Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams are the NFC West champions for the first time since 2018.

Los Angeles clinched the division title Sunday with the Arizona Cardinals' loss to the Seattle Seahawks even though it lost to the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.

While the division was undecided heading into the first Week 18 in NFL history, the scenarios were fairly straightforward. Los Angeles entered its game against the 49ers with a 12-4 record, meaning all it had to do was win or tie to clinch the NFC West crown.

The Cardinals came into Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks at 11-5 and needed to both win and get some help from the 49ers.

As Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic noted, a win for the Cardinals and a loss for the Rams would trigger a tiebreaker scenario that would give the division to Kyler Murray and Co. because of the team's better record in NFC West games.

A division championship is always notable, but it may be even more so this year for the Rams because the NFC West is the best division in the conference.

It was the only one with three teams above .500 entering Sunday's games. In fact, the NFC East was the only other division in the NFC with even two teams above .500, and the Philadelphia Eagles were barely there at 9-8.

The battle between the Rams and Cardinals wasn't the only Week 18 intrigue in the NFC West, as San Francisco was trying to hold off the New Orleans Saints for a wild-card berth. New Orleans needed a win over the Atlanta Falcons and a loss by the 49ers to the Rams to reach the playoffs.

That's three NFC West teams that came into the last week of the regular season with Super Bowl dreams still alive, and even the last-place Seahawks have a history of organizational success with playoff appearances in eight of the previous nine seasons. The infrastructure of Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll was also in place this year, leaving no easy wins within the division.

Yet the Rams and Cardinals separated themselves from the pack and fittingly split their two head-to-head matchups, with the road team winning each time.

Los Angeles underwent a drastic overhaul by sending Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions in a deal that landed Matthew Stafford before the season. Throw in the acquisitions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller to go with household names such as Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, and talent is not a question for the Rams.

Cooper Kupp also emerged as arguably the best wide receiver in the league with Stafford throwing him the ball, and Darrell Henderson Jr. helped make up for the loss of Cam Akers before Sony Michel did the same when Henderson was injured in the backfield to make the Rams all the more dangerous.

The Cardinals are plenty dangerous as well, with Murray making plays with his arm and legs and James Conner as a touchdown machine in the backfield.

However, the DeAndre Hopkins injury during a Dec. 13 loss to the Rams appeared to limit their ceiling. That defeat kicked off a three-game losing streak and dropped them from 10-2 to 10-5 and out of the running for the NFC's No. 1 seed.

Still, a bounce-back win over Dallas in Week 17 hinted at Super Bowl potential and kept them alive in the division race heading into Sunday.

Now that the Rams have won the division, attention turns to the NFC playoffs, which will be top-heavy with contenders in the Green Bay Packers, Cowboys and defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Los Angeles' NFC West crown is ideal for seeding as it looks to maximize matchups with a home game to kick start its postseason even though the Packers landed the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. 

It will now look to parlay a title in the toughest NFC division into a Super Bowl run.       

Jalen Ramsey has never defeated the San Francisco 49ers as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, but, to hear the cornerback tell it, there are no special forces at play.

Nick Shook of NFL.com shared Ramsey's comments in which he explained the team isn't worried about any "mind control" from the 49ers:

Since I've been here, they've had our number. It is frustrating, but they don't have mind control over us, nothing like that if that's what you're asking. It's just how the games have went. But we are going out there confident on Sunday. We're not going out there thinking, 'Ah, man, we've lost this many games.' That is not our mindset at all. We're definitely going out there confident.

The 49ers have won their last five matchups with the Rams, including a 31-10 victory in November.

Los Angeles' last win over its NFC West rival came in 2018 when Ramsey was still a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams traded for Ramsey in October 2019.

There is plenty at stake as the 49ers look to extend their head-to-head winning streak Sunday. Los Angeles can clinch the NFC West with a victory, while San Francisco would clinch a playoff berth with a win of its own.        

The year is 2042. It's the first week of January. The NFL MVP conversation has reached a fever pitch, with the odds-on favorite being…64-year-old Tom Brady, in his 42nd season.

In all seriousness, for as long as they keep giving out the award, the NFL Most Valuable Player will almost without exception be a quarterback.

