Despite loss, LA Rams proves team holds a promising future

The LA Rams sat starters in Week 18, a move to prevent injuries as the NFL playoffs loom on the horizon. And based on the injury reports from other games, and the Seattle Seahawks versus the Los Angeles Rams game (we'll discuss later in this article), the Rams coaching staff was wise to do so. The downside of the strategy was increasing the chances of losing the game. The upside of the strategy was getting opportunities to less-used players, getting badly needed rest for key starters, and putting a lot of football action on video that may or may not be used in the postseason.

Well, the LA Rams did lose the game. But this was not a blowout. In fact, the Rams took the lead in the game with only 7:19 minutes remaining on the game clock.

Some of the most positive news was simple and obvious. A Rams offense made up of backups scored 25 points in a game. That is more points scored by this team than the total scored in 11 games this season. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, facing the Seattle Seahawks starters on defense, and working with depth players, completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

That is a high-water mark of passing yards thrown by a Rams quarterback this season.

Although his contract expires at the end of 2024, veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo put up enough quality production in this game to attract offers from QB-needy teams. And if the contract offer is lucrative, the Rams could benefit from a compensatory draft pick award in the 2026 NFL Draft. Of course, the team could always move to extend Garoppolo.

It was only one game. One data point. But he certainly deserves an offer to stay from what I witnessed in the game.

Rams prove wise to sit starters in Week 18

The Rams sat a lot of starters in Week 18, and as stated earlier, that proved to be a wise decision. The team had hoped to get a lot of work for rookie running back Blake Corum. But Corum was injured early in the game, and was ruled questionable to return:

He was later ruled out.

The Rams pivoted to veteran backup running back Ronnie Rivers, who rushed 12 times for 48 yards. Even rookie RB Cody Schrader saw his first action of 2024, getting one run for three yards, and one pass reception for six yards.

We haven't a final determination of Blake Corum. Hopefully, he sat out Week 18 as a precautionary measure. But the incident highlights the risks of playing starters in the final game of the season. The Rams need to be as healthy as possible.

Final Score

Seattle Seahawks 30
Los Angeles Rams 25

Despite the final score, the Rams backups played toe-to-toe against the Seahawks starters throughout the entire game. Even 12th Man Rising site expert Lee Vowell was disheartened by the Seahawks' struggles to get a win in Week 18. As he stated:

'The players were not solely the difference in the game. This is the same in the rivalry as it was when Pete Carroll was the coach of the Seahawks. Rams head coach Sean McVay is simply better at his job than Carroll and, seemingly, Mike Macdonald are. McVay's scheme is better than what Carroll had or Macdonald will have.' - per Lee Vowell, 12th Man Rising.

Will everyone who competed in Week 18 be back in 2025? Since we do not yet know the outcome of the Rams 2024 season, I'll hold off on predicting who will and will not be back. But I think it is naive to conclude that everyone will return.

What we saw was not simply a bunch of young backups getting knocked around from ringpost to ringpost. We witnessed a team with so much love for the game of football that they outplayed the best of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18 in many ways save one.

The final score did not favor the Rams.

The LA Rams five game winning streak has ended. Now the team needs only to start a four-game winning streak. If the Rams can pull that off, they will hoist another Lombardi Trophy.

As always, thanks for reading.

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