WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Early in the second quarter, the Rams were up 7-3. Safety Quentin Lake was in the right place at the right time to haul in the first takeaway of the season for Los Angeles, an interception thrown by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on a pass intended for 49ers tight end George Kittle.
"We were just in a zone coverage, back to the days of high school, my assignment was just deep destroyer. Kept it simple, saw Kittle go vertical, and I knew if he goes vertical and inside, that's not mine, but if he goes vertical and outside, I can make a play. Ended up getting a good drop, Brock threw it right to me and that was it," Lake told therams.com, recalling the play.
The highlight play — Lake's second-career interception — came during last week's 27-7 loss to the 49ers in Australia. Lake also the led the team with 10 tackles and three pass breakups, but what has been more important for him in the week following the loss is maintaining his presence as a leader.
"I thought Q did a great job. Q's active, he's got a bunch of different roles that he's playing for us: his communication, his ownership, his understanding," head coach Sean McVay said Sept. 14. "That pick was a great play by him. Then he was really active in the run game. He's going to continue to be a big factor."
Lake was active throughout the game defensively, as McVay described. Another role, among many, that Lake takes on is being a vocal leader in a time of adversity.
That role is something Lake had to get used to. When initially voted captain for the first time two seasons ago, Lake was nervous about the responsibility it takes to be a captain and a vocal leader, especially coming off a loss.
"At first, you feel like when you are a captain, you do have a big responsibility," Lake said. "I think the responsibility is the same, but it's just now, all you have to do is be out there, be authentic and genuine to who I am."
Now entering his third-straight year as a captain, the key for Lake to building guys up is to simply be authentically himself. Lake acknowledged that "guys make it easy for me because a lot of them are internally motivated," and that's what allows him to lead in a way where he doesn't have to change who he is.
"If I were trying to be somebody else, I wouldn't get voted captain," Lake said. "They voted me because of who I am and what I have put on tape. So I just try to be myself, and as a vocal leader, I have done a better job of kind of getting the guys going. But just overall, I try to be myself, help guys where I can."
In a similar sentiment, defensive coordinator Chris Shula said "we got so many guys that just want to do right, and that's the main thing is we got the right type of people in there," emphasizing leadership that stems from multiple players, including Lake. By having players in the locker room that are internally motivated, it makes being a vocal leader easier for Lake. And through that process is coming to find the balance between being a vocal leader while also letting his teammates motivate themselves.
As the Rams turn the page to preparing for the Giants in Week 2, there's that sense of urgency and excitement to display what Los Angeles can do on defense. Understanding the caliber of opponent at hand, Lake embraces the challenge and knows his leadership and the motivation of his teammates will yield a more accurate representation of "what we can do."
"It's a good team, they're young and up and coming, and they have a lot of good pieces both on offense and defense," Lake said. "For us, it's just another chance to show the world what we can do, and that's all it is. Whatever 11 guys are out there, I know they're going to be flying around, having fun, communicating, and that's what we're looking for: is knowing and living up to the expectation that we have for ourselves."
