Following their 31-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers last week, the Los Angeles Rams traveled to Phoenix this Saturday for their Week 14 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. But things got a little weird before the kickoff. The Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, didn’t actually travel with the team to Arizona.

Per ESPN, McVay was dealing with an illness and had to make the trip on his own. Still, McVay’s plan was always for him to be on the sidelines Sunday, and now NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has confirmed it. Per the analyst, the Rams’ HC McVay will coach against the Cardinals.

“Coach Sean McVay did not travel with the team to Arizona on Saturday because of illness,” the analyst said. “However, I got a text from McVay a short time ago. I’m just going to read it. ‘Yes, I’m good to go. LOL. Heading there now. I’ll be fine. Just didn’t want to get anyone sick.'”

For now, the severity of McVay’s illness is still a bit unclear. But if he hadn’t been able to coach on Sunday, the Rams would’ve likely turned things over to Assistant Head Coach Aubrey Pleasant. But the fact that McVay is this fired up for the Cardinals game tells you he’s healthy enough to lead, even if he’s not completely at 100%. And right now, the Rams aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for wins after that Week 13 loss.

The reasoning is pretty simple: The race isn’t just tight in the NFC West, it’s tight across the entire NFC. For starters, the Rams are currently sitting 9-3 and top the NFC West. However, the Seattle Seahawks aren’t giving the Rams much breathing room. Their 26-0 blowout over the Minnesota Vikings pushed them to 9-3 and right behind L.A., while the San Francisco 49ers sit at No. 3 with the same number of wins and four losses.

And like we said, this isn’t just a division problem. Going into Week 13, the Rams held the No. 1 seed in the NFC. One tough loss later, they slipped a spot, with the Chicago Bears jumping to the top after knocking off the defending Super Bowl champs. The No. 1 seed is still well within reach, but with McVay healthy enough to coach on Sunday, it sparks the real question: What does he make of the race for that top seed?

Healthy Sean McVay isn’t thinking about the top seed for now

According to PFSN, heading into Week 14, the Rams hold a 94.2% chance to make the playoffs and a 45.6% chance to win the NFC West. As for the coveted bye, the model gives them a 32% shot at the No. 1 seed and 9.6% at No. 2 based on how they’ve played this season. But if you ask Sean McVay how closely he’s tracking the Rams’ odds for the top seed and home-field advantage, he’ll tell you:

“It’s not important to me at all.”

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On top of that, the Rams’ quarterback, Matthew Stafford, feels the same, as he noted:

“That’s the last thing on my mind at the moment.”

And you can see why. The Panthers humbled the Rams just last week, with Bryce Young carving them up on 15-of-20 passing for 206 yards and three touchdowns. That’s exactly why McVay keeps stressing how crucial every win is from this point forward.

“Last week serves as a phenomenal reminder of… you get all ahead of yourself; we won’t even be in the playoffs if we’re not careful,” he said.

That said, the Rams are favored to beat the Cardinals in Week 14. But a win on Sunday won’t settle anything. They’ll head back home right after and face a much tougher challenge against the Detroit Lions.