The Rams are looking for revenge and have the NFC West title in mind heading into Saturday’s Cardinals game

It seems like forever ago. Week 2 of the NFL season was in September, but the memory is still fresh for the Rams.

A 41-10 loss by the Arizona Cardinals made it possible.

“An asshole,” defensive lineman Bobby Brown III said this week.

“Embarrassing,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

In all phases.

“We got a kick in the butt,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.

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The loss dropped the Rams’ record to 0-2 and led to a 1-4 start that put coach Sean McVay’s team on the brink of possible playoff oblivion.

Then the Rams won eight of 10 games, including the last four, to set themselves up for another division title.

Their major league rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, defeated the Chicago Bears 6-3 on Thursday night to improve to 9-7, allowing the Rams to clinch the title with a victory Saturday over the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium and a “winning streak “can secure. Tiebreaker.

The Rams would claim that if four of those six teams that play all home games won in Week 17 – the Cleveland Browns (vs. Miami Dolphins), Cincinnati Bengals (vs. Denver Broncos), Washington Commanders (vs. Atlanta Falcons), San Francisco 49ers (vs. Detroit Lions), Buffalo Bills (vs. New York Jets) and Minnesota Vikings (vs. Green Bay Packers).

Defensive lineman Kobie Turner said the impact of Saturday’s game “will not go unnoticed.” Nevertheless, the match against the Cardinals is essentially a “get-back” game.

“We have a lot we’re fighting for,” Turner said. “But we are really strong when it comes to coming back and starting a little revenge game.”

How motivated the Cardinals (7-8) will be remains to be seen. A loss last week ended their playoff hopes.

“They’re not necessarily playing for anything,” Rams safety Quentin Lake said. “And to be honest, these teams can be very, very dangerous.”

So the Rams want to do what the Cardinals did to them: start fast and never let up.

That Sunday at State Farm Stadium, the Rams failed on a fourth-and-2 passing play, and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray quickly took advantage by throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

The Rams went out of bounds three times, and Murray and Harrison scored a 63-yard touchdown.

“In no time it was 14-0,” Lake said.

The Cardinals added another touchdown and took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.

“They sang the national anthem,” cornerback Cobie Durant said, “and the game was over.”

The Rams have become a completely different team than the one that started the season so poorly. After the Rams lost four of their first five games, there were only defeats against the Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles.

After the Eagles’ 37-20 loss on “Sunday Night Football” on November 24, the Rams were 5-6. A few days later, McVay turned to his players and wrote “39” on a chalkboard, the number of days remaining in the regular season. He urged them to commit to bringing out the best in each individual.

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“That’s something that’s going to get your attention very quickly,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “You say, ‘Hey, that’s how long I can commit.’ No doubt.'”

Rookie edge rusher Jared Verse said, “He said, ‘We don’t have to win every game.’ We have to win every day.’”

The Rams haven’t lost since then, defeating the New Orleans Saints, Bills, 49ers and Jets.

“Since then, we have received great support from our team,” Stafford said. “I don’t see any fluctuations or changes at any time.”

Now they have a chance to avenge their loss to the Cardinals.

In that game, receiver Puka Nacua and offensive linemen Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom were sidelined due to injuries sustained in the season-opening loss to the Lions. Subsequently, the Rams also lost receiver Cooper Kupp, lineman Jonah Jackson and safety John Johnson III to injuries.

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The Rams are back to nearly full strength and looking to complete their push into the playoffs.

“In times when things aren’t going well, it’s really easy to point fingers and feel like you’re on your own,” Kupp said. “We did a good job weathering those storms and getting here.”

McVay remembered the first game against the Cardinals as a “humbling” experience. Now they’re on the verge of playing in the postseason for the sixth time in McVay’s eight seasons.

“Those guys were just in the moment,” McVay said. “They’re not naive about what might be at stake, but I think our guys played their best football and just focused on… ‘Hey, let’s get going.'”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.