INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Coming off their bye week, a rested and focused Rams roster dominated on both sides of the ball. They totaled 171 rushing yards and 281 passing yards in a Week 9 route of the Saints, 34-10. Quarterback Matthew Stafford turned in another gem, throwing for four touchdowns, two of which went to wide receiver Davante Adams. The only negative came in the kicking game, where they missed a field goal and an extra point.
After the game, Stafford and McVay spoke with local media about the win and performance in all three phases. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"Davante's a really sharp guy. We had some stuff at the line of scrimmage today that he and I were communicating on and (it) worked out for us. (He) did a nice job, so I got a ton of trust and respect in his aptitude to go out there and play, and his mental capabilities. And then it's a whole lot of fun when he's talking to me, he's giving me great information." - Stafford
The connection between Adams and Stafford is growing stronger by the week, and today was another step in the right direction. Adams caught five of his seven targets for 60 yards and two scores, and Stafford explained that the uptick in experience and communication between the two veterans played a big role in that success.
On the ground, Stafford said that running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum "did a hell of a job." Stafford even threw a block for Corum on a cutback, saying "I threw the pads in there a little bit. I ran by Shawn Smith the ref after that and I was like, 'I'm too old for that s---.'" He joked that he had to tell Corum to stop cutting it back.
"I think some of the guys that played last year are some of the guys that have been filling in when we've had rotational stuff going on, and that experience is really valuable. I got to give a lot of credit to the guys that we bring in, to our front office. The guys that we bring in are ready to play." - Stafford
With wide receiver Tutu Atwell on Injured Reserve, young players like Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith played meaningful snaps at wide receiver, and executed their assignments. Stafford said it was cool to see Smith making plays on offense, as he's primarily used as a punt returner, and reiterated his trust in whoever the Rams put on the field on offense.
The Rams also utilized 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) at a high rate for the second-straight game, with extremely positive results. "If you had 13 personnel out there and you didn't believe in the guys that you had out there, then it wouldn't be that good, but we do," he said. Everyone from the offensive line to the skill positions executed at a high level on Sunday, which made that personnel mixing successful.
"It's just great command, great understanding of what (Stafford's) seeing, great ability to be able to distribute the ball based on what the coverage dictates. I think he's pushing the ball, I think he's understanding situationally what's the right way to be able to play it, I just have total confidence where you can call the game through him." - McVay
Stafford's poise and efficiency were on full display on Sunday. It was his second-straight game with at least four passing touchdowns, but McVay described it as "just another game where he's in total command." The offensive line "did a great job" of keeping Stafford clean against "a good rush" unit from New Orleans.
On the other side, they faced a rookie quarterback making his first career start in Tyler Shough. McVay said they tried to impose their will and "earn the right to be able to rush him to get into some of those third down situations." They came in with a lot of respect for that offense, which McVay described as having "skill all over the place" and shut them down to the tune of 10 points and two turnovers.
"(The kicking operation has) got to get better. We're gonna be able to figure out how to be able to fix this, but it can't continue like this with regards to our kicking operation. I'm not going to get into blaming anybody specifically. Ultimately, it's my responsibility. It's gone on for too long and we got to be able to fix it." - McVay
Kicker Joshua Karty missed his lone field goal attempt from 39 yards (which was nearly blocked) as well as an extra point. McVay said that they have to acknowledge where the issues in the operation are, but didn't want to specify that to the media, saying, "I don't think this is the venue or the setting to be able to blame anybody. That's never what I believe, but we've got to be able to get it fixed."
He expressed confidence in Karty and said "there's a lot of layers to" the problems in that phase and they "will evaluate all parts of it." He added that the narrative will naturally shift towards the kicker, but "that might not always be the case." McVay said the woes in the kicking game have cost the team already and it's "not sustainable" for a squad that has Super Bowl aspirations.
