NFC Playoff Picture: Matchups the Rams Could Face in the Wild Card Round

Breaking down all of the potential first-round matchups the Rams could face in the wild card round.

Author:
MJ Hurley
Publish date:
Dec 29, 2021 2:01 PM EST

In this story:

With a playoff spot clinched for the Los Angeles Rams, it's time to look at the potential first-round matchups that they may be tasked with to begin the postseason.

At this point, it's unlikely that the Rams will secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their loss against the Packers looming over them. With that in mind, there are plenty of options of whom L.A. could play in the first round and without further ado, here are the teams:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4):

Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPG

Rams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowed

Bucs offense: 2nd in YPG, 2nd in PPG

Bucs defense: 10th in YPG allowed, 9th in PPG allowed

The Bucs are a well-oiled machine. However, with injuries mounting, they don't have the supporting cast that they did a season ago. Quarterback Tom Brady is missing star players on both sides of the ball and that was apparent in Tampa Bay's loss to the Saints. The Rams beat the Bucs in Week 3, 34-24, but they're two entirely different teams now if they were to meet in the playoffs than they were in their first meeting.

With the Rams and Bucs as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds currently, L.A. would have to drop to the No. 5 seed for this matchup to realistically happen. However, if the Rams want a shot at home-field advantage in the Super Bowl, they will likely have to beat Tampa Bay again. Other than the top-seeded Packers, Tampa Bay is the biggest threat to a SoFi Super Bowl for McVay and company.

Arizona Cardinals (10-5):

Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPG

Rams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowed

Cardinals offense: 8th in YPG, 10th in PPG

Cardinals defense: 8th in YPG allowed, 6th in PPG allowed

The Rams and Cardinals split the season series. Arizona defeated the Rams' 37-20 in Week 4 and L.A. responded with a 30-23 victory in Week 14 on Monday night. The biggest question going into a game against the Cardinals would be the ability of Matthew Stafford to win a shootout against a high-flying Arizona offense.

Stafford has had his moments of daunting times this season but he's also had his top-notch games as well. His interceptions have caused reason for concern over the last two months. In the second matchup against the Cardinals, likely needing 30-plus points to win a matchup against the Cardinals, coach Sean McVay flipped the script to a game plan that allowed Stafford to complete throws at a higher clip.

Before their December matchup against the Cardinals, McVay said that it “gives us a good chance to measure ourselves,” with the Cardinals streaking and the Rams reeling. With L.A. doing much better of late, this potential first-round matchup looks much better than it did in late November.

San Francisco 49ers (8-7):

Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPG

Rams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowed

49ers offense: 10th in YPG, 14th in PPG

49ers defense: 4th in YPG allowed, 18th in PPG allowed

The Rams lost their first regular-season game against the 49ers 31-10 and are awaiting their final matchup in Week 18. The Week 10 game was a perfect example of the issues the Rams have when Stafford is not on point. McVay lost his balance and willingness to run the football after the Rams fell behind by multiple scores for nearly the entire contest.

The other biggest storyline in this potential matchup is the Rams' run defense. The Rams’ sixth-ranked run defense would be facing off against the seventh-ranked rushing offense in the NFL. No matter who Kyle Shanahan has in the backfield, the 49ers make their running game a successful priority. Divisional matchups are never easy, especially in the NFC West. With familiarity between the two teams and strengths that match up well, this is a game the Rams should want to avoid.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-7):

Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPG

Rams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowed

Eagles offense: 13th in YPG, 9th in PPG

Eagles defense: 5th in YPG allowed, 12th in PPG allowed

Although the Eagles were not an expected playoff team coming into the 2021 season, they have performed well down the stretch. Their defense has done exceptionally well to keep Jalen Hurts in a position to win games. The biggest positive for L.A. here would be the 0-6 record the Eagles have this year against winning teams. Philadelphia has excelled at beating bad teams, which is why they currently hold possession of the No. 7 seed.

With solid defensive efforts by the Rams in recent outings, there isn't much here that should scare the team if the Eagles were to come to town. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would have little rushing attack to plan for with injuries and inconsistencies in the Eagles' running back room. Rushing the passer, keeping quarterback Jalen Hurts contained and this should be a relatively easy first-round matchup for the Rams.

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