Since the Associated Press first presented the award in 1957 (moving to the "Most Valuable Player" nomenclature 1961), 45 of the 66 winners have been quarterbacks. 

The voters, a panel of 50 sportswriters, overwhelmingly tend to favor offensive positions, with 63 of the past winners playing on that side of the ball. 

You likely remember the last time a non-quarterback was named NFL MVP. It was in 2012, when Adrian Peterson rumbled his way to 2,097 yards, the second-most for a running back in a single season (behind, of course, Eric Dickerson) and only the seventh time any player had broken the 2,000 mark.

The historic nature of Peterson's season, not to mention the clear value he brought to the 10-6 Vikings as he was twice named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, essentially forced the voters' hands. How could they not give the guy the award? 

The quarterback favoring that is baked into the award wasn't absent in 2012; Peterson received 30.5 votes, while Peyton Manning, in his Comeback Player of the Year season, earned 19.5.

But the panel couldn't ignore what was right in front of them: a skill-position player with a historic season. 

Fast forward to 2021. By all accounts, Aaron Rodgers has the MVP award on lock, aiming to become only the fifth player in history to win the award consecutively. He's the odds-on favorite at -400, with Brady coming in second at +500 and Joe Burrow at +1000. 

But what about the non-quarterback coming in below them at +2000? Los Angeles Rams wideout Cooper Kupp isn't just having a dominant season; he has a chance to rewrite the record books. 

        

NFL MVP Odds 2021, Week 18

Aaron Rodgers: -400

Tom Brady: +500

Joe Burrow: +1000

Jonathan Taylor: +1600

Cooper Kupp: +2000

     

If Kupp catches 12 passes in the Rams' Week 18 tilt against the San Francisco 49ers, he'll top Michael Thomas' single-season record of 149 (2019). And if Kupp amasses 136 receiving yards, he'll break Calvin Johnson's record of 1,964, set with the Detroit Lions in 2012—interestingly, both had Matthew Stafford as their quarterback. 

Perhaps it's written in the stars for Kupp, who has thrived with Stafford's addition to Sean McVay's system in L.A., to smash two single-season records. But even if he does, will it be enough to convince the voters not to give the award to a quarterback?

There's an enduring and polarizing battle at the heart of what a Most Valuable Player award means.

Some think it should go to the player who posts the gaudiest numbers in a given season. Some love to facetiously (or maybe not) argue that the award should go to quarterbacks who suffer season-ending injuries early and their teams go into a tailspin as a result. "Clearly, he's that team's most valuable player!" they'll argue. "They can't win without him!"

But Rodgers and Brady are on the other side of the equation. They've been lights-out, leading their teams into the postseason like such bright beacons.

Brady is actually leading in both passing yards (4,990) and touchdowns (40), though he's unlikely to break Peyton Manning's single-season passing yards (5,477) record, set in 2013, and he's not within striking distance of his touchdowns (55) record, also set in 2013. 

Despite Brady's statistical lead, Rodgers is the odds-on MVP favorite in part for his sheer accuracy, throwing 35 touchdown passes to just four interceptions, and the league's top QBR of 67.8. He also has two game-winning drives (the first also a fourth-quarter comeback) under his belt this season, Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers (30-28) and Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals (25-22). 

Of course, there are plenty of crucial storylines and details that go beyond the stat sheet, and that's been the case for the Packers this year.

Though Rodgers has inarguably excelled, there have been multiple games the Packers defense has won for them. Without Davante Adams in Week 8, Green Bay's defense forced three turnovers, including an interception in the end zone with under 20 seconds remaining, to help beat the undefeated Arizona Cardinals 24-21.

The unit shut out the Seattle Seahawks 17-0 in Week 10.

In a Christmas Day nail-biter, the Cleveland Browns were driving at midfield with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter with the Packers leading 24-22 when cornerback Rasul Douglas intercepted Baker Mayfield, sealing the narrow victory.  

When it comes to the MVP award, we need to think about how often that player is the clear-cut reason his team wins—and if he's outperforming everyone else at his position to boot.

Not only is Kupp the architect of many Rams wins this season; he's outperforming every wide receiver in 2021…and potentially ever! 

