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The Arizona Cardinals will face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in their final game of the season, while the Rams will move on to the postseason. Some teams choose to rest their starters to prepare for the postseason.
That won't be the case for the Rams. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that his starters will play against the Cardinals on Sunday, regardless of what happens with the Saturday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
If the 49ers beat the Seahawks, winning the NFC West, the Rams will move up to the No. 5 seed in the NFC with a win over the Cardinals, allowing them to play either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Seahawks win, it doesn't matter what the Rams do. They will be locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
So the Cardinals can expect to see Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and more on Sunday.
However, what McVay did not say is whether the starters would play the entire game. It is entirely possible that, if their place in the playoffs is known Saturday night, the Rams give their starters a preseason workload, playing a quarter or two, just to keep them sharp.
Now when it comes to resting starters, because teams only have 47 players active, not every starter can rest, but players like Stafford, Nacua, Williams and some defensive starters would get the rest of the game off.
And if the Rams have a big lead over the Cardinals, something that is very possible with how Arizona has been playing, it makes sense.
The Cardinals and Rams kick off Sunday from SoFi Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET (2:25 p.m. Arizona time).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: LA Rams to play starters vs. Arizona Cardinals in Week 18
Continue reading...
That won't be the case for the Rams. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that his starters will play against the Cardinals on Sunday, regardless of what happens with the Saturday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
If the 49ers beat the Seahawks, winning the NFC West, the Rams will move up to the No. 5 seed in the NFC with a win over the Cardinals, allowing them to play either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Seahawks win, it doesn't matter what the Rams do. They will be locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
So the Cardinals can expect to see Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and more on Sunday.
However, what McVay did not say is whether the starters would play the entire game. It is entirely possible that, if their place in the playoffs is known Saturday night, the Rams give their starters a preseason workload, playing a quarter or two, just to keep them sharp.
Now when it comes to resting starters, because teams only have 47 players active, not every starter can rest, but players like Stafford, Nacua, Williams and some defensive starters would get the rest of the game off.
And if the Rams have a big lead over the Cardinals, something that is very possible with how Arizona has been playing, it makes sense.
The Cardinals and Rams kick off Sunday from SoFi Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET (2:25 p.m. Arizona time).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: LA Rams to play starters vs. Arizona Cardinals in Week 18
Continue reading...
