Another week, another 💯+ game.

Best @cjandersonb22 plays from Week 17! pic.twitter.com/8hrpuR6Zer

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 2, 2019

Win the turnover battle and you're probably going to the playoffs.#Texans #LARams #DaBears #Seahawks #ChiefsKingdom #GoSaints #Broncos #GoPats #DallasCowboys #FightForEachOther pic.twitter.com/dL4QRiZOhI

— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) January 2, 2019

Joe Curley@vcsjoecurley
Opinion: NFL coach firings reveal accountability problem with many teams’ GMs

Johnny Hekker@JHekker
Have a happy and safe new year!
I am so thankful for the blessing that was 2018. 2019 is gonna be special. The best is yet to come.

Benjamin Allbright@AllbrightNFL
Head Coach guesses…

1. Packers – McDaniels
2. Bucs – Arians
3. Browns – McCarthy or in house
4. Broncos – Harbaugh, Munchak or Pagano
5. Dolphins – Fangio
6. Bengals – Hue or Vance
7. Jets- McCarthy or Gase
8. Cardinals – Gase

Rams Will Likely Benefit from Previous Playoff Experience

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-will-likely-benefit-from-previous-playoff-experience%5B

Rams already are in playoff mode despite earning a first-round bye

GARY KLEIN

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-20181231-story.html

The Rams earned a bye through the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, but they won’t be taking the week off.

Players were on site Monday at the team’s Thousand Oaks training facility and they will go through light workouts Wednesday and Thursday before reconvening Sunday to begin preparations for their Jan. 12 divisional-round game at the Coliseum.

The Rams, seeded second in the NFC behind the New Orleans Saints, will play the highest-seeded team remaining after wild-card games.

The fourth-seeded Dallas Cowboys play host to the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks and the third-seeded Chicago Bears play host to the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Eagles this weekend.

The Rams will “get ourselves healthy” and focus on fundamentals and techniques this week, coach Sean McVay said during a teleconference.

The Rams’ late-season scheduled week off, which came after 11 games, was a true break, left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. This is more of a “preparation week,” he said.

“To just fine tune and really get ourselves clicking on all cylinders for the final stretch,” he said.

Whitworth left the game Sunday, a 48-32 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, because of a bruised knee. He said he collided with another player’s leg but felt fine.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “I mean we could’ve played. It was more precautionary.”

Said McVay: “Thank God it wasn’t anything worse than that. We’ll get our guy back, ready to roll for the playoffs.”

Whitworth is one of several players that can use the week to heal. Safety Blake Countess is in concussion protocol but was asymptomatic Monday, McVay said.

Running back Todd Gurley sat out the last two games because of knee soreness, and safety Lamarcus Joyner was sidelined Sunday because of an ankle injury suffered the previous week against the Arizona Cardinals.

Gurley was making “good progress,” McVay said, but remains day to day.

“I would be very, very surprised if he wasn’t going to be ready to go for the playoffs,” McVay said, “but I think we’re going to be smart with whether he goes or not this week with those extra days.

“We’ll still continue to have that same rehab program. He’s taking steps in the right direction and I would be very surprised if he’s not feeling good, ready to roll for our divisional game.”

Defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who finished the season with a league-best 20½ sacks, said he would use the week to improve.

“Just trying to stay fresh, keep working, try to find a way to get better,” he said.

Coaching search

The Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals were granted permission to interview Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor about their vacant head coach position, and the Bengals also were given permission to interview passing game coordinator Shane Waldron, McVay said.

The Cardinals, Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are searching for head coaches.

“These days are just gut-wrenching as a coach,” McVay said of Monday’s firings. “It makes you sick and you hate to see it and it’s an unfortunate part of this business.”

McVay said Rams assistants would be available for teams to interview in the Los Angeles area Friday and Saturday.

“You want to do everything that you can to kind of help these guys anticipate some of the things that might come up in these interviews,” McVay said. “You’d hate to lose them, but man, I’d sure be so happy for them if that was an opportunity that they decided to pursue and it worked out for them and their families.

“They’ve done a phenomenal job with us and I feel lucky to work with guys like that.”

Next season’s opponents

The Rams’ opponents for the 2019 season are set. The NFC West is matched with the AFC North and NFC South.

Home games will be against the Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Bears, Bengals, Saints, Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens.

