INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Head coach Sean McVay entered the press conference room and immediately said "holy sh*t." That summed up his feelings on the game.
After the Rams' 27-24 win over division rival San Francisco 49ers, McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford addressed the media to discuss the comeback victory. They spoke of the team's resilience and how they stayed centered in the face of an 0-3 start, even without a few key players. McVay's press conference can be viewed below.
Here are the most significant quotes from McVay and Stafford:
"I see better than I hear. I saw a team respond after a really humbling week last week. And three hours will never define you, good or bad, unless you allow it to, and we've got to do a good job of being able to build on this." - McVay
A week after the Rams were blown out on the road in a divisional matchup, they found themselves with their backs against the wall once again. This time, they kept it competitive and finished strong for the first win of the season against another divisional foe. The Rams were down by 10 entering the fourth quarter and came out with the win, and a bunch of players contributed to that improbable comeback.
Wide receiver Tutu Atwell hauled in a 50-yard deep ball from Stafford to set up the game-tying score from running back Kyren Williams. McVay said that made him realize that Atwell "probably should have gotten other opportunities." McVay also talked about making an effort to get Williams the ball more, which he turned into 116 total yards and three touchdowns of production that "led to a good fantasy day I'm sure for his owners." And then rookie kicker Joshua Karty made the game-winner from 37 yards out.
Most of all, McVay emphasized how proud he was of the group for pulling through when they were down, especially the players embracing different or increased roles due to injury.
"We got to give our coaches a bunch of credit, you know, I mean it wasn't some of the normal pieces that we're used to having out there, but I got to give our guys a lot of credit too for embracing whatever role they were given this week, going out there, attacking it and helping our team win." - Stafford
A bunch of Rams players who would usually be backups stepped up when they were needed to complete a comeback win that seemed impossible. They adapted to the injury circumstances and stepped into bigger roles to pick up a much-needed win. Stafford said that's "a true testament to the guys in our locker room and the coaching staff. Safety Kamren Kinchens, Atwell, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, and offensive lineman Logan Bruss are just a few of those guys.
Stafford said that Atwell in particular made a huge impact with some "crucial catches" down the stretch. He acknowledged that "the NFL is an improbable business" and they earned the win by sticking to their core values as a team, regardless of the personnel.
At the end, Stafford said that "you got to just appreciate the good moments and figure out why they happened" so they can replicate the success.
