Standing in front of his locker, Christmas lights dangling from above, Starling Thomas V admitted he loved playing football this time of year.
"Everybody wants to do good on the holidays and give everybody something to smile about," the cornerback said.
Well, not everybody. When the team travels to Los Angeles, they're hoping the only ones left smiling are Cardinals-adjacent.
"We definitely want to be a spoiler," Thomas said. "Everybody is still on that same mission of being winners and just trying to continue to change the narrative on how people see the Cardinals."
After the Cardinals fell to the Panthers last weekend and were eliminated from playoff contention, the stakes of Saturday's matchup against the Rams significantly changed. What was expected to be a battle for a postseason berth is no longer the case for the Cardinals. However, it's still the case for their NFC West foe.
The Rams, who sit in first place with an 9-6 record, could clinch the division with a victory over the Cardinals. With the Seahawks' win over the Bears on Thursday night, Seattle's hopes remain slight. The Rams and Seahawks do play in Week 18, but the Rams end that hope with a win and the right results this weekend that would give them the strength of victory tiebreaker -- the fifth measuring tiebreak to decide a division winner.
"I'm going to be a big Kyler Murray fan on Saturday. If they get it done, they get it done," Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said after Seattle's win Thursday night.
The Cardinals are disappointed that they are no longer in the dance. This primetime game was a prime opportunity to make Week 18 a bit more eventful for the entire division. But defensive lineman Naquan Jones still recognizes they can shake up the division.
"I don't think we're going to go into this game with the thought that since we're not going to the playoffs lets just let up on these guys," Jones said. "You want to go out there and put your best on film and be remembered by the last thing you put on tape. Everybody has something to prove and everybody still has goals they want to accomplish."
Jones and Thomas were on the roster last season when the Cardinals won against the Steelers and Eagles on the road. While the Cardinals weren't in the playoff conversation, those victories served as culture wins heading into an important offseason.
Those wins might've come as a surprise to some last season, but to the current locker room, those competitive games against playoff teams are the standard.
"We know we're a playoff team compared to last year," Thomas said. "When teams come to play us, we've gotten everybody's best shot. I feel like we played a solid season, even though we were inconsistent. What we got to do now is continue to finish the season strong and not just laying down because things didn't go our way last week."
A win this weekend could have a similar impact as those December victories in 2023. "If we want to get to where we want to get to, you've got to win these games," coach Jonathan Gannon said.
Last weekend's defeat stung, but Jones believes competing against the Rams will add joy to this joyous week.
"The spotlight is on you and you know everybody's looking to watch you," Jones said. "They're in a position to do something, so yeah, it's primetime, and everybody is going to want to put some crazy stuff on film."
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN TO PRACTICE SQUAD
With an open practice squad spot following the promotion of offensive lineman Jackson Barton to the roster, the Cardinals signed rookie offensive lineman Matthew Jones to the practice squad. Jones, who played at Ohio State, is primarily a guard. He was with the Dolphins in the preseason and was a college linemate of Paris Johnson Jr.
