INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Rams got back on track Sunday with a 37-point onslaught that helped them bury the Cardinals in Week 18. The victory closed the book on a great regular season that saw the Rams finish 12-5 and earn the No. 5 seed in the NFC. That earned them a rematch with the Panthers in Carolina next week in the Wild Card round.
After the game, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about the victory and looked forward to the matchup with Carolina. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"Part of the reason that we wanted to play (starters) is to figure out how to be able to dig deep to play some complementary ball. We were down three points and then we end up getting stop after stop. The kicking game was doing what they're supposed to do and you get three touchdowns, next thing you know, you look up and you're up 17 points, and that's how you close the game out." - McVay
McVay said there was no plan to rest the starters after a certain point in this game. "We came in to play good football and to try to win the football game," McVay said, and that's exactly what they did in all three phases. Los Angeles totaled 395 yards of offense, sacked the quarterback six times and did not miss a kick.
But now, they look forward to a showdown with the Panthers, who beat them in Charlotte, NC just five weeks ago. But now, they have that much more film to look at, both on themselves and on the Panthers, that they can use to prepare, clean up mistakes and exploiting opposing weaknesses. McVay called Carolina "a great team" that "earned that win" in Week 13, but the Rams are "coming out swinging" for the postseason. "I'm not worried about anything else other than the Carolina Panthers," he said.
"I think Matthew's the MVP of the league. He played that way. Wouldn't want anyone else leading the way. Got a lot of respect for a bunch of people in this league, but there's nobody I'd rather have being the quarterback of the L.A. Rams than Matthew Stafford. His play speaks for itself." - McVay
McVay said that Stafford was in "total command the whole day," and it resulted in a four-touchdown performance, capping what could be an MVP season that featured 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns against eight interceptions. McVay also shouted out wide receiver Puka Nacua (10 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown) along with tight end Tyler Higbee (five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown) for their contributions.
The Rams are looking forward to the expected return of safety Quentin Lake and wide receiver Davante Adams. Others such as tight end Terrance Ferguson and offensive lineman Kevin Dotson have statuses that are more uncertain, but McVay said he "likes the depth" that the Rams have. "We've had to really dig deep in a lot of instances, and guys have really answered the bell," McVay said. Some of those players may need to do so again on the big stage next weekend, depending on the health of certain players.
"We didn't play as well as we can last time we went (to Carolina), so we'll look at the tape, figure out how we can kind of be better from that game, from what they've been doing lately, just like they'll do to us. And go out there and the team that plays better that day will win." - Stafford
Stafford said that the Cardinals "had a nice little game plan" that forced the Rams to make some adjustments on Sunday. He credited the coaching staff's proactive approach at halftime, as they made some shifts that the Rams were able to execute on offense to the tune of 21 second-half points.
Stafford also made some NFL history on Sunday, passing Matt Ryan for sixth all-time in completions and Dan Marino for 7th all-time in touchdown passes. But all of that is in the rear-view mirror starting tomorrow when the Rams begin preparation for the postseason.
"(MVP) is an award that is earned by everybody. You can't just go out there and have a great statistical year and not win any games or do any of that kind of stuff, and there's so many guys that have contributed to a season like that, and I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment, so that's what I'm going to be worried about." - Stafford
Stafford joked that his only goal before the season started was to "make it to Week 1" after he dealt with a back injury throughout training camp. Now, he finishes the season as an MVP candidate who not only made it back for Week 1, but played at an elite level for 17 games. He thanked the people behind the scenes for helping him manage that injury and his body throughout the whole year so that he could play at that clip.
