No doubt, winning against the Niners got a lot harder by not playing the core players on our team. But it hardly means that the game is unwinnable.
What odds would I give us winning it? About 40%.
Frankly, I love that some back up players who don't get many minutes get a chance to show their stuff. Good for the players, good for the Rams.
No one has any idea which seed is better to have: the 3 or the 4. The circumstances are identical: both have to play a WC team the week following the last regular season game. And, who is to say which opponent is more favorable to the Rams? That is pure speculation. And even so, the Rams have no way to guide themselves towards a choice of which opponent they play.
Home or road? The Rams have played better on the road. So it seems the lower the seed the better. If you count the London game as a road game, then the Rams are 8-1 on the road and only 3-3 at home. Absolutely no home advantage for the Rams.
And.....the Niners are playing hot and loose. They'd love to knock off the Division Champs to end their year. The Rams players know that they have next to nothing significant to gain by the outcome of this Sunday. How hard and passionate do you suppose they'll play against the Niners? Most of these players weren't around when the Niners were the Rams' main rival. These guys have played during the Rams-Seahawks rivalry era.
It would not be responsible for McVay to put key players in harms way for some mano-e-mano imaginary rivalry game. The time off not only safeguards these players, it gives them time to rest their bodies and minds and to heal up some dings and bruises.
It's not just the smart play; it's the only play to sit as many starters as possible.
