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From the Podium: Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford discuss mistakes that led to loss to 49ers on Thursday Night Football

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams had multiple chances to win against the 49ers in Week 5. Instead, they fell 26-23 in overtime. A blocked extra point, a fumble at the one-yard line and a failed fourth-down conversion in overtime were just a few of the blunders that cost L.A. late in the game.

Afterwards, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with local media about the missed opportunities that cost them against San Francisco on Thursday Night Football. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.

"We came in here to try to win the football game. It didn't go down for us. (Kicking the field goal in overtime) wasn't even a thought, but the play selection was very poor." - McVay

On 4th-and-1 in the red zone, with the Rams down 26-23 in overtime, McVay called a run to the right that was stuffed at the line to end the game. When asked to reflect on his play call, McVay said, "It's a bad call." He doesn't regret going for it (as opposed to trying for a field goal to tie it with less than four minutes remaining), but wishes he called a better play.

"I'm pretty sick right now," McVay said. "I'm sick of the spot that I put our group in to end the game. But, hey, these are the tough beats that you've got to be able to learn from and move forward, and that's what we're going to do." McVay took responsibility for the mistakes in all three phases, saying "we weren't ready to go."

"I do think our execution can be much sharper in all three phases, and that will be a focal point for us when we come back." - McVay

This game certainly wasn't all bad, but the execution at critical junctures cost the Rams dearly. Ultimately, "That's not winning football," McVay said. "We certainly did more to lose that game than we did win it tonight."

He has "zero doubt" that this group is made of the right stuff and will learn from these mistakes rather than let them define the season.

"I mean, that's a bread-and-butter short-yardage call for us, so I didn't have any problem with it. That's trusting our guys to go out there and make a play. They did a nice job of stopping it." - Stafford

Stafford was having a fantastic night, setting a new single-game passing yards mark with the Rams (389) for the second-straight week. But unlike McVay, he didn't have any problem with the 4th-and-1 run in overtime. He "loved" the decision to go for it, saying "We're not playing for a tie, let's go."

He said he wished he "could have done more" before that point to help the team win, despite his big night statistically.

"We had a chance to win it multiple, multiple, multiple times. Didn't get it done. Those sting and piss you off. I'd love for us to find a way to close a little bit better and I think we will. But yeah, that one's frustrating." - Stafford

Stafford said the team has "just got to find a way to not turn it over as much in crucial spots." The locker room was obviously upset after losing a close game against a division opponent that they had opportunities to win, but Stafford isn't worried about how they'll respond. In fact, he liked that guys were as upset as they were.

"I'm not worried about guys being not together," Stafford said. "Guys are pissed off because they care. If everybody was laughing and joking, I'd be a little bit more concerned."

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