Rams and Lions approached their players differently in Week 18

The Rams elected not to play specific players, while Detroit played crucial starters throughout their Week 18 encounter.

Regardless of their Week 18 results, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions were both guaranteed postseason positions. Nonetheless, each squad chose to approach the season’s last game differently. The Rams rested several key players, including Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Ernest Jones, and others. LA even pulled specific players from the game as the game progressed. The Lions, on the other hand, used all of their starters throughout the game, including Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, and others.

We know that Sam LaPorta, Detroit’s standout rookie tight end, was injured. The Lions had several other injuries, including Kalif Raymond, and it’s safe to presume that many of the players left the game with the standard “bumps and bruises” that come with an NFL game.

I’m curious whether Dan Campbell and the Lions were trying to bury the Minnesota Vikings early in order to get their starters out of the game and ready for their next opponent. Whatever the plan was, the Vikings hung around, and Detroit had no choice but to leave its players in order to win.

The Rams used a different approach in their game against the San Francisco 49ers. LA took advantage of the opportunity to focus on their players’ health rather than seeding (and to give Puca Nakua every chance to smash rookie receiving records, which he accomplished).

They even gave Carson Wentz and a few other guys an opportunity to shine, and Wentz led the club to victory. Some LA players were injured, but by resting their important players, they avoided a severe injury.

You might argue that Kupp, for example, has appeared to be injured and banged up throughout the season. The time off should have allowed him to recover for the following game, but what if LA comes out rusty rather than recovered?

You might also argue that the Lions put up a strong performance, led by running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and that Detroit can ride its winning streak into the playoffs. What if Goff, Gibbs, and Aiden Hutchinson played in Week 18 and caused more harm than good? We witnessed what occurred to LaPorta. Who else will be injured and exhausted going into the wild card round?

Perhaps this isn’t being mentioned right now because no one knows what will happen. Was LA’s decision to rest players the right one? That is, assuming they win on Sunday. Was Detroit’s decision to ride momentum into the playoffs the correct one? While the Lions did take some blows, winning on Sunday will be the most important thing.

It’s anyone’s guess what the outcome will be, and there will undoubtedly be a number of factors influencing that outcome aside from how these teams approached their Week 18 finale.

The debate between resting vs. playing players will continue until we have definitive answers. Every team is unique, as are the circumstances. When Sunday’s prime-time game concludes, there may be nothing universal to learn, but there will be enough to think about. Including how these two franchises addressed preparing for their separate postseason runs.

Which club, the Rams or the Lions, prepared for Super Bowl LII the “right way?” Whichever team comes out on top.