{"id":94888,"date":"2025-12-15T04:29:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T04:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/94888\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T04:29:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T04:29:08","slug":"rams-rally-to-defeat-detroit-lions-and-clinch-playoff-berth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/94888\/","title":{"rendered":"Rams rally to defeat Detroit Lions and clinch playoff berth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was a busy Sunday, even for can\u2019t-sit-still Sean McVay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon, he coached the Rams<\/a> into the playoffs with a 41-34 victory<\/a> over the Detroit Lions. McVay then immediately left SoFi Stadium for the impending arrival of his and his wife\u2019s second child. And he no doubt began game-planning on some level for a Thursday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good stress,\u201d McVay quipped before departing the stadium.<\/p>\n

Apparently, McVay was attempting to demonstrate to his players a spin on the mantra he has repeated to them since training camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re built for it,\u201d tight end Colby Parkinson<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re built the right way,\u201d defensive lineman Kobie Turner said.<\/p>\n

This much is clear: The team that general manager Les Snead and McVay<\/a> constructed the last few years is showing why it is regarded as a Super Bowl contender<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Matthew Stafford<\/a> started slow and then outdueled Jared Goff<\/a>, Puka Nacua<\/a> continued his torrid receiving pace and the Rams\u2019 defense shut down the Lions in the second half as the Rams improved to 11-3 and clinched a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t all good news: Receiver Davante Adams<\/a> left the game because of a left hamstring injury that puts his availability for Thursday night\u2019s game \u2014 and possibly beyond \u2014 in doubt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly wouldn\u2019t rule him out quite yet,\u201d McVay said of the game against the Seahawks. \u201cbut it didn\u2019t look good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams wide receiver Davante Adams falls to the ground after sustaining a left hamstring injury against the Lions on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Rams, however, looked every bit the part of the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a position they held onto with a hard-fought victory that ensured their seventh playoff appearance in nine seasons under McVay.<\/p>\n

Not that the Rams were celebrating.<\/p>\n

\u201cDidn\u2019t talk about it for one second this week,\u201d Stafford said of the chance to clinch a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Veteran snapper Jake McQuaide, who was part of the Rams\u2019 run to the Super Bowl in 2018, said that under McVay, there is \u201can expectation\u201d that the Rams will make the playoffs every season. So clinching a spot is regarded as just another step toward the greater goal of winning the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs crazy as that is to say in the NFL \u2014 it\u2019s really hard to make the playoffs \u2014 but I don\u2019t think it really changes anything,\u201d McQuaide said.<\/p>\n

Other than making up for Adams\u2019 possible absence, the Rams are not in need of major tweaks as they prepare to meet the Seahawks (11-3), who defeated Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Seattle.<\/p>\n

The Rams currently hold the tiebreaker over the Seahawks because of their Nov. 16 victory over them at SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n

Can they capture home field throughout the playoffs for the first time?<\/p>\n

They advanced to the Super Bowl in the 2018 and the 2021 seasons without the benefit of playing every playoff game at home.<\/p>\n

The Rams finish the regular season with games against the Seahawks, a road trip to Atlanta and a home game against the Arizona Cardinals.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s victory prepared them well, said cornerback Darious Williams, a starter for the Rams\u2019 2021 Super Bowl championship team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good thing is we just damn near had a playoff game,\u201d he said of the playing the Lions, adding, \u201cthis was honestly a good prep for us because I\u2019ve been telling guys the whole time, \u2018the energy of this game is going to be similar to a playoff game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua celebrates during the second half Sunday against the Lions.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Rams were behind 24-14 late in the second quarter, but with the defense forcing three straight three and outs to start the second half, they outscored the Lions, 20-0 en route to a 34-24 lead by the end of the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Stafford overcame an early interception and kept alive his drive for the NFL most valuable player award by completing 24 of 38 for 368 yards and two touchdowns \u2014 both to Parkinson.<\/p>\n

Nacua gave the Rams a scare when he required assistance off the field in the fourth quarter because of cramps \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m sure there were some extra long exhale[s] on the sideline,\u201d he said \u2014 but he returned and finished with nine catches for 181 yards, including two on fourth-down plays that led to the Rams\u2019 first touchdown.<\/p>\n

Kyren Williams rushed for two touchdowns and Blake Corum ran for another. And kicker Harrison Mevis remained perfect with two field goals and five extra points.<\/p>\n

Turner had a key sack for a defense that gave up three touchdown passes and several big plays in the first half, but limited running back Jahmyr Gibbs to 38 yards and neutralized Goff for most of the second.<\/p>\n

\"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws during the first half against the Lions on Sunday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Goff completed 25 of 41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

After the game, Rams trainers immediately put players into recovery mode in preparation for the quick turnaround for the Seahawks.<\/p>\n

Unlike McVay, the players looked completely relaxed.<\/p>\n

Edge rusher Jared Verse and others reclined on padded, body-length leg compression equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got good vibes in here,\u201d Verse said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n

About where they are \u2014 and where they are headed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was a busy Sunday, even for can\u2019t-sit-still Sean McVay. In the afternoon, he coached the Rams into…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[10834,423,51296,48,52,51,5814,42340,47,50,49,771,772,11706,10947,52167,6427,780,3373,8934,1539],"class_list":["post-94888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-davante-adams","tag-game","tag-jared-goff","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-lead","tag-lion","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-matthew-stafford","tag-pass","tag-ram","tag-rams","tag-receiver-amon-ra-st-brown","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-touchdown","tag-touchdown-pass","tag-victory","tag-yard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}