Kupp is flirting with solely claiming a defining historic feat: being the first player to have 2,000 or more receiving yards in a single season. At 184 targets on the year, Stafford (569 attempts) has looked to Kupp on 32 percent of his throws, far more than any other weapon (Van Jefferson is next, with 86 targets, 15 percent). 

Kupp has 10 games this season with 100-plus receiving yards; his 15 90-plus-yard games are two more than any other player in NFL history, per Turf Show Times' Kenneth Arthur (via NextGen Stats).

He's already tied former Ram Elroy Hirsch and Jerry Rice by posting 10 games of 90-plus yards and one-plus touchdown; he can break the record with his 11th if he does it against San Francisco in Week 18. If he scores two touchdowns this week for the sixth time this season, he'll join just five other players who have done that.

With his league-high 138 receptions, 1,829 yards and 15 touchdowns, Kupp is headed for the "triple crown," leading in all three categories as Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992) and Steve Smith (2005) have before him. 

When Rice had 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1995, he finished second in MVP voting. Kupp has 1,829 and 15 with one game to go.

And though Kupp himself has said "it wouldn't seem right" to break the records in a 17-game season, the fact remains that his accomplishment wouldn't come with an asterisk.

Cooper Kupp is chasing history as the first WR to win MVP...

See what he does in Week 17 on #NFLRedZone! (by @gatorade) pic.twitter.com/Riq7ryZnt6

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 1, 2022

If we're expanding the MVP conversation beyond quarterbacks, we need to give Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor his due as well. 

Taylor has put together a monster season, leading the league in rushing yards (1,734) and rushing touchdowns (18). But he may not hit that coveted 2,000-yard mark, and he's far off LaDainian Tomlinson's rushing touchdowns record (28). 

Kupp was a lightly recruited FCS product who received zero FBS scholarship offers. He's long been regarded as "just" a slot receiver, and while he dominates on those routes, he's deadly outside the numbers too. 

Of course Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady make their teams better; they're the two best to ever do it. But when we're looking at crowning the 2021 NFL MVP, let's keep our focus on the 2021 season. When we do that, it's hard to ignore Kupp putting together one of the greatest seasons—if not the greatest—for a wide receiver. 

           

Odds courtesy of DraftKings.

     

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Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp has the chance to set several NFL receiving records in the final week of the regular season, but he's not sure doing so would be meaningful given the NFL's new 17-game schedule. 

"What those guys did in 16 games, it wouldn't seem right to, I don't know, for those to be broken in 17 games," he told reporters. "It wouldn't hold the same weight to me as it does for guys that have done that in a 16-game season and the accomplishments those guys had and the seasons they put together. Those are incredible things, incredible accomplishments. You kind of have to separate the two."

Kupp currently leads the NFL in receptions (138), receiving yards (1,829) and receiving touchdowns (15), putting him in line to potentially surpass Calvin Johnson's single-season record for receiving yards (1,964) and Michael Thomas' single-season receptions record (149). 

"Those records hold a different weight," Kupp said. "I have just an incredible respect for what those guys were able to do, what they were able to accomplish, what they were able to produce for their teams in those 16 games."

The single-season record for receiving touchdowns—Randy Moss found paydirt 23 times in 2007—is out of reach, however. 

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old could finish the season with the receiving triple crown, leading the NFL in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. That would still mean quite a bit to the veteran wideout.

"It would be a pretty incredible thing," Kupp told reporters. "There are a lot of good football players in this league, a lot of really good receivers who I've got a ton of respect for, so it would be very cool."

Only Jerry Rice (1990), Sterling Sharpe (1992) and Steve Smith (2005) have ever pulled off the feat.

Cooper Kupp’s 2021 season is in 🐐 company pic.twitter.com/Fq0YlDfi1m

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 2, 2022

Granted, Kupp's top priority heading into Sunday is winning the NFC West title and solidifying the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The 12-4 Rams will face the 9-7 San Francisco 49ers (4:25 p.m. ET), who are fighting for a postseason berth. 

A win would clinch the division for the Rams. A loss, paired with an Arizona Cardinals win over the Seattle Seahawks, would push the Rams into the wild card and give the Cards the division crown.

Odell Beckham Jr. caught just seven touchdown passes in 29 career games for the Cleveland Browns across parts of three seasons. 

So the four touchdown receptions he's nabbed over his last five games with the Los Angeles Rams since signing with the team in November have been a breath of fresh air for the veteran wideout.

