Rams Win NFC West with 12-5 Record | Cardinals @ Rams in Wildcard Monday Matchup

Sunday's 27-24 overtime loss against the San Francisco 49ers marked the 6th straight defeat at the hands of Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and division rival Niners. It ultimately would knock the Rams down to the 4 seed in the NFC playoff picture when the Rams could've achieved the 2 seed and ultimately a home field advantage through the entire playoffs, unless they had to face the 1 seed in the Green Bay Packers.

It was a frustrating outcome to close out the 2021 regular season for Head Coach Sean McVay and the Rams. Up 17-0 against the downtrodden Niners late in the second half, it seemed almost guaranteed that L.A. would get over the insurmountable hump against San Francisco, break a 5 game losing streak and send their NFC West foe back to the Bay with expired playoff hopes. Instead, a single play call made by McVay in the second quarter would shift momentum for the rest of the game. With 51 seconds left, on a 3rd and 1 on their own 42 yardline, McVay elected to go empty set and attempt to have his quarterback Matthew Stafford throw the ball in order to get the couple yards needed to extend the drive. Niners stud Edge Rusher Nick Bosa would ultimately sack Stafford for a loss of 8 and force a Rams punt. That change in possession would give the Niners new life as Kicker Robbie Gould would hit a 42 yard field goal to make the game 3-17 at the half. 

Before this game, Sean McVay was an incredible 45-0 as a head coach when going into the half with the lead. That streak is no longer. 

Though it affected the Rams playoff seeding, it did not affect the fact the Rams have won the NFC west for 3rd time in Sean McVay's 5 year tenure. Matthew Stafford's first regular season has promise written all over it despite numerous pick-sixes. He still finished the season with 41 touchdown passes and 4,886 total yards. In the process, Stafford fed the almost certain NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp. Kupp is the fourth ever triple-crown winner in the league's history, with the most receiving yards, touchdowns and catches. Coop was simply un-guardable in 2021, to put it simply. Surest hands on the team and an overall leader that the Rams will benefit from having on this offense for a very long time. When Kupp is healthy, he is the best route-running receiver in the NFL and will terrorize defensive backs for what should be a nice long career that's really just getting started.

Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams - Wildcard Monday Night Football

Another NFC West foe awaits in the wildcard round of the playoffs in the Arizona Cardinals. This will be the second straight season L.A. will have to face a division rival in the wildcard round. 

The Cards started the season as the absolute best team in the NFL but have since crash landed back to Earth since midway through the regular season. Both teams are battling their fair share of injuries but the Cardinals have a massive hill to climb. The Cardinals will be missing one of the best pass catchers in DeAndre Hopkins in this game which already puts them at a disadvantage. The Cardinals are thin at the running back position, with Chase Edmonds and James Conner both nursing injuries of their own. This game will fall on the shoulders of QB Kyler Murray, who was playing like by far the best quarterback in the league earlier in the year. The Rams defense will once again prove to be what they've been during Murray's pro career: the biggest test of his life. 

The Rams will be missing defensive captain and signal caller in safety Jordan Fuller for the rest of the year as he suffered a massive ankle injury against the Niners. It's a huge blow to lose a player of that importance for multiple reasons but McVay has confidence that backup Nick Scott will come in and fill the role nicely due to his understanding of defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' defense. Keeping it with the secondary, cornerback Darious Williams and safety Taylor Rapp are both incredibly banged up after the overtime loss. Thankfully, the Monday night game gives some time for extra rest and recuperation. Taking this time to get right and get players healthy for a grueling battle should be the number one priority for this team.

With most of the Rams offense being healthy going into Monday, I see the Rams rolling the Cards in a 37-27 victory, as Matthew Stafford tosses a few touchdowns and wins his first playoff game as a professional.