SEATTLE – Head coach Sean McVay said the beginning of overtime felt a lot like the first game of the season against Detroit. Their opponent got the ball first and started running down the Rams' throats. But this time, the defense stood tall and came up with a huge fourth-down stop followed by a game-winning drive capped by a 39-yard, one-handed touchdown grab from wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.
The Rams won 26-20 and took sole possession of second place in the NFC West. Afterward, McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about the team's resilience and the mentality in overtime to come out with a gritty, divisional win on the road.
Here are the top quotes and talking points from the press conferences, which can be watched below:
"When we got that ball in overtime we said 'let's keep the ball in number 9's hand (and) I thought he had three outstanding completions." - McVay
The first one went to wide receiver Tyler Johnson, who stepped in front of a defender to avoid an interception and then "created after the catch" for 24 yards. Then wide receiver Tutu Atwell got in on the action on the far sideline on a "movement pass." After that, they brought an all-out blitz and wide receiver Cooper Kupp "did a good job of securing the edge for us," as Stafford recognized the pressure and launched to Robinson for the game-winner.
McVay said that "both defenses controlled the game for the most part." The Rams had seven sacks totaling 46 yards and added three interceptions, while Seattle held running back Kyren Williams to 3.1 yards per carry and had an interception as well.
The Rams gave up long drives in short periods of time to end both halves, which McVay called "uncharacteristic," but he was "proud" of how the team came out in the second half. The overtime run stop on 4th-and-1 inside the Rams' red zone was a "huge" play that helped Los Angeles avoid the fate they suffered in Detroit.
"We didn't play well at all (in the first half). I mean, we just missed assignments and and, you know, (made) physical errors, all the things that can go wrong, kind of did, you know? And we had to come in here at halftime after losing a little bit of momentum... regroup and understand we're still in the ball game. Gotta go out there make the plays we know we can make, and we were able to do that enough, you know, in the second half as a team to give us the victory. And that's what it takes sometimes." - Stafford
The Rams certainly did turn things around in the second half, scoring a touchdown and field goal on the first two drives in the second half. Then they hit a bit of a lull in the fourth quarter, but came back in full force for overtime.
On the game-winning toss, Stafford said that Robinson had "as good a matchup as we had on that play," and he trusted his receiver to go get it. Robinson finished with two scores for the second week in a row, as he stepped up in the absence of wide receiver Puka Nacua, who was ejected from the game in the first half following a personal foul. Stafford said that Robinson's body language on the throw made him think he had underthrown it, but he was just holding off the defender.
Stafford thinks Robinson is "a hell of a player," who is a great man-to-man defense beater, and he showed that off on Sunday.
