INGLEWOOD, Calif. – After an overtime loss to Seattle on Thursday Night Football last week, the Rams had a mini bye ahead of Week 17, when the Rams will face the Falcons on Monday Night Football. This week, the Rams are scheduled to have two of their practices to SoFi Stadium due to inclement weather affecting the fields at their facility.

Ahead of the matchup, Rams head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, outside linebackers Jared Verse and Byron Young, wide receiver Puka Nacua, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and new special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica spoke with local media about their week of preparation. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.

"(Practicing at SoFi) hasn't changed anything. It'll just make the day a little bit longer. Fortunately for us, we'll be able to give the guys off (playing on Monday) tomorrow for Christmas, be with their family and their loved ones. But we'll get our work in today, and I think coming off the Thursday game, there was some time off. We need to be able to get that work. Typically, this time of the year, you're usually using what's reserved for your Wednesday prep for walkthroughs, things of that nature. But because of where our Thursday game was situated, we're able to get good workload." - McVay

Having 11 days between games gave the Rams some flexibility with their practice schedule, despite the change of venue. At this point in the season, when players' bodies are beat down, McVay said the practices "won't be anything too crazy," but it will be good to move around. He added that they will "probably" practice at SoFi on Friday, but likely will be back at the facility on Saturday.

Four Rams were named to the Pro Bowl, including Stafford, wide receiver Puka Nacua and outside linebackers Jared Verse and Byron Young, along with a handful of alternates. McVay said that he was "happy for those guys" but also said that some who weren't are "very well-deserving" of that honor. This is only Stafford's fourth Pro Bowl nod in 17 seasons, something that McVay said is surprising, but added that there are "a lot of layers" to the Pro Bowl voting process. "You talk to the real football people, I don't think he's seen that way," McVay said. "I think he's seen as a guy that's one of the best to ever do it."

McVay also praised Stafford's ability to lift up his teammates and the team at large in situations where they need a boost. "I say he's a coach on the field, but I think that's almost minimizing it," McVay said. "I mean, he just gives everybody a calm." He is able to give coaching points and get in and out of calls at the line of scrimmage because of his knowledge of defenses and what the Rams want to achieve offensively, elevating everyone around him.

"It's a great honor to get (voted into the Pro Bowl)... I appreciate it. Obviously, (I) play this game to try to play at a high level and get respect from the people that you do it with and play against. So that part of it is really cool. Are there instances (of being overlooked)? I mean, 2011 I thought I had a chance. Wasn't even close. So at that point, I kind of reserved myself to just go play, have fun, whatever happens, happens. But it is cool to be a part of it." - Stafford

Stafford is certainly having fun this season, and while he's honored to be voted a Pro Bowler, Stafford is hoping he won't play in the game and that the Rams will be preparing for the Super Bowl. His fellow Pro Bowler, Nacua, has three-straight games with over 160 receiving yards, and Stafford said that production was not just a product of volume, but of Nacua doing what he's done all season. "(He) runs great routes, plays really tough with and without the football," Stafford said.

In terms of the change of practice venue, Stafford said it's "a little bit different" practicing at the stadium, just in terms of their commute. However, the Rams were forced to practice at SoFi a few years ago because of inclement weather, so it's not an entirely new experience for him. Despite the longer rest period between games, Stafford said the page is still turned "pretty quick(ly)," but the long weekend provides a delay that allows players to take their mind off of football for a short spell.

"Behind the scenes, there's always corrections that are made. We've had a couple plays that have cost us during the course of the year, but I love the way that our guys are going about their business. They understand the urgency. We're part of a championship football team. But we're just ready to contribute to holding up that Lombardi (trophy) early next year." - Kotwica

Not much will change for Kotwica in terms of his weekly preparation, but he said it was nice to have a mini bye between games so he could get himself organized and find an assistant, Matt Harper, to bring him. They knew each other from coaching special teams in the NFC East years ago, and Kotwica said that Harper has "jumped right in and tackled the tasks that we've asked him to."

He said that their job will be to make sure they are putting players in the best position to succeed, and his 18 years of experience coaching in the NFL will help him do that.

"You can make an argument (Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is the) best back, best skill player in the league, whatever it is, but he's definitely in the conversation. Gonna be one of the best skill players we see all year, and it's huge. It's the explosive play waiting to happen. He can make something out of nothing." - Shula

Shula had some high praise for Robinson, and said his strengths are especially pronounced when they get him the ball in space. The Rams will have to run to the ball, "population tackle" and play with a lot of effort to slow him down. Meanwhile, quarterback Kirk Cousins is "playing at a high level," Shula said, adding that he's a cerebral player that puts the ball "exactly where it's supposed to" more often than not.

