WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – After a humbling loss to an injury-riddled Panthers team snapped the Rams' six-game winning streak last Sunday, players and coaches are using that as a learning opportunity. They will have the opportunity to showcase their growth in a Week 14 road game against the Cardinals.
Ahead of the matchup, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke to local media about flushing their first loss since Week 5 and preparing for Arizona. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I don't think about those things (playoff seeding and home-field advantage). And last week served as a phenomenal reminder of, man, you get all ahead of yourself, you won't even be in the playoffs if we're not careful. And so that's where none of that matters to me at all. My sole focus and concentration is the amount of respect that we have for the Cardinals, trying to make sure that our players feel as clear and as confident (as they can) going into this game." - McVay
After the Rams lost possession of the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their loss to Carolina on Sunday, McVay was asked repeatedly about his thoughts on playoff seeding. His response was consistent: He doesn't have any. Right now, he's focused solely on the Cardinals, a team that dealt them a "humbling" loss in Week 2 of last season.
McVay praised Arizona for being competitive in nearly every game this season, saying "I think if you look at the record, you're kidding yourself." He then commended quarterback Jacoby Brissett's mobility, progressions and coverage recognition. "He's got great overall command," McVay said, "really impressed with his body of work."
This team has dealt with adversity before and come back stronger for it, specifically at the start of the last two seasons. To do that, they've had to step back and channel their frustration into positive change. "Part of being mentally tough is acknowledging, 'I don't like where I'm at, and I have the awareness to be able to address it and then act accordingly.' That's why we're talking about all the time, we want to respond not react."
Not activating wide receiver Tutu Atwell off Injured Reserve last week, after indicating he would be able to play, was due to "a unique set of circumstances," McVay said, and came down to numbers on defense and special teams.
"I've played in a lot of games now, so (moving on from bad performances) just feels like it comes easy to me. It doesn't mean that I don't care about each and every single one of them and do everything I can to try and help us win each and every one of them. But I do know that, unless it's the last game of the year, there's another one coming, and you better be ready for it" - Stafford
Stafford said there were "a couple plays here and there" that needed to be cleaned up against Carolina, but ultimately the offense moved the ball well (they actually had their second-best offensive success rate of the season, according to Next Gen Stats). Knowing that, they go back to the process that's elevated them to one of the league's top records and find ways to avoid those mistakes in future.
When asked about the advantages of having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, Stafford laughed and said, "I've never had it, so I couldn't tell you." Similar to McVay, he said that's "the last thing" on his mind right now, and also emphasized that every regular season game, and the process that goes into preparing for them, is equally important. "If we attack that with the same kind of mindset and energy and enthusiasm that we always have, we can live with the result," he said.
McVay often says "don't let a team beat you twice," with reference to moving on after losses, and Stafford agreed with that sentiment: "I've got a bunch of plays I've got to learn. I've got to make sure everybody's in the right spots at the right places and doing all that. So I do move on pretty quick, so I feel good about that, and I think the guys in our locker room do as well."