"It's been great," he told reporters. "Over the last couple of years, I've felt deprived. I've definitely missed the end zone for sure, and it just hasn't been as easy and seamless as it could and should be. I'm someone who I feel like I should score once or twice every single game; I feel like I can get 100 yards every single game."

Whether Beckham meant to take a shot at former quarterback Baker Mayfield or not, it's hard not to read into his latest remarks, especially after the drama that surrounded the two this season. 

Their lack of on-field chemistry boiled over in the first week in November, when Beckham's father posted a video on Instagram showing instances of his son being open on the field without getting the ball thrown his way. He took shots at Mayfield in the comments as well.

ESPN's Jake Trotter reported at the time that Beckham "didn't disavow his father's comments publicly. And he didn't call Mayfield privately."

"I was pretty surprised by the video and the intentions and the feelings behind it. I'd be lying if I said otherwise," Mayfield told reporters after the video was posted. "I thought we had a very open line of communication."

There was little doubt that the two struggled to gain any sort of chemistry on the field. Beckham caught just 114 passes for 1,586 yards and the seven touchdowns with the Browns. To put that in perspective, the 29-year-old posted three individual seasons with 1,300 or more receiving yards with double-digit touchdown receptions in his first three seasons with the New York Giants. 

Injuries have slowed down the superstar ascension that Beckham was rocketing toward. The 2014 first-rounder has played the full 16 games in a season just once across the past five years. 

But his short time with the Rams—20 catches for 248 yards and four scores—has been a reminder that Beckham has more to offer than was possible in Cleveland. Even if his role is different in Los Angeles than it was in New York with Cooper Kupp as the headliner at wide receiver, he's been a solid addition. 

Odell Beckham Jr has mentioned a few times this season that he’s actively tracking and counting down the yard markers during Cooper Kupp’s historic run. "I'm campaigning for him to get to 2k," he said this morning. "We're witnessing greatness."

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) December 31, 2021

For Beckham, the priority is winning. 

"I came late to the party. But [I] still have celebrated like I've been here for the whole time, so it's definitely a special opportunity, not just to win the division but to go for it all," he told reporters. "This is the only reason that you put in these hours of work in the offseason—to dedicate and sacrifice our lives for this is for these moments."

Of course, scoring a few touchdowns along the way doesn't hurt. 

After the Baltimore Ravens embarrassed the Los Angeles Rams two years ago, Aaron Donald is looking for revenge Sunday.

"They beat us pretty bad in a prime-time game," Donald said about the Ravens, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press. "For me personally, that's in the back of my head. That's a little motivation. It's a little payback game."

The Ravens earned a 45-6 win on Monday Night Football on Nov. 25, 2019, while Lamar Jackson threw five touchdown passes on his way to winning the MVP award.

"That's a little fire lit under me personally," Donald said. "We're definitely going to come out ready."

Baltimore finished that season with an NFL-best 14-2 record, while the Rams struggled to a 9-7 record while missing the playoffs after making it to the Super Bowl the previous season.

The two teams are in a different position this year with Los Angeles already clinched a postseason berth after four straight wins. The 11-4 squad is still looking to win the NFC West title and potentially the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Ravens are headed in the opposite direction after four straight losses dropped them to 8-7. While Baltimore is still alive in the playoff picture, injuries throughout its roster could make this a difficult task.

The 1 p.m. ET game at M&T Bank Stadium provides an opportunity for the visitors to get some revenge in Week 17, not only with a win but potentially a high-scoring one.

Los Angeles has had significant roster turnover over the last two years, but key players like Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Cooper Kupp will be ready for big showings.  

The Los Angeles Rams are putting running back Darrell Henderson Jr. on injured reserve with an MCL injury, head coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday.

Henderson has amassed 864 total yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games. He was thrust into the team's RB1 role after Cam Akers suffered a torn Achilles in July while training. 

The third-year back out of Memphis has missed three games this year.

A rib cartilage injury kept him out for the Rams' 38-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 16. A thigh injury sidelined Henderson for Los Angeles' 37-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 5.

Henderson then landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Dec. 11, forcing him out of the Rams' 30-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals two days later.

