BALTIMORE – It wasn't pretty, but the Rams left M&T Bank Stadium with a 17-3 win over an injury-riddled Ravens team. The defense forced three turnovers and the offense put up two touchdowns in the span of five minutes to start the second half strong and put the game out of reach.
Afterward, head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, safety Quentin Lake and outside linebacker Jared Verse spoke with the media about the team's victory. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I thought (the goal line stop at the end of the first half) was huge. I thought the momentum that those guys established based on being able to make that play was huge. To be able to go into the half at three-three, just making them snap it one more time." - McVay
After stopping Baltimore on three-straight run plays from the one-yard line to close out the first half, the Rams marched down the field to score a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. McVay said it "felt like the game opened up right there, and it felt like we were in control." Then, the Rams forced a fumble and got in the end zone again to take the 17-3 lead that would eventually become the final score.
McVay said they would have liked to finish off some of the stalled drives in Ravens territory both early and late in the game, but they will keep "growing and keep learning together" from those miscues.
Wide receiver Puka Nacua exited in the first half with a foot injury and tried to return but wasn't feeling quite good enough to warrant staying in, McVay said. Running back Blake Corum and safety Kam Curl (ankles) also exited early but returned to the game.
"I think just execution (clicked in the third quarter). You know what I mean? There were opportunities in the first half, I thought, where we were really pushing it, pushing it, pushing the tempo and really had some shots and just didn't hit them. And we hit them. We hit them in the third quarter and put up some points pretty quick." - Stafford
The Rams came out of halftime with a 21-yard strike to wide receiver Davante Adams over the middle of the field, and the offense started rolling from there. They completed two touchdown drives in the span of five minutes, including a play-action pass to tight end Tyler Higbee that Stafford described as "a hell of a design" by McVay and had Higbee wide open near the goal line.
Stafford said the passing game was "hit or miss," even though the protection played well, adding "sometimes those games happen," and they can be better. The conditions weren't "the greatest," and certainly didn't help the passing attack that endured a few missed throws and drops. Stafford said he felt he could have put the ball in better places on the few drops that L.A. did have, so he didn't feel the need to address it with any of the receivers afterward.
"I've been in a lot of opportunities to get (an interception) and haven't did it and to be able to do that today, it was a great feeling. Felt like a big weight off my shoulders. The biggest thing about it is, manifestation is a real thing. No doubt about it. You have to speak it and put it into existence to be able to accomplish the things that you want to. And that was exactly that." - Lake
All week, teammates were telling Lake that this was the game he'd get his first career interception in his fourth NFL season. Lo and behold, they were right. Lake jumped in front of a pass intended for wide receiver Zay Flowers to pick off quarterback Cooper Rush late in the first quarter.
Lake said that play design from that down and distance (3rd-and-long) came up multiple times at practice, so they were ready for the play and Lake capitalized on that preparation. He also recovered a fumble in the second half and returned it for 20 yards, but teammates were giving him an earful on the sidelines saying he should have taken it all the way to the house. "I gotta look back at it," Lake said with a smile.
"We were able to give them the three points, but that was just because of mistakes on our end. I wasn't filling the gaps. I wasn't carrying on the back side. The front... everybody just wasn't doing their job collectively. And then after that, we just got right in our positions." - Verse
The Rams have taken on elite running backs in each of the past four weeks, but Henry was the only one to really gash the Rams' front. In the first half especially, he was getting downhill and picking up solid gains to shorten the Ravens' yardage needed for a first down. But in the second half, the Rams realized the Ravens' run game wasn't designed to get to the edge, which encouraged L.A. to put heavier personnel on the inside and bottle Henry up. "After that, it was easy," Verse said.
Verse helped make the tackle for loss on the goal line before the half, which he said "kind of revived" the team. He was "just in the right place at the right time" as the entire defensive line pushed back the Ravens' blockers, he said. Playing a dominant game defensively in the house that Hall of Famer Ray Lewis dominated in was "surreal."
