Rams move into first place, face the Jets on Sunday

Say hello to the NFC West first-place Los Angeles Rams. With three weeks to go in the NFL regular season the Rams are suddenly the #4 seed in the NFC playoff picture. Though virtually tied with the Seattle Seahawks at 8-6, they hold the edge by having won the first game between both teams in overtime, 26-20 in Seattle. The Division will probably be decided when they face each other in the last game of the season on Sunday, January 5, at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams have won seven of their last nine games after starting the season 1-4 but are still flying under the radar. Yet they are the healthiest they've been all year while preparing for Week 16, a road game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, December 22, 10:00am PT. Though the Jets (4-9) have underperformed most of the season they still have quarterback Aaron Rodgers and are a serious threat as a spoiler.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who's faced the four-time league MVP 17 times with only four wins, expects Rodgers to be at his best. "He's a hell of a player and does a great job. He's still doing a really good job for them. He played fantastic in the last couple of weeks. He looks to be healthy, moving around and doing his thing."

"It's two great players. Two guys that have done it at a really high level," McVay added about both quarterbacks. "It's not just the eleven on offense, it's all twenty-two. When you're looking at defense, what are the intents? What are the problems I need to solve? It's two greats and two guys that I look at as Hall of Famers."

At 41 years old Rodgers' quarterback rating in his 20th season is his third worst but has numbers comparable to Stafford in completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Rodgers is also coming off his best game of the season, a 32-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He connected with his favorite target, Davante Adams, for nine receptions for 198 yards, and two touchdowns.

Despite their losing record the Jets have lost seven games by six points or less this season. They are ranked 23rd in total team offense compared to the Rams who are ranked 13th. The greatest difference is in the running attack where the Jets rank 31st with a mere 89.7 yards per game. Breece Hall leads the team with 722 total yards rushing and five touchdowns. In contrast, Kyren Williams is fourth in the league in rushing with 1,121 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The match also has playoff seed implications as the Rams are only one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the #3 seed. The best news for Los Angeles is the return of tight end Tyler Higbee, who hasn't played all season due to tearing his ACL and MCL against the Detroit Lions during last season's playoff game in January. He had surgery in February to repair the ligaments.

Stafford talked about Higbee's return. "He is a great energy guy. The biggest thing is I'm just excited for him. What an accomplishment to be able to come back from something like that and to be able to be available for us. His contributions are going to be between the lines, but also just being out there on the practice field. His attitude is infectious and the way he goes about his businesses is amazing."

McVay was equally enthusiastic about Higbee and what it means to the team. "I think it's a tremendous credit, like we've talked about, to the work that he's done behind the scenes, out here, and the influence effect, and impact really that he has on his teammates. It means a lot from just his overall leadership and then what he can provide on the grass."

On Wednesday the Rams released the injury report with four players on the list. Only cornerback Cobie Durant was limited in practice with chest issues. Wide receivers Jordan Worthington and Demarcus Robinson, and tight end Davis Allen with shoulder considerations, and Higbee were able to fully practice. The timing couldn't be any better as the momentum appears to be with Los Angeles in all aspects.

McVay acknowledged that it was a possibility when asked if all four tight ends would be active for the Jets' game. Colby Parkinson leads the team's tight ends with 29 receptions on 46 targets for 433 yards and one touchdown. Hunter Long has seven catches for 60 yards and Davis Allen has six catches for 39 yards.

Regardless of whether the Rams get a win over the Jets, the last two games of the season, both at SoFi Stadium, will determine if the team is in the playoffs as the NFC West champs. The league announced that the Saturday, Dec. 28 match against the Arizona Cardinals will be a primetime NFL game starting at 5:00pm PT. The Cardinals (7-7) are only one game behind the Rams and Seahawks and gave the Rams a 41-14 beating in Arizona in Week 2.

"When you really say, 'Man, every year is a new year, and every week is a new week.' You learn to appreciate that through experience" said McVay. "We could talk for a long, long time about it, but it's different. This season is very different as was last year, as was the '18 season, as was the '21 season. It doesn't remind me of any season. This is very unique in and of itself and very enjoyable at the same time."