The Cardinals want to play The Grinch vs. the LA Rams in Week 17

The LA Rams in Week 17 are successful and hot
but the Arizona Cardinals, an eliminated team, are not.
The Cardinals hated the playoffs, the whole NFL postseason.
Now don't ask me why, no one quite knows the reason.
It could be, perhaps, that their roster was too light.
It could be that when game day came, the players were too high-strung and played tight.
But perhaps the most likely reason of all,
is that their QB Kyler Murray was four inches too small.

Ah yes, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a Christmas classic children's tale written by Dr. Seuss in October 1957 and later turned into an animated Christmas movie in 1966, narrated by Boris Karloff. It's a tale of a Grinch, a character who did not celebrate nor enjoy the Christmas holiday season, and who plotted to ruin Christmas Day celebrations of the nearby Whos who lived in nearby Whoville.

And that tale is very much like that of the eliminated Arizona Cardinals (7-8) who have been eliminated from post-season contention, who arrive in Week 17 to face the LA Rams with their only motivation being spoiling the LA Rams chances of competing in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. While that may be the outcome, one thing is certain. Don't look for the Cardinals to face a moment of truth as their hearts grow three sizes and they have a change of heart.

While the Arizona Cardinals were the consensus better team in Week 2, there are many factors that are significantly different in Week 17. For starters, the Cardinals have the undivided attention of the entire LA Rams football organization. In Week 2, the Cardinals were sandwiched between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers, the two teams that battled in the previous season's NFC Championship Game. In Week 17, the Rams are neither licking their wounds nor looking ahead.

The Rams roster is pretty healthy right now. In fact, based on the final injury report, the Rams' only question mark heading into Week 17 is the status of veteran RT Rob Havenstein. He dinged his shoulder in practice this week. Hopefully, he will be able to suit up and start.

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, the Rams coaches and players are playing some of their best football of the season. In Week 2, the Rams new coaches and young players were still experimenting to determine the right strategy, players, and rotations to win game. Since the Week 6 BYE, the Rams are 8-2, a dramatic turn around from the early season struggles.

The Grinch tried to steal Christmas in that Dr. Seuss classic, but it came. As he wrote: "Somehow or other . . . It came just the same." And so it remains beyond the reach of the Arizona Cardinals to prevent the LA Rams from making the NFL Playoffs. Even if the Rams do lose to the Cardinals, a win in Week 18 will send them to the postseason. Of course, a win by the Rams over the Cardinals activates a complex SOV tiebreaker (strength of victory).

The Cardinals are eliminated. The Rams are still very much in the postseason picture. No matter how Week 17 turns out, that will not change. The only difference Week 17 can make is if the Rams win and a number of other NFL teams win as well, which can lock in the team as winners of the NFC West Division. Let's settle for the Rams winning the final two games of the season.

As always, thanks for reading.

More Rams News and Analysis