FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After failing to get in the end zone a week ago, the Rams' offense exploded for four scores, all courtesy of quarterback Matthew Stafford. The veteran finished with 295 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 28-22 road win over the Patriots.
Wide receivers Cooper Kupp (six catches for 106 yards and two scores) and Puka Nacua (seven catches for 123 yards and a touchdown) accounted for 78 percent of Stafford's yards and the majority of his touchdown passes. Meanwhile, the defense forced two turnovers, including a game-sealing interception from rookie safety Kamren Kinchens.
After the game, Stafford and head coach Sean McVay spoke with the media about the offensive resurgence in New England. Here are the top quotes and talking points from the press conferences. McVay's can be viewed below:
"When you are able to run the football well and then other things can come off of it, it's what offensive ball should look like when it's quality, and I thought there was a lot of examples of that. We have to be able to build on this." - McVay
The Rams' offense was at their peak today because the run game set up the pass game. That's when they are at their best, and 5.4 yards per carry from the team's running backs made that a reality in New England. The Patriots had to respect the line of scrimmage, they brought some heavy blitzes, and Stafford took advantage, specifically on the 69-yard touchdown to Kupp to start the second half with a bang.
McVay said that Stafford "was in command, adding that "he saw the field really well" and recognized the zero blitz on the Kupp touchdown and executed to perfection. McVay gave credit to the offensive line and the unit's coach, Ryan Wendell, for a stellar performance, as they opened up space in the running game and kept Stafford's white jersey clean with zero sacks.
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"Finishing with touchdowns instead of field goals... that was the difference in last weeks' game, and it was arguably the difference in this week's game," McVay said, as the Rams scored three touchdowns on four red zone drives in the bounce back performance. McVay highlighted Nacua and Kupp's impact specifically, as they accounted for most of those touchdowns and some key plays in the red zone.
"I thought the offensive line played really, really solid today. Obviously, our backs did a nice job in the run game, and they kept me clean, you know, the majority of the game. And that's a recipe for success when you play on offense." - Stafford
Stafford gave a lot of credit to his offensive line with rookie center Beaux Limmer back in the lineup. Stafford said Limmer "did a nice job" handling the protections and different looks that New England threw their way, and it showed on the stat sheet. The Rams weren't tackled for a loss once on Sunday in the run or pass game, and that was a testament to the trench play.
Stafford played off the running game a lot, and was impressed with running back Kyren Williams' ability to get extra yards, saying "it seemed like, you know, the run was over, and then I would look up and he'd get five more." Stafford added "that's the kind of back that he is, (and) that Blake (Corum) is."
It was a complete performance by the offense, but Stafford said they "left points out there" and he wants to clean up some of those mistakes moving forward.
