WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams trampled Arizona last week in a bounce-back victory to retake first place in the NFC. Now, they will face a surging Lions team coming off a 44-point game that's in need of a victory, currently one game removed from a wild card spot. These two teams have plenty of history, but that's not the only significant aspect of this matchup: The Rams can clinch a playoff berth with a victory.
Ahead of the contest, Rams head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams spoke with local media about their preparation for the Lions and the significance of that game. Here are the most relevant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I see outstanding maturity (from Lions quarterback Jared Goff). I see outstanding growth (since he was with the Rams), ownership. You can see they give him a lot of things at the line of scrimmage... unbelievable accuracy and anticipation. Jared's played really great, and I've been truly happy to see what he's done and how he's really put that team on his back and done such a great job of being able to build. I've been very open and very clear about (the fact that) I had a lot of growing up to do back when that (trade) went down. There was a lot of great memories, a lot of really good ball that he did here that I'll always cherish." - McVay
McVay has been open about the fact that he could have handled the Goff-Stafford trade better, but he's happy to see his former quarterback flourishing both on the field as a football player and off of it as a husband and a father. McVay said he appreciates the "grace" and "understanding" that Goff has shown him since all that went down.
Since head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling duties, McVay said they've sequenced the game very well, something McVay prizes in his own offense. Campbell has always been "heavily involved" in their offensive game planning, but now he's the one feeding plays into Goff's ear, and it's resulted in some explosive performances, including a 44-point game against Dallas last week. "There's a real identity that's geared towards accentuating players' skill sets, there's a play style, but I've seen a great feel for picking and choosing his spots," McVay said, and that keeps defenses "off balance."
McVay tries to keep the team "totally present," and doesn't feel the need to talk about what the results may bring, which in this case would be a guaranteed bid into the postseason. To earn that, they will need to get past a "physical" Lions team that features one of the brightest young stars in football, running back Jahmyr Gibbs. McVay said Gibbs is "as explosive of a player as there is in this league. Every single time he touches it, you're like, 'Oh my gosh, he might score.'"
"I put the tape on and I don't think about all the guys I used to play with (in Detroit) because hardly any of them are still playing on the team. The biggest thing for me is watching them play, and they jump off the tape. They're fast, they're physical, they're really well-coached, and they got playmakers on offense, they got playmakers on defense." - Stafford
Stafford may not think of the Lions differently than any other opponent, but Detroit was still his home. He still has friends there and gave generously to the community. He's planning to go on a radio call with Mitch Albom, something he's done for a number of years now, this week to help raise money for the city. He and his wife Kelly "try to stay somewhat involved" in the community there despite living in Los Angeles since 2021.
Similar to McVay, Stafford described the Lions, specifically their front, as "physical" and possessing great get-off at the snap. He said that front has presented "a big challenge" every time they've matched up, and that impact is felt on the back end as well. However, Stafford said he doesn't know if they will change things schematically with safety Brian Branch now out for the season with an achilles injury. He praised Branch's game and called him "a unique player in this league."
He echoed McVay's claim about the playoff-clinching scenario. "Our focus is solely on the game in front of us," Stafford said. "As far as what kind of implications that has, to be honest with you, we haven't talked about it one bit."
"I didn't even need to know (we can clinch playoffs this weekend). I don't think anybody else on the team needed to know it. It's cool to know certain things like that, but just the way we approach it I think is the best way, it's just to be where your feet are and just conquer the day that you're in." - Adams
Being in Los Angeles is "exactly what I hoped it'd be," Adams said, and that focused mindset is part of what he loves about the environment. Still, Adams told Rams Revealed this past week that he'd retire whenever Stafford does. But in the press conference, he said it was "kind of a joke, kind of serious," and wanted to "put that pressure" on Stafford to see how he would react. While his body is "tired," Adams still loves the game and is having fun with the Rams and Stafford. His future is far from determined.
Meanwhile, his younger counterpart Puka Nacua seems to never get tired. "I love his energy, Adams said. "I love everything about him, just the way that he attacks it." Nacua's second touchdown against Arizona on a double move wasn't exactly how the route was drawn up, Adams said. The veteran often tweaks routes to support his skill set and the situation at hand, so seeing Nacua do that and make a big play out of it had to be cool for him.
"(The Lions have) two of the premier backs in the league, obviously Gibbs, we all know how explosive he is, the way he can run, I don't know if he gets enough credit for his vision, how he can run the stretch run game and cut it back, he's heavier than you think. And then (David) Montgomery is a starting back for pretty much everybody in the league." - Shula
The Lions' one-two punch at running back gets plenty of praise, but "that's not to mention a great (offensive) line and a great scheme" that aid in their success, Shula said. At quarterback, Shula agreed with McVay that Goff is a "more mature" version of the player he was in L.A. and is playing in a system that plays to his strengths and gets the ball in the hands of their playmakers.
The Rams' cornerback rotation has been a bit different than it was earlier this year since Quentin Lake went on Injured Reserve and Ahkello Witherspoon returned and they now have four rather than three. Shula said their approach to that rotation is based on the matchup and reiterated that they feel like they have four starting corners in Witherspoon, Cobie Durant, Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Darious Williams.
"They play so hard. They take after their coach, they take after their city. They've had an incredible foundation since Dan took over... It's that same Detroit every time you pop on the tape. Your guys better strap up for 60 (game) minutes, three-and-a-half hours." - LaFleur
LaFleur said that Detroit is "loaded with talent" on both sides of the ball, and called out defensive end Aidan Hutchinson as "an absolute freak." Although the loss of Branch will loom large, LaFleur said the aggressive culture they've established means their "next man up" will be up to the task.
The Rams' run game has been one of the league's best, especially recently. LaFleur said that running back Blake Corum's increasing comfortability in the NFL and the Rams' system has been impressive, while also giving his running mate Kyren Williams more rest so he can be fresher throughout games. "From my vantage point, he looks like it's Week 1 (every week) in mind, spirit and body," LaFleur said of Williams.
"Having an operation as fast as (kicker Harrison Mevis') helps. The operation helps. All the protection and everything, being able to be quick, be smooth, get out on the field quickly and I think his mentality is, 'put the ball down and go.'" - Blackburn
After the Rams' kicking struggles early in the year, Mevis was brought in and won the starting job prior to Week 10. He's made all three field goal attempts and all 23 point after tries since, and Blackburn said his consistent kicking operation has helped facilitate that success. Mevis is "shorter" and "quicker" to the ball than Joshua Karty, so once he sees the ball come down, he can start his motion and not rely on the snap count or be thrown off by any miscues that may occur.
Blackburn said it was important to retain Karty on the practice squad because he has a lot of talent, including leg strength. Since his return, they've worked with him on being consistent with his operation, which has included taking out a "jab" that was slowing things down for him. Now, he's able to see the ball snapped and is quicker to attack it. Blackburn said that coming back on the practice squad isn't something that anyone could do after losing the starting role, but Karty's ability "to take ownership and accountability" has made that possible.
"Right now I'm focused on the chips, how do you beat chips? I been watching a lot of Myles (Garrett film), a lot of Micah (Parsons), a lot of (Maxx) Crosby, a lot of Aidan Hutchinson. I'm watching a lot of these guys to see, how do they beat the chips?" - Verse
Verse doesn't put expectations on himself, but is always looking to improve, and he's taking that "step-by-step," starting with improving against chips. He often looks at the strengths of the league's best at his position and tries to add to his game. The last time Verse played Detroit was his NFL debut, and he's "a lot wiser" than he was at that point.
Verse praised Gibbs' versatility and speed, adding that Montgomery poses similar challenges but is more of a "hard-hitting" back than Gibbs. He said that knowing who's on the field and how to exploit their weaknesses in certain situations will be their focus in the run game.
"My dad always used to show me Lawrence Taylor highlights and Walter Payton and some of the physicality and some of those guys are getting hit back in the day. And you're like, 'Wow, that one would put me out for a couple weeks.' And so it gives me motivation, like, man, I could go out there and hit somebody." - Nacua
Nacua may watch LeBron James highlights before games (he made it nearly all the way through the 2016 finals before his career day in Arizona), but he's still inspired by football legends. The "little brother" in him has definitely placed a chip on his shoulder and an eagerness to show his toughness on the gridiron. Those opportunities are presented most in the run game, and Nacua loves to block for his backs. There may be no team in the NFL more physical than the Lions, which means Nacua is looking forward to this week's showdown.
Nacua was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week after catching seven balls for 167 yards and two touchdowns last week. And while he does "enjoy the moment," Nacua thinks of that as a team award, because their passing game couldn't succeed without all 11 players doing their role, especially Stafford.
