NASHVILLE, TENN. – The Rams entered halftime down 13-10, but put their foot on the gas in the second half and never slowed down, leading to a 33-19 victory over the Titans. Quarterback Matthew Stafford led the way with 298 passing yards and two touchdowns, one of which went to wide receiver Davante Adams, who led the team with 106 receiving yards.
After the game, Stafford, Adams, head coach Sean McVay and wide receiver Puka Nacua spoke with the media about the win. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I thought (outside linebacker Byron Young) took his game to the next level. I thought his just pursuit, you see when (quarterback Cam) Ward's able to extend plays, he's got the speed to be able to track him down. I think he made the game-changing play where he forces the sack fumble." - McVay
The Rams scored just a touchdown just three plays after Young's strip-sack of Ward, which was his second of the game and third of the "young" season. That score by Adams, his first as a Ram, made it a two-possession game, and the offense just kept pouring it on.
McVay said that Adams was "excellent" during his six-catch, 106-yard performance, even though there some missed opportunities in the red zone early on. Nacua, meanwhile was "critical in crunch time situations," including a 45-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-1 early as well as two-straight explosive plays down the stretch that set up another scoring drive.
"Feel good about (reaching 12,000 career receiving yards), definitely. It's been a long career, so it's good. Anytime you can be mentioned with under 100 people is just period, let alone almost top 30 in yards. Like, that's something that means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to my teammates as well because it means I'm out there grinding, trying to do what I can do to help us win." - Adams
On the play that did it, Adams scored his first touchdown as a Ram. He beat cornerback L'Jarius Snead off the line with a "stutter-ish go" route where he buckled the veteran corner with a hesitation move. McVay was definitely "trying to get me in that end zone," Adams said, evidenced by the multiple end zone incompletions early in the game, but the head coach knew that play would get it done, Adams added.
It's easier to enjoy those milestones when a win accompanies it. In the past, losses have sullied some of those historic achievements, Adams said, but this is one he'll remember fondly after a win. Snead traveled with Adams throughout the game and they bracketed him with a safety a few times, but Adams said it "was pretty spread open" and he wasn't getting double-teamed all game.
Adams also commented on Stafford's calm, collected nature after a costly interception at the end of the first half, but apparently, he missed the quarterback's initial reaction.
"He missed me slamming my helmet, but I'm glad he wasn't looking (laugh), but we'll act like it didn't happen. I was pissed at myself because, I mean, that's just the one thing you can't do, right? Go three-and-out, punt it back, and give them a long field. But just, it was a heck of a play by (linebacker) Cody Barton. I mean, the guy's in the B-gap on the snap of the ball and did a hell of a job of sneaking out underneath it... I mean, the only thing to do is keep playing." - Stafford
Stafford knew when the ball left his hand that it was going to be intercepted, and it led to a field goal that put Tennessee up by three at the half. By the end of the game, that was ancient history, as Stafford said to himself, "let me go make up for it." And that's exactly what he did, as four of the Rams' six second-half drives resulted in points, and the last one ended the game. He played "smart but aggressive" football, which is how he said McVay called the second half.
Adams and Nacua "complement each other well," Stafford said, and the two of them accounted for 197 of his 298 yards on Sunday. "It's just awesome to have two talented guys that complement each other so well out there," he added. There are a few throws he wants back after every game, but it ball boiled down to execution, and they did that well down the stretch.
"Coach says, 'Get ours and then get yours.' So it was a 'get ours' first, and I was like, 'Holy cow, I'm still on my feet.' And I'd be like, 'All right, let me try to get up out of here.'" - Nacua
The 45-yard touchdown run on the Rams' first drive was the longest of Nacua's career. It was also a huge conversion on 4th-and-1 that the Rams had to have. So when he broke through the first wave of defenders near the line to gain, that was him getting "ours," everything after that was his. Nacua said that was a short-yardage play they installed during the week, and they executed it to perfection. The physical nature of that "encompasses" the Rams' offense, he added.
Nacua was ecstatic to have Adams out there with him. As he's said previously, Nacua was a big Packers fan growing up because of Adams, so being out there with him was a dream. When he grabbed a ball low above the turf, it felt like de ja vu from last week when he made a similar play. And then on Adams' touchdown, there was a photo of both of them flexing in the end zone side-by-side.
"(If) you would have said that (was going to happen to me) when I was in high school, I'd be like, 'You're crazy,'" Nacua said.
