LA Rams inactives list for Week 18 game against the Seahawks (Official)

LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay is fairly predictable if and when a scheduled NFL game has no bearing on the team's upcoming postseason probability. Coach McVay did not hesitate to sit many players on the roster in the preseason. From his perspective, it is always better to get players healthy than to fight for a playoff berth of little to no consequence.

If the Los Angeles Rams win in Week 18, they will lock in the third-seed in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. If they lose, then they can be bumped to the fourth-seed if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) defeat the visiting New Orleans Saints (5-11). The Saints are division rivals to the Bucs, so anything can happen in that game.

With the offensive output over the past three games falling to an average of just under 15 points per game, the Rams roster needs to sit and rest all of the offensive weapons that have struggled recently. While that may appear to lessen the Rams chances for a win this week, keep in mind that the Rams defense is expected to start all starters. And this defense has allowed only 8.0 points per game over the last three games.

Even as the Rams are likely to sit a majority of offensive starters in Week 18, I would not rule out a Rams victory in haste. Yes, the Seattle Seahawks are making the type of roster moves that indicate that they want to win this game very much. But winning and wanting are entirely different categories.

So who is sitting in Week 18?

Inactives list for the Seahawks in Week 18 (Projected)

• DT Brandon Pili
• TE Tyler Mabry
• LB Patrick O'Connell
• DT Quinton Bohanna
• WR John Rhys Plumlee
• WR Cody White
• QB Jaren Hall (emergency third QB)

Inactives list for Rams in Week 18 (Projected)

• QB Matthew Stafford
• WR Cooper Kupp
• WR Puka Nacua
• OL Rob Havenstein.
• RB Kyren Williams
• OL Alaric Jackson
• IOL Kevin Dotson

Inactive lists are updated with the official inactives 

Now, what does this all mean?

Offensive Impact

• With the Rams starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo for the first time this season, fans will key in on what he does differently. Having faced him (and lost to him) so often in the past, the Rams know that he loves a strong rushing attack, and throwing to the middle of the football field.
• The Rams' offense has grown stale, putting up 15 points per game on average in the past three games. The team has explosive wide receivers in both Tutu Atwell and Xavier Smith. I anticipate either one or both receivers to get shots downfield.
• With RB Kyren Williams almost certainly sitting this one out, the burden of carrying the football falls to rookie RB Blake Corum. Corum had a reputation for getting stronger as the game wore on. Will the Rams test that quality in Week 18? This seems like an ideal game to do so.

Defensive Impact

• The same Rams defense that has held opponents to 8.0 points per game appears to remain intact to face the Seahawks. That puts the group on the spot, as they enter Week 18 knowing that they have to do the heavy lifting this week.
• This is a game that feels like a solid opportunity to get quarterback sacks. The team recorded 7.0 quarterback sacks in Week 9. While that seems a bit high, I do look for the Rams pass rush to put up at least 4.0 QB sacks in Week 18, and at least one player to record 1.0+ sacks.
• Can the team create turnovers? The team forced three turnovers in Week 9 (three interceptions, one pick-six). I think the defense will be loose enough to create at least one turnover in Week 18.

Special Teams Impact

• Look for either Rams KR Jordan Whittington or PR Xavier Smith to have a huge kickoff return in this game.
• Punter Ethan Evans has been rock solid of late. Look for more of the same in Week 18.,
• Rookie kicker Joshua Karty has shaken off a mid-season slump and has helped the Rams to victory circle this season. I expect another solid performance from the placekicker in this game.

Seattle Seahawks vs. LA Rams, game time

• Date: Sunday, January 5, 2025
• Time: 1:25 pm PT
• Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
• Channel: Fox Sports

As always, thanks for reading.

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