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As we turn the page to Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season, several teams have decisions to make when it comes to playing or resting their starters.
For the Los Angeles Rams, that decision has already been made.
After the Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Rams head coach Sean McVay revealed Los Angeles will be playing its ones in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals, according to ESPN's Sarah Barshop.
"Oh, we're playing," McVay said Monday night after the Rams' 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. "Yeah, they're playing."
When asked if the Rams will play their starters because of their two-game losing streak, McVay said that did not factor into the decision.
"No, they were going to play anyways," McVay said. "We need to play. We need to play better football. So I don't know what the consequences are in those different types of things, but we got to play better."
The Rams clinched their playoff berth weeks ago but still have something to play for, so it's understandable why Los Angeles is risking injury in Week 18.
While the Rams cannot win the No. 1 seed or the division, they can grab the No. 5 spot in the wild-card standings with a win and a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams cannot finish any lower than the No. 6 seed, where they currently sit as we enter Week 18.
If the playoffs started today, Los Angeles would square off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round. There's also a chance the Rams could play the Chicago Bears from that No. 6 spot.
But if the Rams can secure the No. 5 spot, they would have a date with the winner of the NFC South, which will be either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That would be a significantly better matchup for the Rams.
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