Without Henderson, the Rams have turned to midseason trade acquisition Sony Michel, who has 728 rushing yards and three rushing scores on the year.

L.A. has used Michel heavily in Henderson's absence, giving him 24 carries for 121 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Jags. Even with Henderson active this past Sunday against the Vikings, Michel ran for 131 yards and a touchdown on 27 attempts.

Additionally, McVay told reporters Monday that "there's a chance" Akers could return for the team's Week 17 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

For the fourth time in the past five seasons, the Los Angeles Rams will have an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl appearance. 

The Rams clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a 30-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

After losing to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round last season, Rams head coach Sean McVay decided it was time to make a change at quarterback.

A reported offseason meeting between McVay and Matthew Stafford in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, changed the direction of the franchise. Los Angeles sent three draft picks, including first-rounders in 2022 and 2023, and Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions to acquire Stafford.

Stafford has helped lift McVay's offense to new heights in his first season in the system. The 33-year-old looked like an MVP candidate to start the year. He threw for 2,477 yards, 22 touchdowns and completed 68.9 percent of his attempts through the first eight games.

The Rams defense hasn't played at the same level this season as it did in 2020 when it led the NFL in points allowed per game (18.5), but it remains a unit capable of dominating on any given week.

Aaron Donald had three sacks on Kyler Murray, including on the final play of the game, in a crucial Week 14 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Aaron Donald calls game. #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/u7jYWFRpFN

— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2021

A three-game losing streak in Weeks 9-12 did lead to some concerns about the Rams' sustainability with such a top-heavy roster. They lost Robert Woods for the season on Nov. 12 when he tore his ACL during practice.

In an effort to replace Woods' production, the Rams signed Odell Beckham Jr. after the Cleveland Browns waived him. The three-time Pro Bowler has four touchdown catches in six games with his new team.

Stafford's arm talent has unlocked new levels of Cooper Kupp's game. The fifth-year wideout entered Sunday leading the NFL in receptions (122), receiving yards (1,625) and receiving touchdowns (14).

At their best, the Rams have proved capable of beating any team in the NFL. They already have marquee wins over NFC contenders like the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Given the volume of options at the skill positions, the Rams can score points with anyone. Donald and Jalen Ramsey are arguably the two best players at their respective positions on the defensive side of the ball.

McVay has already led the Rams to one Super Bowl appearance in his tenure as head coach. He's going to have another opportunity to get back there this season.

Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers has been activated off injured reserve ahead of Sunday's clash with the Minnesota Vikings. 

Rams activated RB Cam Akers now because a player needs to be on the active roster for three games to receive his pension credit. Akers still is more likely to contribute this post-season, not the regular season. But even that is impressive considering his injury. https://t.co/quI2b9WmwA

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 25, 2021

The move comes five months after the running back suffered a torn Achilles in July, an injury that was expected to keep him out the entire year.

The 2020 second-round draft pick was expected to be a focal point of the Rams offense this season after impressing as a rookie. Akers totaled 625 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry across 13 games.

Injuries were still a problem in 2020, as he missed three games because of ankle and rib injuries.

The Rams should continue to rely on Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson Jr. in the backfield with Akers still easing his way back in, but his return is undoubtedly a boost for a Rams team that has its sights set on a Super Bowl. 

Los Angeles Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Saturday. The Rams are scheduled to square off against the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. 

The news is a blow to the Rams' hopes of securing a playoff spot Sunday. They need to beat the Vikings or for the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles to both lose to wrap up a spot in the postseason with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

The 40-year-old Whitworth has played 16 seasons in the NFL. His first 11 were with the Cincinnati Bengals before he signed as a free agent with the Rams in 2017.

Whitworth's first year in L.A. also marked the beginning of head coach Sean McVay's tenure. The left tackle helped the Rams finish as the NFL's No. 1 scoring team in 2017 and No. 2 offense in 2018. L.A. won the NFC Championship in that second year before falling to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

The Monroe, Louisiana, native is a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro.

Joseph Noteboom, the Rams' backup at left tackle, is also on the COVID-19/reserve list. Unless the 2018 third-round pick is activated before Sunday's game, the team will likely turn to guard David Edwards or backup guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr. to fill in on the blindside against a Minnesota Vikings pass rush that leads the league in sacks.