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Sean McVay<\/a> turned 40 on Saturday.<\/p>\n Not that the Rams<\/a>\u2019 ninth-year coach planned to celebrate.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s a good birthday?\u201d he said on Friday. \u201cWhen I\u2019m working on my birthday \u2014 and if I\u2019m working next week.<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be a hell of a birthday. That\u2019s the only present I want.\u201d<\/p>\n McVay was busy this week preparing for Sunday\u2019s NFC championship game<\/a> against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.<\/p>\n After splitting their NFC West games this season, they will meet for a third time to determine who will represent the conference in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 at Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara.<\/p>\n McVay is 2-0 in NFC championship games, having led the Rams past the New Orleans Saints<\/a> in the 2018 playoffs and past the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> in the 2021 playoffs.<\/p>\n The Rams and Seahawks are playing for the third time. That\u2019s nothing new for McVay.<\/p>\n The Rams have been in this situation twice before \u2014 and both times they advanced.<\/p>\n In the 2020 season, the Rams and Seahawks split their NFC West games, and the Rams won a wild-card game, 30-20, at Seattle.<\/p>\n In 2021, the Rams lost both regular-season games against the San Francisco 49ers, and the Rams won the NFC championship, 23-20, at SoFi Stadium.<\/p>\n This season, the Rams beat the Seahawks, 21-19<\/a>, at SoFi Stadium, and lost to the Seahawks, 38-37<\/a>, in overtime at Seattle.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an added layer but it\u2019s really just the familiarity,\u201d McVay said of playing the Seahawks three times this season. \u201cLet\u2019s put together the best plans that we can for our guys and let\u2019s understand what type of execution and what type of competitive stamina it\u2019s going to take for us to go get the job done against as complete a football team as there is in this league and as hot of a football team as there is in this league.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers<\/a> in the wild-card round, and advanced to the conference championship with a 20-17 overtime victory<\/a> over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.<\/p>\n Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford<\/a> and receiver Puka Nacua<\/a> are first-team All-Pros, and finalists for NFL most valuable player and offensive player of the year, respectively. Receiver Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches.<\/p>\n Edge rusher Jared Verse, lineman Kobie Turner, linebacker Nate Landman and safety Quentin Lake lead the defense.<\/p>\n The Seahawks, as the top-seeded team, had a first-round bye. They advanced by defeating the 49ers, 41-6, at Lumen Field.<\/p>\n