WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Rams are heading into their fourth primetime game in the first five weeks of the season with a Week 5 Monday Night Football matchup against the Bills. Coming off a win against the Eagles where the defense played great all afternoon and the offense made a fourth-quarter surge, the Rams will prepare for a Buffalo offense led by quarterback Josh Allen that's coming off their first lost of the season against the Patriots last week.
In preparation for Monday night, Rams head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams gave their thoughts on the offense and the upcoming matchup with the Bills.
"It seems like we've all taken our turn, whether I'm not putting us in a good situation and can provide better clarity, whether it's alright, maybe there's a decision that I'd want to make. The ball was a little bit more slick on the one that kind of sailed on the play action. But I thought (Stafford) was at his best in the most important moments. And there's nobody that I'd rather have leading us." - McVay
Through four games, the Rams have had their ebbs and flows, especially on offense. Despite early struggles, Stafford and the Rams offense found a way to get it done against the Eagles. And even in a close loss to the Broncos that went down to the final play, "(Stafford) gave us every chance to find a way to kind of finish that out."
Procedurally, McVay says the amount of penalties are "a little bit too many for my liking, without a doubt" and that the ones the Rams are working on are "some of the things before the snap, or even just some judgment calls."
In Week 5, McVay will stand on the opposite sideline from the youngest head coach in the NFL, Bills head coach Joe Brady, who just turned 37. Once in that position, McVay understands what it's like to be a young head coach, and said Brady has "done a hell of a job. Very impressed with the way he handles himself."
"All these guys are like, (Bills defensive coordinator) Jim Leonhard. I'm like, 'yeah, I played against Jim.' I don't know what says about me, but I think he does a good job. He obviously has some influence from some places that he's been. You see the tape, really physical, disruptive front and a back end that does a lot of different things." - Stafford
Stafford and the 10-year NFL veteran, Leonhard who is now the Bills' defensive coordinator, faced off against each other once in their playing career on Nov. 7, 2010, with Leonhard, who had a team-high eight total tackles, and the Jets taking down Stafford and the Lions 23-20 in Detroit. Although Leonhard is a new coordinator, Stafford says because they are "a few games into the season," there's enough tape to get an idea of what they'll see against the Bills.
Through four games, Stafford said there's "definitely room for improvement" for himself personally. He said there's "been some really some bright moments and some stuff I'm really proud of, and stuff that I definitely wish I could take back and help us be in a better position to win games."
"I like to have a decent idea of what they like to do, and then just kind of go and roll with punches from there in the game." - Adams
In preparation for facing off against the Bills and Leonhard's defense, Adams also talked about being able to watch film from Leonhard's first four games in addition to how the Bills have played in previous years. Despite all the preparation, Adams knows "you still got to react once the call is made and once the play starts."
Adams also noted how penalties make it "a lot more difficult to call plays, and obviously becomes a lot more difficult to execute in times where you got to get back on track." The fourth-quarter comeback against the Eagles, Adams described as a one of those "gotta have it moments" where "the intensity picks up" and led the Rams to victory.











