WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Sunday’s NFC Championship Game will define legacies. A win and you’re one step away from immortality. History will be made in the Pacific Northwest.
The matchup pits the Los Angeles Rams and MVP candidate quarterback Matthew Stafford against the game-wrecking defense of the Seattle Seahawks with a berth in Super Bowl LX on the line.
This game features everything a fan could want: a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, future Hall of Fame wide receivers, suffocating defenses and special teams players who can take a kickoff to the house. The contest sets the table for a phenomenal rubber match between two of the most evenly contested teams in the National Football League.
As the Rams prepare to travel to Lumen Field looking to avenge a heartbreaking Week 16 loss, a game in which Los Angeles fell in overtime, 38-37, despite an outstanding performance from 37-year-old veteran signal-caller Matthew Stafford, the team is aiming to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.
In a season filled with anxious moments for Los Angeles, including back-to-back, heart-stopping road victories in the postseason over Carolina and Chicago, coaches not only learn a lot about their players but a great deal about themselves.
“I’ve learned that I’m at my best when you’re around people that you love enough to not want to let them down,” McVay said. “What I’ve learned from this team is that we’re at our best when we’re working the right way. We have genuine enjoyment for each other for the success and for the challenging moments. We have the mental toughness and the mindset to be our best, regardless of the circumstances.”
Sunday’s title game will mark McVay’s third NFC championship game as head coach of the Rams, with two previous wins over the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 season and the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 season. The clash will also mark McVay’s first game as a 40-year-old; the offensive mastermind celebrates his birthday on Saturday, a day prior to Los Angeles’ battle in Seattle.
“What is a good birthday is when I’m working on my birthday and if I’m working next week,” McVay said. “That’d be a hell of a birthday. That’s the only present I want.”
Some players on this Los Angeles roster have been in moments like this before. Stafford is a Super Bowl champion and star wide receiver Davante Adams played in four NFC championship games during his time in Green Bay. However, for others, this game will be the biggest moment of their professional careers. Despite the stakes being at an all-time high, McVay senses his team is staying on track.
“I think it’s business as usual,” McVay said. “Consistency is really important in these moments.”
Los Angeles will have to practice what they preach, as Seattle is one of the most consistent squads in the NFL, ranking inside the top three in scoring offense and defense while owning the league’s most intense playoff atmosphere. The 12th man will erupt on every Los Angeles offensive snap.
Stafford noted his past experience playing in hostile environments while preaching the importance of staying on the same page in a noisy stadium such as Seattle’s.
“I think just through the experience of being able to play in these games, whether it be this late in the season or at all the venues really,” Stafford said. “How the noise affects you and how you have to go out there and operate. I think that’s why these walk-throughs and these practices are so important so that everybody’s on the same page. When I call that play in the huddle, we’re all ready to rock and roll and go play no matter if we can hear ourselves think or not.”
As both teams prepare for the third and final matchup of the season to dictate who will represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX, they know just about everything you can know about an opponent. Tendencies, formations and play calls are all studied. What can’t be analyzed are the mental aspects of the game — the story beyond the numbers.
McVay detailed how that could be the X-factor in a game of this magnitude.
“The most important thing is let’s be totally present,” McVay said. “Let’s be in the moment.”
Stafford, the MVP front-runner, echoed that same message.
“Being able to stay present and appreciate the time that we have, appreciate Friday practices and all the moments,” Stafford said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do.”
In order to be crowned NFC champions and book a one-way flight to Super Bowl LX, Los Angeles will have to focus on one very small, yet incredibly large task — staying present.
