Rams' Sean McVay Says NFL Playoff Bracket Seeding Won't Impact Plan to Play Starters

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay indicated Friday that he plans to play his starters Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals regardless of whether or not the team can improve its playoff seeding.

According to ESPN's Sarah Barshop, McVay said his healthy starters will play in Week 18, including running back Kyren Williams, who is likely to give it a go despite injuring his ankle during last week's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

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Currently, the Rams are the sixth seed in the NFC with an 11-5 record, and they will be locked into that spot should the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

However, if the Seahawks defeat the Niners to clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Rams can move up to the No. 5 seed with a win over Arizona.

On the surface, there is a significant advantage to being the fifth seed in the NFC rather than the sixth seed. That is because the No. 5 seed will face the winner of the NFC South in the Wild Card Round.

That team will either be the currently 8-8 Carolina Panthers or the currently 7-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers can clinch with a win over the Bucs on Saturday, while the Bucs need a win coupled with a Falcons loss to the New Orleans Saints.

However, if the Rams end up as the sixth seed, they will have to face either the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles or the NFC North champion Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round.

Because of that, it is understandable why McVay would want to play his starters should the No. 5 seed be attainable when the Rams play.

However, playing starters without the benefit of the better seed would come with the risk of key players getting injured in what is essentially a meaningless game.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Puka Nacua and pass-rushers Byron Young, Jared Verse and Kobie Turner are all paramount to the Rams' success, and any of them getting injured could significantly impact L.A.'s chances of making a Super Bowl run.

With that said, the Rams have lost back-to-back games, so perhaps there is value in turning in a strong performance against the Cardinals and entering the playoffs on a winning note.