Kill me.

Yeah, drafting a LT with the first pick works for me. This season was the perfect illustration of the importance of a great LT.

Quoting something Wade’s daddy once said after a second consecutive loss in the playoffs… “One year ago, we knocked on the door. This year, we beat on the door. Next year, we’re going to kick the son of a bitch in.”

The Rams knocked on the door this year. Next year they are gonna skip the ‘beating on it’ part and go right to ‘kicking it in’.

The Falcons defense deserves a ton of credit. There were very few instances of Rams receivers running free through the secondary like we’re used to seeing. Watkins had a defender glued to his hip every play.

The Rams’ inability to stop the run when they had to did them in defensively. Not being able to stop it with their base defense forced them to commit extra defenders and the Falcons countered that brilliantly. This opened things up for their offense and allowed them to dictate the game in the second half.

Wow. That group is the least informed about the Rams than any I’ve seen this year.

You missed Pharoh Cooper. That makes four.

Zooey wrote:

nittany ram wrote:

Did Brockers play at all? From ESPN…

• Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers, who has 4.5 sacks, earns a $125,000 bonus for 5.5 sacks this season. Brockers needs one sack versus the San Francisco 49ers for the payout.

He did. I saw him a couple of times. I don’t know how much, but he was in there.

Good. Don’t want any potential bad feelings mucking things up.

Rams starting lineup

#RAMS STARTING LINEUP
QB: Sean Mannion
RB: Malcolm Brown
WR: Pharoh Cooper
WR: Josh Reynolds
WR: Tavon Austin
TE: Gerald Everett
LT: Darrell Williams
LG: Austin Blythe
C: Aaron Neary
RG: Jamon Brown
RT: Cornelius Lucas
OLB: Samson Ebukam
DL: Morgan Fox
DL: Tyrunn Walker
DL: Ethan Westbrooks
OLB: Carlos Thompson
ILB: Cory Littleton
ILB: Bryce Hager
CB: Troy Hill
CB: Kevin Peterson
NCB: Nickell Robey-Coleman
FS: Blake Countess
SS: John Johnson III
K: Sam Ficken
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide

PA Ram wrote:

Zooey wrote:

And 49er fans think the Rams are afraid to play them straight up because they will lose.

The 9er fans got awfully smug in a hurry.

I hope the back-ups put a beating on them.

Mannion for 4 TDs. Malcolm Brown for 150 yards on the ground.

Sam Ficken for 5 field goals.

Most importantly for me…I want Garoppolo to really stink. Something along the lines of a 45% completion pct and 4 picks. I would love it if the 9ers fans went into the offseason a little unsettled about their QB situation.

I think McVay is a lock for Coach of the Year.

Zooey wrote:

Hey. I agree with Vincent. How about that?

I totally agree that being in the best physical and mental condition possible outweighs the bracket.

My first impression of Bonsignore was that he was LA’s version of Miklatz. And there are times when he can act that way.

But overall, he’s usually pretty reasonable.

My take: I hate the idea of sending the 9ers and their fans into the offseason feeling good about themselves and their team. But I also agree that being healthy and rested for the playoffs trumps any other consideration.

Link: https://www.downtownrams.com/single-post/2017/12/26/Sean-McVay-leaning-towards-resting-starters-will-continue-with-K-Ficken

The Rams have clinched a playoff berth with their division title so now there isn’t a ton of reason to force their starters to play this Sunday versus the division rival 49ers.

Sean McVay told reporters in his press conference today that he will probably sit all of his playoff team’s starters for their New Years Eve contest versus the San Francisco 49ers.
This may upset some people who want to see the Rams get a nice win in the last home game of the regular season but it doesn’t make a ton of sense for the Rams to risk injury to one of their starters that could cripple their playoff hopes before they even play in a playoff game. The one reason to play your starters in this one would be to retain the number three seed that they could lose to the New Orleans Saints but overall it doesn’t really even matter and might actually benefit the Rams depending on who they end up playing.

Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers are on a tear, riding a four-game winning streak as they look to finish the season 6-10 after losing their first nine games. It’s improbable but it’s what happens when you acquire a QB like Garoppolo mid-season. The Niners will definitely look to head into the off-season on a high note winning five-straight so the Rams can expect a team they barely beat 41-39 with Brian Hoyer to be a lot better this time around.

As for the Rams two things to watch out this weekend if they indeed sit their starters. First off, the Rams would likely have an increased possibility of playing the Nick Foles-led struggling Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the playoffs as opposed to a brutal match-up in Minnesota versus the Vikings. On top of that the Rams would get a prime chance to find out what exactly they have in backup third-round QB Sean Mannion. The fact that it’s no guarantee Mannion is on the roster after this season is a reason but also it’s important to go back and remember what Matt Flynn did the year the Packers sat Aaron Rodgers. Flynn threw six touchdowns and built up his stock so much that he received a hefty deal from the Seahawks. The Rams however, do not have to worry about Mannion walking in free agency so they could actually use a potential dominant performance to shop Mannion for a draft pick or two. That is something to seriously ponder…

Stickin’ with Ficken

During today’s press conference McVay confirmed that the team will stick with kicker Sam Ficken this week against the 49ers. He was sure to emphasize the trust he has in him. Whether or not he is able to come through this weekend is another story but for now Ficken is the guy and likely the guy moving into the Rams first playoff game since 2004.

InvaderRam wrote:

merry christmas!

man the only thing i’ll be able to think of is rams all day.

but it’s all good stuff!

This is going to be a damn fine Xmas.

wv wrote:

Ok, so they get a home game win or lose. But a win or loss still has bearing on the opponent.

Interesting.

…btw, Goff needs almost 200 yards to get to 4000. I’d like the kid to get 4000.

w
v

Well, the most important thing is not to send the 49ers into the offseason feeling good about themselves.

Which team the Rams steamroll in the first round of the playoffs is secondary to that.