Most teams would prefer to make the playoffs and secure their playoff berth before the final week of the regular season. However, doing so forces a coaching staff to decide on many other things they usually would not have to, such as whether to play starters in a relatively meaningless regular season game.
Such is the case for the Los Angeles Rams and head coach Sean McVay who have to decide on that issue and more, with a Week 18 matchup against a fierce division rival with nothing to lose.
“It's just you're always balancing," McVay said. "I think the first thing is you have to take into account, this isn't like the preseason. You have got a 53-man roster. You have the ability to flex two guys up, and you have five inactive. Injuries usually make a lot or some of the decisions a little bit easier. I'm always trying to make decisions that I think are best for our football team. It might not be best for everybody else, but if you said risk-reward, I think it's a great opportunity for Jimmy to be able to play. I think it's also an awesome opportunity for Matthew to be able to get rested, rejuvenated, and ready to roll for the playoffs. He’s accumulated so much experience."
McVay noted that while the game may appear meaningless for the Rams, they do not view it that way. He clarified that the Rams will do their best to beat the Seattle Seahawks.
"I think that's the important thing while also saying this is an important game for us," McVay said.
"We want to go compete to the best of our ability, don't minimize that. Ultimately, you're just weighing the pros and cons and tilting in those scales. Those are things that we've kind of done when we've been in similar situations. What I do acknowledge is that while it might not be for everybody, you try to have a thought process in regard to why you make these decisions. You use other people that you really value their input and then you're able to articulate that with an open and honest dialogue with our players. They've always been so great about how we handle it.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Crucial Decisions for Sean McVay, Rams as Playoffs Loom.