Rams head coach Sean McVay, linebacker Troy Reeder, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, defensive lineman Michael Brockers and quarterback Jared Goff each met with the media following Los Angeles' 30-10 Week 5 road win over Washington on Sunday to share their reaction to the victory. Here are some of the highlights and key takeaways from those virtual conversations:
"I think just what we've already kind of known, that this is a mature team, they can handle a lot of things." – McVay
- Asked what he learned about his team from playing three games on the East Coast in four weeks, McVay indicated it reaffirmed his belief in the players' maturity.
- The Rams won two of those three contests, the only loss being the 35-32 defeat by the Bills in Buffalo.
"I think pretty much all three of them, you could give a lot of credit to our actual defensive lineman and pass rushers who were just getting after the quarterback all day and kind of flushing him out." – Reeder
- According to Reeder, his career-high three sacks was a product of capitalizing on the efforts of the Rams' defensive linemen and edge rushers.
- As a unit, the Rams defense finished with eight sacks, eight quarterback hits and nine tackles for loss.
"Great job by Rob executing that. Jared just threw a dagger of a ball." – Kupp
- Fellow receiver Robert Woods hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Goff that allowed the Rams to retake the lead 13-7 early in the second quarter.
- Breaking down the play postgame, Kupp said the Rams' offense got a "great reaction" from the cornerback on Woods' pre-snap fly motion and also took advantage of Washington safety Landon Collins, who had been doing a good job of bluffing, disguising and playing with his alignments but found himself in trouble as soon as Woods turned the corner to go deep.
"It starts off with our offense. If we're up, and we're putting a team in position to start throwing the ball, that's when we start feeling like, 'ok, we're about to start coming alive.'" – Brockers
- Asked if moments like the two game-wrecking sacks Aaron Donald had signify the point when the the Rams pass rush knows each player is about to get their opportunities, Brockers said it actually begins with the offense executing and building a big lead.
- Early on, the Rams defense has to play everything "true," Brockers explained. They know that once they have that sizable lead, the opposing offense will be forced to throw the ball to catch up, allowing them to get those kinds of opportunities.
"That is truly one of the most amazing things I think, not only that we've ever seen, but one of the most amazing things in football history, is him getting back from that injury." – Goff
- Washington quarterback Alex Smith made his return to the field on Sunday, completing a comeback from a gruesome knee injury sustained in November 2018.
- The significance of the moment was not lost on Goff, who also said "I'll be able to tell people forever that I watched that and saw that happen."
