NFC Playoff Picture Matchups the Rams Co

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With a playoff spot clinched for the Los Angeles Rams, it's Jack Roslovic Jersey  time to look at the potential first-round matchups that they may be tasked with to begin the postseason.At this point, it's unlikely that the Rams will secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their lo s against the Packers looming over them. With that in mind, there are plenty of options of whom L.A. could play in the first round and without further ado, here are the teams:Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-4):Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPGRams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowedBucs offense: 2nd in YPG, 2nd in PPGBucs defense: 10th in YPG allowed, 9th in PPG allowedThe Bucs are a well-oiled machine. However, with injuries mounting, they don't have the supporting cast that they did a season ago. Quarterback Tom Brady is mi sing star players on both sides of the ball and that was apparent in Tampa Bay's lo s to the Saints. The Rams beat the Bucs in Week 3, 34-24, but they're two entirely different teams now if they were to meet in the playoffs than they were in their first meeting.With the Rams and Bucs as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds currently, L.A. would have to drop to the No. 5 seed for this matchup to realistically happen. However, if the Rams want a shot at home-field advantage in the Super Bowl, they will likely have to beat Tampa Bay again. Teppo Numminen Jersey  Other than the top-seeded Packers, Tampa Bay is the biggest threat to a SoFi Super Bowl for McVay and company.Arizona Cardinals (10-5):Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPGRams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowedCardinals offense: 8th in YPG, 10th in PPGCardinals defense: 8th in YPG allowed, 6th in PPG allowedThe Rams and Cardinals split the season series. Arizona defeated the Rams' 37-20 in Week 4 and L.A. responded with a 30-23 victory in Week 14 on Monday night. The biggest question going into a game against the Cardinals would be the ability of Matthew Stafford to win a shootout against a high-flying Arizona offense.Stafford has had his moments Ondrej Pavelec Jersey  of daunting times this season but he's also had his top-notch games as well. His interceptions have caused reason for concern over the last two months. In the second matchup against the Cardinals, likely needing 30-plus points to win a matchup against the Cardinals, coach Sean McVay flipped the script to a game plan that allowed Stafford to complete throws at a higher clip.Before their December matchup against the Cardinals, McVay said that it gives us a good chance to measure ourselves, with the Cardinals streaking and the Rams reeling. With L.A. doing much better of late, this potential first-round matchup looks much better than it did in late November. Scroll to ContinueSan Francisco 49ers (8-7):Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPGRams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowed49ers offense: 10th in YPG, 14th in PPG49ers defense: 4th in YPG allowed, 18th in PPG allowedThe Rams lost their first regular-season game against the 49ers 31-10 and are awaiting their final matchup in Week 18. The Week 10 game was a perfect example of the i sues the Rams have when Stafford is not on point. McVay lost his balance and willingne s to run the football after the Rams fell behind by multiple scores for nearly the entire contest.The other biggest storyline in this potential matchup is the Rams' run defense. The Rams sixth-ranked run defense would be facing off against the seventh-ranked rushing offense in the NFL. No matter who Kyle Shanahan has in the backfield, the 49ers make their running game a succe sful priority. Divisional matchups are never easy, especially in the NFC West. With familiarity between the two teams and strengths that match up well, this is a game the Rams should  Ben Chiarot Jersey want to avoid. Philadelphia Eagles (8-7):Rams offense: 7th in YPG, 6th in PPGRams defense: 16th in YPG allowed, 16th in PPG allowedEagles offense: 13th in YPG, 9th in PPGEagles defense: 5th in YPG allowed, 12th in PPG allowedAlthough the Eagles were  Logan Stanley Jersey not an expected playoff team coming into the 2021 season, they have performed well down the stretch. Their defense has done exceptionally well to keep Jalen Hurts in a position to win games. The biggest positive for L.A. here would be the 0-6 record the Eagles have this year against winning teams. Philadelphia has excelled at beating bad teams, which is why they currently hold po se sion of the No. 7 seed.With solid defensive efforts by the Rams in recent outings, there isn't much here that should scare the team if the Eagles were to come to town. Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would have little rushing attack to plan for with injuries and inconsistencies in the Eagles' running back room. Rushing the pa ser, keeping quarterback Jalen Hurts contained and this should be a relatively easy first-round matchup for the Rams.More from Ram Digest: