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.
