WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — The Rams are on a three-game win streak and will play the second game of a two-game road stretch, this week in Arizona on Sunday. The first time around, Los Angeles lost at home to the Cardinals in Week 6, 18-16. The Rams, still dealing with injuries, are looking to avenge the loss and extend their win streak to four games heading into the bye week.
Head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke about what preparations for the rematch will look like.
"One of the calling cards for our group, and is always an expectation, is we play with passion and energy, and I think we would all agree that (the first game against the Cardinals) wasn't quite up to our standards." - McVay
Last time around against the Cardinals, the Rams offense had just 286 total yards, the second-lowest mark of the season behind Week 8 against the Chargers. In that game against Arizona, McVay said "in a lot of instances, it does come down to execution."
With all the injuries heading into the final week before the bye, McVay's mindset is that it's the coaches' "job to figure out, how do you maximize the pieces and the players that you do have?" McVay noted that to win games, there will be "some flexibility and some fluidity that's necessary" in order to come away with a win. When it comes to players filling the void of those who are injured, "I have a ton of confidence in the guys that we're asking to step up."
"Every time we step on the grass, it's a challenge. No matter who's out there, I obviously have a ton of trust in the guys that we have that are going to be playing for us on Sunday. We got a job to do. Let's go out there and do it." - Stafford
The offense will be without wide receiver Puka Nacua and Davante Adams and tight end Terrance Ferguson against the Cardinals on Sunday. "I got to be able to manage the things that inevitably come up in a season," Stafford said when asked about making adjustments during the season, notably with all the injuries.
But Stafford emphasized multiple times the trust that he has in the other pass catchers throughout the roster to step up. "It's not difficult to pull the trigger, I trust those guys," Stafford said.
The first time against Arizona, Stafford "thought they did a really nice job on defense in some areas, we got some things that we can clean up communication wise and be better." Now the second time, Stafford feels ready to improve on the previous performance and adapt to the various injuries on the offensive side of the ball.