Luckily, they have two Pro Bowl edge rushers in Young and Verse that can contain Robinson on outside zone runs and make Cousins uncomfortable in the pocket. "So happy for BY, obviously well-deserved for both of them, and I think it's more of just, not necessarily the sack numbers, it's the down-in and down-out play, how they're affecting the game, how much of an impact they have on our defense," Shula said.

Meanwhile, Shula said that Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, who was the Rams' defensive coordinator before Shula took over, is one his best friends. He follows the way that Morris studies the game and most of his kids' furniture came from Morris' house. Still, he's putting that friendship aside and trying to prepare as if it were any opponent.

"They've done a great job having a philosophy in terms of what they were looking for from a talent perspective (on the defensive line), they brought that talent in, and those guys go. So there's a reason that they're No. 2 in sacks. Our guys know that. Our guys know they got their work cut out for them, but a lot of respect for what they've done personnel-wise and then how they've gotten those guys to perform." - LaFleur

The Falcons drafted two edge rushers in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, one of which they acquired through a trade with the Rams, and they've combined for 14 of the Falcons' 50 sacks. LaFleur's familiarity with Morris' process and scheme on defense, along with his personal connection with his former coworker, are things that he tries not to "overthink" when preparing for the game.

LaFleur said he "always feels good" about the Rams' run game, despite that fact that it's "hard to run the ball in this league," when asked if he feels good about the matchup against a Falcons defense that has struggled statistically against the run. Of Nacua, LaFleur simply said, "He's different." And despite the tough overtime loss last week, LaFleur hasn't seen the team's mindset change. They are focusing on winning each day and preparing to the best of their abilities.

"It means a lot (to share the honor with Verse). Like I said, since he got in the league, I feel like we've been feeding off each other. He's bringing energy to the team and just making me be a better player. And I just feel like it's finally coming out and showing in the recognition of me." - Young

When asked about his brother-like relationship with Verse, Young said that they are always joking around together, but at the same time push each other to be better and hold each other accountable. Young found out that he was named to the Pro Bowl with Verse by his side, when McVay walked into the weight room to tell them. He said it "means a lot" to get that recognition because of the improvements that he's made to his game during his time in the league, and he's proud of himself.

Young's success has changed the way offenses play him, chipping him more with running backs and tight ends, but that's only motivated him to find more ways to win and be better. That's paid off, as Young is tied for ninth in the NFL with 11 sacks.

"I know if there's a piece of information to help us go out there and execute, it's definitely going to come out of (Stafford's) mouth." - Nacua

Sharing his Pro Bowl selection with Stafford is cool because he said, "there's nobody I'm more grateful for than No. 9," Nacua said. Some of the first people to congratulate Nacua on his second Pro Bowl nod in three seasons were his offensive linemen, Coleman Shelton and Rob Havenstein. "I just think, man, I can't do it without you guys," Nacua said. "I mean, it starts up in the front, and I hope they know that that comes from the truest meaning of my heart."

Nacua attributed his success over the past three games, during which he's accumulated 573 yards and four touchdowns, to the excitement in the locker room and his extra work with Stafford coming to fruition on game days. And while he did envision himself having success in the NFL, Stafford has helped elevate him to a level he didn't anticipate. "I imagined myself having success in the NFL, but I never imagined it to this measure," Nacua said.

"(It's great) to be recognized for that, be able to have that opportunity to go to the games and everything like that. Obviously, I don't want to go (to the Pro Bowl). I'm not planning on going or anything like that... It's not being taken advantage of, but to do it with B.Y., it was amazing." - Verse

Verse wants to be in the Bay area preparing for the Super Bowl, not the Pro Bowl, but the honor is still significant, especially when he gets to share it with Young. "B.Y. is genuinely somebody I consider a brother," Verse said. "I think besides football, I take away football from my life, his life. I think me and him would be friends just being interactive with each other."

It was important for Verse to see Young's reaction to the Pro Bowl selection because he knows the amount of work that he put in to get to the point he's at now. While Verse will get on Young's case "for anything," even something as small as tripping (which happened recently), that's just a mark of how strong their bond is, and Verse believes that translates to the field.

It's late in the season and injuries take their toll, but Verse said his body feels good and he's done the little things to keep himself fresh that he didn't know about as a rookie. "That's probably one of the biggest jumps I've made is off the field stuff," he said.