Rams head coach Sean McVay said after Saturday’s victory over the Cardinals that he didn’t want to get too invested in Sunday’s games — even though Los Angeles had a chance to clinch if certain teams won.
But if you heard some cheers around Southern California after Jayden Daniels hit Zach Ertz for a game-winning touchdown to end Sunday Night Football, there’s a good reason why.
With Washington’s overtime victory over Atlanta, the Rams have clinched the NFC West and are officially headed to the postseason.
The Commanders’ victory gave Los Angeles the strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Seattle, rendering the Week 18 result of the game between the Rams and Seahawks irrelevant.
After the Bengals beat the Broncos and the Rams defeated the Cardinals on Saturday night, Los Angeles needed three of Minnesota, Buffalo, San Francisco, Washington, and Cleveland to win the rest of the weekend to clinch the tiebreaker. Minnesota, Buffalo, and Washington got it done for L.A.
This is the fourth division title for the Rams under Sean McVay and their sixth trip to the postseason in his eight years as head coach.
Los Angeles will face Seattle next week at home to finish the regular season. With the Rams as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed, they are likely to rest their starters against the Seahawks. That is what they’ve traditionally done in the final week of the season with a postseason spot clinched under McVay, including last year’s Week 18 matchup against the 49ers.
