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Sarah Barshop
LOS ANGELES — By the time the Rams kick off on Sunday afternoon against the Cardinals, their playoff seeding could be set. Even if that’s the case, Rams coach Sean McVay says he will not change his plan to play his healthy starters in Week 18.
The Rams enter Week 18 with the chance to be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the NFC. If the San Francisco 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, the Rams would be locked into the No. 6 seed. If Seattle wins, the Rams would clinch the No. 5 seed with a victory over the Cardinals.
The No. 5 seed will face the winner of the NFC South (the Panthers or Buccaneers) in the wild-card round, while the No. 6 seed will be matched up against the Eagles or Bears.
The move to play his starters with postseason seeding still in doubt is a departure from the way McVay handled the past two seasons. Last season, after clinching the NFC West title but with seeding still in play, McVay rested quarterback Matthew Stafford and many other key starters.
The Rams have dealt with injuries of late, including to wide receiver Davante Adams (hamstring), right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle), left tackle Alaric Jackson and running back Kyren Williams (ankle).
McVay said Williams, who injured his ankle in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons, is likely to play against Arizona.
“I feel good about Kyren,” McVay said. “Kyren was able to have a good practice load yesterday.”
The Rams also anticipate getting tight end Tyler Higbee back from injured reserve, barring any setbacks in practice Friday.
McVay said Dotson will not play against the Cardinals but did not rule out the possibility of his returning for the playoffs. Dotson injured his ankle in Week 16 against the Seahawks.
Asked about how he feels about the state of the Rams’ roster heading into the playoffs, McVay said he feels “good.”
“I think we’re getting healthy at the right time,” McVay said.