A playoff victory means nothing to this Rams team

Long-term goals for the Rams remain 2024 and 2025. In the grand scheme of things, a playoff victory on Sunday is meaningless.

It’s officially playoff time in the NFL, which means the pressure to win is at an all-time high. When the Los Angeles Rams sat at the postseason table with all of their chips in the middle in 2021, they felt this pressure. They eventually made it all the way to the Super Bowl and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, but that isn’t always the case. The outcomes of the playoffs speak loudly.

During the postseason, some clubs just have more invested and at stake than others. The San Francisco 49ers may be under the most pressure this season, with all of their chips in the middle. The Dallas Cowboys, as the number two seed and winners of their past 16 home games, are also under a lot of pressure to win with Dak Prescott performing at his current level. The Buffalo Bills have been on the verge of bankruptcy in recent years. A loss before the AFC Championship game would very certainly result in many changes.

…and then there’s the Rams.

The Rams have arrived at the table, but how many chips do they have in the middle? This was a team that was defeated in Week 11 by the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks pushed the majority of their chips into the middle while holding a straight, but the Rams outdid them with a Royal Flush as Jason Myers’ game-winning kick went wide.

Since then, Los Angeles has been a team that has been playing with borrowed money.

The Rams were viewed as a tanking club entering the season.According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic,

“Naturally, many outside the building thought he had lost his mind. ESPN ranked the Rams’ roster No. 31 of 32 teams; The Athletic was only slightly more generous, at No. 23. Popular analytics and evaluation sites referred to the Rams’ defense as a “no-name” unit, and not with a wink.”

The Rams themselves stated that they were “remodeling.” They demolished the kitchen sink and master bathroom and rebuilt them with temporary solutions so that they could rebuild it even better when their resources were renewed.

They were one of the NFL’s youngest teams. The 0-16 Cleveland Browns were the last team to bring in as many rookies as Los Angeles did throughout training camp.

This isn’t a team designed to win in 2023. The focus has always been on the 2024 and 2025 seasons, as I’ve indicated numerous times this year. The Rams are in the playoffs, but it’s also critical that they recognize their flaws.

As I wrote at the bye week,

“This is a franchise that has eyes on the 2024 and 2025 season. Their trio of pillars include a 35-year old Matthew Stafford, 30-year old Cooper Kupp, and 32-year old Aaron Donald. They’ve made one thing clear and that is that this is not a re-build. That trio mentioned above wouldn’t have signed up for a re-build. Focusing in on 2024 and 2025 allows them one more chance to win with that trio who have earned that opportunity.”

Making the playoffs is a fantastic accomplishment, and no one will be upset that the Rams went 7-1 down the stretch to return to the postseason. The last eight weeks have been enjoyable. Still, it’s critical to enter the postseason with a realistic perspective.

A young roster will benefit from postseason experience. The statistics on whether or not postseason experience helps in playoff games is inconclusive. Having young players like Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and others in this position helps. And, once again, no one is whining about the Rams being in the playoffs.

Still, winning on Sunday means nothing to this Rams team. They might put a few chips in the middle of the table and hope for a few hot hands over the next month. The Rams have been one of the NFL’s hottest teams in the second half of the season. There is, however, no link between late-season momentum and postseason performance.

Even if the Rams win a game or two, they’ll preserve the majority of the chips they’ve earned for 2024 and 2025, when they’ll have the means to go “all-in.” The Rams’ long-term goal remains the same.

To be clear, this does not mean Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams will not aim to win in the playoffs. If they win the Lombardi Trophy, it will be one of the most unexpected championship runs for any team since the Rams won the Super Bowl with Kurt Warner in 1999.

The fundamental issue here is that the outcomes of this season may not be important in the long run, which is 2024 and 2025. A victory on Sunday would benefit Matthew Stafford and his legacy more than the team as a whole. This group is currently ahead of plan. They’re using ‘house money’ to play. In any case, this season was a success. In the draft, the Rams uncovered young components that they can use moving ahead while coupling them with new great players.

Long-term targets remain 2024 and 2025. With the stakes down and other teams under duress, enjoying this postseason run and what the Rams have accomplished this season is more essential than a win.