Each weekday, theRams.com will be taking a look around the internet for the top Rams headlines of the day. Here's a look at what's out there for Monday, January 21st about your Los Angeles Rams.
EARLY LOOK: SUPER BOWL
ESPN's early Super Bowl LIII guide is out and gives reasons to be excited, concerned, an x-factor, stat to know, and more for both the Rams and Patriots entering the big game.
NFL Nation reporter Lindsey Thiry says the Rams will lift the Lombardi Trophy if…
Rams will win if... they avoid turnovers. A common denominator in all three of the Rams' regular-season losses were turnovers by Goff; he threw an interception against the Saints, threw four against the Bears and was responsible for two turnovers in a loss to the Eagles. If Goff can take care of the football, the Rams can win the Super Bowl.
To view the entire guide, click here.
HELMET ISSUES
Quarterback Jared Goff and his Rams started off shaky in the Superdome on Sunday and it may have been partly because of communication issues between the quarterback and his head coach.
On Sunday, Thiry captured Goff's thoughts on his first-quarter helmet malfunctions and a few of his teammates takes on his championship performance.
Here's what Goff dealt with early in the first quarter:
"Before taking the field inside the raucous Superdome, Goff said his helmet speaker quit functioning, and he was forced to use backup quarterback Sean Mannion's helmet in the first series, which lasted three plays and ended with an intercepted pass. Even after the equipment staff repaired the helmet, Goff said he was unable to hear and communicate because of the crowd noise. It was evident as the Rams stumbled through the first quarter and the Saints scored 13-unanswered points.
Eventually, the Rams put tape over the holes in Goff's helmet to eliminate as much noise as possible, and Goff found a way to get the offense in sync."
Goff went 25-of-40 against the Saints with 297 yards and a touchdown, becoming the youngest quarterback to ever win an NFC Championship.
To view the entire article, click here.
FOWLER'S BIG HIT
Before kicker Greg Zuerlein sent the 57-yard overtime kick through the uprights and just before safety John Johnson's overtime interception and celebratory "Chopper style" dance, outside linebacker Dante Fowler laid one of the most important hits of his young career on future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.
NFL.com's Kevin Patra wrote about the hit that forced a shaky ball into the Superdome's atmosphere and into the hands of Johnson and possession of the Rams — needing just a field goal to advance to Super Bowl LIII.
Here's what Fowler said of the play after doing his part to punch the Rams' ticket:
"I played (Tom) Brady last year, I knew that I had to get to him -- which I did good in the first half, but I didn't in the second half and that's when they won. This second half, I told myself that wasn't going to happen again and I was able to get the opportunity in overtime and I just came up with it. I was happy that I could make the play for this team."
To read Patra's entire article, click here.
IT'S A FAKE!
In Week 9, the Rams failed on a fake field goal try in New Orleans, a play call that left some wondering why head coach Sean McVay was being so aggressive. In the biggest game of his young coaching career, McVay gave the thumbs up for a fake punt — down 13-0, on 4th-and-5 from the Los Angeles 30.
Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper wrote about the huge play on Monday morning:
Hekker completed his toss to cornerback Sam Shields for the team's first first down of the day and the Rams went on to kick a field goal that began their comeback. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth said after the game that McVay "knew we needed to do something to get things going our way" and the coach confirmed that was the case after the game."
"It goes back to the confidence in the players," McVay said, via ESPN.com. "At that point, I felt like we needed a little bit of momentum."
McVay was less aggressive in the fourth quarter when he opted to kick a game-tying field goal from the New Orleans 1-yard-line, but everything worked out to make McVay the youngest coach to take his team to the Super Bowl.
For the entire article, click here.