WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Coming off a two-game skid that dropped the Rams from the No. 1 to the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture, Los Angeles is trying to put their foot back on the gas one week before the postseason begins. Despite clinching a playoff spot, head coach Sean McVay is choosing to play the starters in a Week 18 game against the Cardinals in an effort to get the team back on track.
Ahead of the matchup, McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, outside linebacker Jared Verse, safety Quentin Lake, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur spoke with the media about moving forward ahead of the playoffs. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I love this team, I love these guys, I have high expectations which I won't apologize for. And I think you're always trying to strike the right balance (with messaging). What I am always going to try to be is authentic and honest, but also make sure you bring it back and say, 'Okay, how do we move forward?'" - McVay
McVay was "emotional" and "disappointed" when he spoke to the team after their loss to the Falcons on Monday, and he made it clear that they didn't play up to the standard. Still, he was proud of the team for clawing back from a 24-3 deficit in the second half to make it competitive in the late stages, even though there are things that need to be cleaned up.
McVay also talked about how "knowledgeable" Stafford is, not just about football, but about a whole host of subjects. From memorizing play calls to random facts about completely unrelated things, McVay said that he feels like a "dumbass compared to him." He also discussed various injury updates ahead of the Week 18 game against the Cardinals.
Arizona's biggest threat on offense is tight end Trey McBride, who McVay called a "great competitor" who is willing to do so without the football as a blocker as well as a receiver. He praised McBride's ability after the catch as well as his versatile route tree.
"I think (this is my best season) probably, it's up there. I think statistically, probably, I don't know, I haven't looked at all the other ones, but it's up there with some of the better ones I've played. But the cool thing about that is just because I have such a great group around me. I mean, you guys see me play, I can't go out there and scramble around and hold the ball for 10 seconds and then go on a 30-yard run. I've got great teammates, I try to do my best to get the best out of those guys." - Stafford
Despite this being among the best seasons of Stafford's career, the MVP talk is far from his mind. "People are gonna vote how they're gonna vote, they're gonna say what they wanna say," Stafford said. "I'm just trying to put as good of a season together as I can, and our last opportunity to do that is coming up this weekend." At least, the last opportunity in the regular season.
Stafford has also quarterbacked some of the best wide receiver seasons of all time, labeling him as a "receiver-friendly" quarterback. But does Stafford see it that way? "I don't know, I've never caught a pass from me," he said with a laugh, "but I'll take it as a compliment." What he does try to do is protect his receivers and get them as open as possible with his ball placement.
One of his longest tenured Rams pass catchers returned to practice on Wednesday in tight end Tyler Higbee. Stafford called him "an ultimate team player" who brings great energy and playmaking abilities. "Everybody calls him a glue guy," he said, "probably an understatement."
"(Stafford's) got just that kind of that photographic memory if you will, and he can remember stuff that's happened probably dating back to when he was in pop warner, and he's learned from those experiences... It's a unique deal, but that's why he's one of the best to ever play this game." - LaFleur
LaFleur recalled realizing how smart Stafford was in his first walkthrough with the team in 2023 because of how smoothly it went. Stafford's intelligence also helps him communicate with players between snaps, in the meeting rooms and on the practice field in order to deepen connections on the gridiron. That has aided the rapport between Stafford and rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson, resulting in five catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns over the past two games.
LaFleur said the team didn't play "winning football" last week and they are spending time exploring how they can make improvements in the areas where that manifested on Monday night. Running back Kyren Williams is playing through a high ankle sprain and running back Blake Corum did not practice yesterday with an ankle injury of his own, but LaFleur expressed confidence in backup Ronnie Rivers.
"I'm so excited (about Lake's extension). You talk about a guy that does everything right, you talk about everything you want in a Ram, everything you want in a defender, he's meant so much to this defense. He's meant so much to me personally just in my first couple years being the DC." - Shula
Lake was set to hit free agency this spring, but the Rams signed him to a three-year contract extension on Thursday to retain their versatile defensive back and team captain. Since Lake went on Injured Reserve with an elbow injury in Week 11, his absence has had a pronounced effect on the Rams' defense. "There's no excuses," Shula said, "but yeah, any time you lose a great player like that, you definitely feel (his) absence."
Shula added that Lake doesn't get enough credit for his physicality in the run game, and they feel his absence in that phase especially. He said that the run defense "has been a little bit more inconsistent" in recent weeks – technique and scheme have both factored into those miscues, and it's something that Shula said they are looking into.
"There's a Bible verse I always talk about, it's Romans 8:18. And it's, 'The pain today is nothing compared to the joy that's coming.' And understanding that this game can get taken away in an instant. I've been there before where I've been out of game. You kind of appreciate what you have." - Lake
Lake returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since injuring his elbow in Week 11, and he said it "feels good." It also felt good to sign a three-year contract extension with the Rams, causing his teammates to erupt in celebration when it was announced in the team meeting.
Lake wasn't focused on the negotiating process, but getting that deal done was a result of the success that he manifested for himself. "Whether it's saying it, whether it's writing it down, just understanding that there's a lot of power in putting it out into the universe," Lake said. "In terms of the contract and stuff like that, that was never it. I just wanted to be the best, the best at my position, the best player I could be, the best teammate I could be, and everything else would fall in line."
"(Special teams snaps) is just something I just got to get right into. It's a play that has to happen. I'd rather not be out there... If it was up to me, I'd rather we never get scored on, obviously I'd never get them in that position." - Verse
Verse single-handedly created the Rams' first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown since 1986 last week against the Falcons. He said that they "always go hard on field goals," and they usually see things they can exploit in that phase on tape. They were able to do just that against Atlanta.
Verse hit 20.21 miles per hour on his return, the fastest ball-carrier speed by a defender weighing 265-plus pounds in the Next Gen Stats era (since). But when he was asked about it, Verse said "that was slow, I got to speed it up." He did manage to give a quick peace sign to the Falcons' bench on the way to the end zone, but quickly dropped it out of fear of getting fined. "I was like, 'Sean's gonna kill me,'" Verse said.
On Lake's extension, Verse said, "That's somebody that, the amount of work that he puts in, what he means to our defense, to see him get that payday that everyone wants, everyone talks about, it means a lot." He added that he considers Lake is a genuine friend because of his caring nature and willingness to check up on teammates.
