Week 18 Campbell and O'Connell exchange did get this Rams player's attention

It's Wild Card Week of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, and the LA Rams are gearing up for what could be a four-game winning streak that winds up with another Super Bowl Championship. While that should be enough incentive to get the best out of every player on the Rams roster, there is never enough bulleting board material to aid players and coaches in sparking that extra bit of focus.

You have heard this one before. As Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell met Minnesota Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell in the middle of the football field after the final game of the season, they had an exchange as do most head coaches. But this one was a bit different. You see, the game itself was for all the marbles in the NFC North Division. The winner of the game became the division winner, and claimed the top seed in the NFC. The top seed also earns a BYE in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.

The loser would fall to the fifth seed and be forced to face the LA Rams in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs at SoFi Stadium. The Vikings lost to the Lions by a score of 31-9.

As the two head coaches met on the field after the game, Coach Campbell told Coach O'Connell: "See you in two weeks." At the time, we reported the exchange (as did everyone else) by realizing that Campbell is a savvy veteran coach who knows how to insinuate exactly what he means to say. With that off-the-cuff statement, he inadvertently gave Rams players and coaches extra bulletin board motivation.

By congratulating Vikings HC O'Connell, he implied that the Vikings would be the presumed victor in the Wild Card Round. If you want to dig deeper, the top-seeded team in the NFC faces the lowest-seeded team in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. So by stating that he would see the VIkings in two weeks, Campbell was dissing the LA Rams, the Green Bay Packers, and the Washington Commanders.

And I'm not at all convinced that is not exactly what he meant to do.

Oh yeah, Rams players noticed

The LA Rams may be the fourth-seeded team in the NFC, but they did elect to sit nearly all of their starters. Conversely, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings played starters in Week 18, as both teams wanted to claim the Wild Card Round BYE.

But Campbell's remarks were not as foolish as you might think. In one statement, he incentivized three NFL teams against the other NFC Divisional Winners (except for the NFC West Division winner) and played the percentages. That is, he has given three of the four lowest seeded teams cause to play even harder in the playoffs. But did players notice?

Oh yeah, the Rams players noticed. Veteran safety Quentin Lake, one of the best defensive backs in the Rams secondary, had this to say about Coach Campbell's comments:

Quentin Lake stated without prompting: "I hope nobody is overlooking us." It was the right thing to say in this situation. Not boastful, not overconfident, Lake simply exerts modest pride in the Rams. As well as he should, as the team rose from a disappointing 1-4 start to the season before a Week 6 BYE to a 9-3 finish. And you could make a compelling argument that had the Rams not rested starters in Week 18, that they would have ended the season at 11-6.

Of course, you can throw all of that out the window. If the Rams manage another 3-year miracle, the team must win one home game, likely two road games, and a final game at a neutral site at Caesars Superdome at New Orleans, Louisiana.

The team has had winning streaks of three games and five games this season. So winning four games is in the realm of doable. The Minnesota VIkings are the first to oppose the Rams. This should be a good matchup.

As always, thank you so much for reading.

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