Away games will be against the Cardinals, 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.

The Rams will play again at the Coliseum as a temporary home stadium, so one “home” game will be an international series game in London or Mexico City.

Dates and times for all games will be announced in the spring.

Sean McVay says that the Bengals and Cardinals have requested to talk to QB coach Zac Taylor. Bengals also have requested to interview Shane Waldron, the passing game coordinator and TEs coach.

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) December 31, 2018

Myles Simmons@MylesASimmons
#LARams HC Sean McVay says LT Andrew Whitworth should be in good shape for the postseason. Whitworth did knock knees with another player, but McVay says fortunately it wasn’t anything worse than that.

Bob McManaman@azbobbymac
Hearing former Packers coach Mike McCarthy will be the next head coach of the Browns.

Benjamin Allbright@AllbrightNFL
Sean Payton and Mike McCarthy both had/have all time great QBs, have won the same number of Super Bowls as HCs, and have the same career winning percentage.

Only one is viewed as a failure.

alyoshamucci

Games 15 AND 16

So this one is suuuuper late because I wanted to cover college games from yesterday and tomorrow …

Thing I liked about this game, is that we are reeling coming off some tough games, and we just strapped our boots on and got to work to put the game away.

The Great

1) CJ and the realization that he could digest the playbook and have the game he did.

2) Donald breaking records. I have huge smiles for a player inking a contract and breaking records the same year.

3) Everett being a bigger part of the gameplan against the Cards.

4) Noteboom. Not just his play and positivity about the future of the position … but he put on 20 15 lbs of muscle where he needed it.

5) Littleton’s INTs and TD.

The Good

6) Pulling players on time both games … for the most part.

7) Goff seemed to have his timing back. Trusting his eyes.

8) Run blocking asserting itself and keeping the birds and 9ers on their heels.

9) John Kelley’s effort and anger.

10) Some good scheming getting people open … Higbee and Reynolds finding the plays that work for them.

11) Saffold blocking downfield … he’s going to be a priority to resign I think at the right price.

12) Good sign I think with Allen coming in and getting some reps and pushing guys around a little.

The Bad

13) Still Mannion. I’m drafting a QB. Ill get to that later.

14) Getting Whit dinged is just … a bummer.

15) Listen, I get that you want to keep Woods on the field and Cooks too, but let’s at least not put them into route combinations that can get them blasted by safeties. Like, aren’t there a set of “safe” route combos you develop for late in games when you don’t want your guys exposed? Maybe there isn’t, but it seems like it wouldn’t be a hard thing to develop.

16) Really not enjoying Brockers and Suh’s play so much. Excited about not spending that next year.

17) Why Ramik Wilson rather than Micah Kiser?

18) Where is Obo?

19) Can’t stop TEs. Even if we know that’s the only pro bowler on their offense.

The Ugly

20) Having to look forward to the Super Dome.

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Aaron Donald on falling short of the single-season sacks record: “I wasn’t getting frustrated. I wasn’t working to chase it. I was just going out and playing. Like I said, if it happened, it happened. If it didn’t, it didn’t.”

“I was just trying to make as many plays as I can and affect the game and try to come away with a win, and we did that.”

C.J. Anderson has run for 299 yards in his last two games. That’s the best set of back-to-back games for a Rams running back since Todd Gurley ran for 305 yards in consecutive games as a rookie in 2015.

Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Cory Littleton led the Rams and finished 10th in the NFL with 125 tackles. He also had 4 sacks & 3 INTs & played Pro Bowl special teams. Not bad for a linebacker with 5 career starts before this season.

Todd Gurley led the NFL in touchdowns (21) for the 2nd straight season. He finished 3rd in the league with 1,251 yards rushing. He led the rushing race with 4 games to play, but got just 76 more yards due to injury.

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Asked Sean McVay if @RamsNFL defense was peaking at the right time: “I don’t think there’s any question about it.”

With Saints resting starters and being held to 14 points today, the @RamsNFL overtake them and will lead the NFC in scoring for the second consecutive season under Sean McVay.

The @RamsNFL have two WRs with 80+ receptions for the first time since @BigGame81 & @IsaacBruce80 in 2004.

Fantastic first season together for @robertwoods & @brandincooks. (Shout out to @CooperKupp who was on pace to join them.)