The Los Angeles Rams are going to the playoffs. That much is for certain. They are incredibly likely to have a first-round bye, as all they need to do is either defeat the division rival 49ers or have the Bears lose or tie against the Vikings in order to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
So perhaps it is not surprising that the Rams are considering holding star running back Todd Gurley out of his second-consecutive game. Gurley missed last week's win over the Cardinals with a knee injury, and according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Rams are thinking about holding him out again, even though they thought he might've been healthy enough to play in Week 16.
"They thought he was healthy enough to go [against the Cardinals], but they were extremely cautious," Rapoport said. "Of course, nothing is more important than the playoffs and I'm told they could take the same approach this week, so he may, in fact, sit out as well."
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If Gurley sits, that'll give him nearly a month of rest between the last time he played and the Rams' first playoff game, assuming they secure the No. 2 seed and a bye. He had been bothered by the knee injury prior to sitting out Week 16, so it's something he's been dealing with for a while now. Getting a long rest like that could allow him to be completely refreshed for an important playoff run.
With Gurley out, the Rams turned to recent free-agent signing C.J. Anderson as well as rookie John Kelly to carry the load on the ground. Anderson had a monster game with 20 carries for 167 yards and a score, and would presumably act as the lead back once again if Gurley sits the regular season finale.
