Losing the Rams was quite costly, from guaranteeing two home games if they win the wildcard round to relegation to the lowest division. Not the easiest way to get to the Super Bowl. Rams Beat author Gary Klein, NFL author Sam Farmer, columnist Bill Plaschke and Mike DiGiovanna discuss their perspectives:
Now that the Rams are playing the Cardinals for the third time this season, what philosophy do you believe: It’s easier to prepare for a team you know OR you’d rather not play against a team that you know in the playoffs so good?
Klein: Both are valid. The Rams know the Cardinals and the Cardinals know the Rams. That eliminates the unknown. Now it’s just a matter of who plays with fewer mistakes and which coaching staff adjusts appropriately to the surprise wrinkles.
Farmer: I would say it is on a case-by-case basis. The Rams must be pretty comfortable playing the Cardinals as they only lost once to Arizona in the Sean McVay era and the Cardinals have lost four of their last five games. It’s worth noting that Arizona has done a lot better on the road (8-1) than at home (3-5) this season, so it’s likely to their advantage, at least psychologically, that they make one trip for this one. But yes, there is no element of surprise between these teams.
Plaschke: I think this is the best possible first round match for the Rams. Not only do they know about Arizona’s staff and plans, but they dominated them last time they met in Arizona, despite the fact that the Rams were understaffed. I think Sean McVay figured it out and I expect the Rams to roll.
The Rams are preferred for beating the Cardinals, who slumped after a fantastic start to the season. If you were Arizona’s coach, what would your game plan be?
DiGiovanna: I would try to establish the run, not just with running back from James Conner, but with designed runs for dynamic quarterback Kyler Murray to control the clock and keep the Rams offensive off the field. The Rams are prone to a power run game – the 49ers stormed for 135 yards 31 times in Sunday’s 27-24 overtime win, many of which came from Elijah Mitchell between tackles. In the passing game, the Cardinals have to protect Murray better than in their 30-23-week 14 loss to the Rams. That means chipping rams edge rushers with tight ends and keeping running backs in block.
Plaschke: Yes, the Cardinals have to play the ball all night, and I agree that Kyler Murray comes out of his pocket and moves against the Rams’ enormous pass frenzy. The Cardinals only win if they defeat the Rams on the ground.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, 1, can be tough to follow.
(Ralph Freso / Associated Press)
Farmer: Run, run, run … and run some more. Let the Rams prove they can stop you on the ground, which they couldn’t when these teams last met at SoFi Stadium. Kyler Murray has given them real problems with his run-pass option games and again the Rams must prove they can keep this in check. Also, the Rams have struggled lately protecting Matthew Stafford. Some of these interceptions might not have happened if Stafford had been given a little extra time while a defense attorney acted on him. That should make it particularly worrying that JJ Watt is returning to the field for this game. If he performs as well as possible, Watt is a spoilsport.
Klein: If I were Kliff Kingsbury, I’d take out the tape from the first game against the Rams in October at SoFi and let Kyler Murray loop around the clock 24/7. The Rams’ defenses have changed since then – Kenny Young is gone, Von Miller is here, Sebastian Joseph-Day is injured, Greg Gaines is playing well, Donte Deayon has ousted David Long – but all of Murray’s talent has been at its best in that game.
If the higher seeds all win next week it would mean the Rams would have to go to Green Bay for their next playoff game. Is that a scenario the Rams should better avoid? Should they be rooted for an excitement?
Plaschke: I think the Packers are the only team in the NFC that the Rams should really be scared of, so it’s a bad scenario that they have to play them in the second round. The packers are rested. Lambeau Field will rock. It would have been much better to let the Packers play their first game against someone else and maybe get upset or beat up a little.
Farmer: When the Rams are at their best, they can beat any team, at home or on the road. This includes the packers. The problem is, too often, the Rams are not at their best. But can they win at Lambeau? Yes. Would it be a mistake to think so far ahead? Also yes.
Facing Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Green Bay can be a daunting task.
(Aaron Gash / Associated Press)
Klein: Of course it would be better to avoid this scenario – and that’s why the loss to the 49ers was so expensive. But if the Rams run to the Super Bowl, they’ll probably have to play at Green Bay anyway. One could argue that the Packers might have a harder time getting into the rhythm after a week of goodbye. So why not avenge the defeat at the end of the 2020 season in the divisional round and take this momentum into the NFC championship game? In addition, it doesn’t get warmer in Lambeau Field.
If you were a Rams fan, what would scare you most about your team’s ability to make the Super Bowl?
Plaschke: Two words. Matthew Stafford.
Klein: Yes, Matthew Stafford’s sales are worrying. He’s undeniably poor and has played brilliantly at times. He made a few throws against the 49ers, which were ridiculously good. But he also made some unwise decisions. The Rams got away with it against the Vikings and the Ravens, neither of which is a playoff team. The Rams have also not shown a consistent ability to take down strong opponents who are committed to the run.
Farmer: It’s just the inconsistency of your game, especially on the offensive. From snap to snap, Matthew Stafford can look like a surgeon and then haphazard and sloppy. Some of these wiretaps are really difficult to understand. But when he plays well he is as skilled and capable as any quarterback in the league. It is no accident that Cooper Kupp has a record season. Someone makes these throws, many of which are squeezed through a mail slot of an opening.
DiGiovanna: And not just Stafford’s inconsistency, the lack of an effective running game and the kind of defensive errors that torpedoed them on Sunday. Stafford finished second behind Tom Brady with 41 touchdown passes, but was also tied in the NFL lead with 17 interceptions. The Rams appeared to be building a decent running game with Sony Michel during their five-game winning streak, but it went away on Sunday. And no defense with Super Bowl aspirations should allow a team to travel 88 yards in five games in 1 minute and 1 second for an on-point touchdown like the Rams did on Sunday.
What makes you think the Rams could make the Super Bowl? Or do you think they are hypocrites?
Plaschke: Your sheer talent should make you one of the leading Super Bowl contenders. They have the smart coach, the skilled players, the postseason experience, they have it all. No excuses. Not even Matthew Stafford apologizes. The Rams should go to the Super Bowl or the season was a complete failure.
DiGiovanna: I don’t think they’re show-offs – winning 12 games in the NFL and a division title is no accident – but I don’t see them in the Super Bowl. The path got so much harder when they dropped from a number 2 to a number 4 with their Sunday loss and they’re just too inconsistent on either side of the ball.
Klein: Despite some problems the Rams have, they still have proven stars even though Stafford has never won a playoff game. It will not be easy. If the postseason goes according to the seed rate, they would have to defeat the Cardinals and then defeat the Packers and Buccaneers on the road. I don’t know if it will go that way, but the Rams have the knack for getting there.
Farmer: There is no juggernaut at either conference. These playoffs are wide open and if the Rams play the way they can they may be the most complete team in the league. Check out how they’ve handled Tampa Bay this season, or their recent road wins against Arizona – despite losing four starters to COVID [protocols] – Minnesota and Baltimore. Problem is, which Rams team is going to show up?
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