, he has been extremely effective.
Stafford has passed for 1,895 yards and 16 touchdowns with just four interceptions since the bye week, including two in the Rams’ thrilling victory against the New York Giants last week.
In addition, Stafford seems to be in better health this year than he was during his stretch runs during his first two seasons with the Rams. After being sacked 29 times in nine games the previous season, he has been sacked 30 times in 15 games this season.
NOTES: Since 2018, the Rams have fallen to the 49ers in nine straight regular-season games. In January 2022, Los Angeles narrowly defeated San Francisco in the NFC championship game en route to winning the Super Bowl. … S DL Desjuan Johnson (toe) and Jordan Fuller (ankle) were limited during Wednesday’s walkthrough. McVay appears confident that Fuller can play.