WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The return of wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua ignited the Rams' offense in a 30-20 win over the Vikings on Thursday Night Football, and now they are looking to build on that performance. Los Angeles is now only a half game out of fist place in the NFC West, and it will face the first-place Seahawks on Sunday.
On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about how they can build on the win going into a tough atmosphere in Seattle after a mini bye this past weekend. On Thursday, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, along with Kupp, also spoke with the media ahead of a divisional road game.
Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from the press conferences, which can be viewed below:
"I think like any good coach, (Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald) is trying to figure out what his guys do best. It's a personnel-driven league. What do you have? Who can do what? And then you go try to build that scheme around it. Are there some similarities (to his defense in Baltimore)? Yes. Is it the exact same? No. Just like you would expect, I think they've got talented players at all three levels again and, obviously, I'm familiar with some of their guys." - Stafford
Stafford is familiar with longtime Seahawks defenders like cornerback Tariq Woolen from years past, but also with newly acquired linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who was originally traded by the Rams to the Titans during the preseason. Stafford said "I know who (Jones) is as a player" and he has a ton of respect for him as a person and player, adding that there won't be any "disadvantage or advantage" to him being on the opposite side. Macdonald's scheme is different than former head coach Pete Carroll's from past years, however, and it's a defense filled with young players and new faces.
Lumen Field is one of the loudest venues in the NFL (the fanbase is known as the "12th man" for that reason) and Stafford said it's "difficult to communicate" in that environment. In a divisional matchup that could decide first place in the NFC West, Stafford said he expects "no different" on Sunday, but that communication is something they have "been working on for a long time."
In terms of getting his top two weapons back, Stafford said the more reps the team can get with them, the better. He addeed that it's "still a difficult game," but having those guys back makes things better.
"Any time that you can get those guys (Kupp and Nacua) back, it's a big deal... It enables other guys to be at their best in their roles that they're playing where maybe you're not being asked to play 60 snaps... Those guys, they're tremendous players so they make us better, they take a lot of stress off of me." - McVay
McVay said that Nacua's yards after the catch set the offense up well against Minnesota and Kupp showcased how much trust he has from Stafford that "everyone was elevated" by their return to action. Stafford threw for four touchdowns on Thursday after totaling just three through the first six games of the season.
The Rams will be going against Jones for the first time since trading him to Tennessee (who then traded him to Seattle). McVay said "it would be hard to deny the production that he's had," in Tennessee and then in his Seahawks debut last week when he tallied 15 tackles. He added that Jones is "mentally (and) physically tough" and is always around the football.
It will be strange for McVay to go against a Seahawks team that isn't coached by Caroll, saying he "looked up to" him for a number of years. The Rams have tried to "mimic and emulate" his culture and beliefs under McVay, he said. Still, he has "a ton of respect" for Macdonald as a fellow young head coach who has imprinted his identity on the team already.
"(The Seahawks are) in the infancy stage with this thing, but there's just a ton of respect for them, because you know what they're doing. They know the challenges that they put on offenses. You can see a reason behind what they're doing each and every week. You can see how they're attacking an offensive scheme, and then also giving you enough change ups to just make you have to adjust on game day." - LaFleur
Macdonald has coached some of the most successful defenses in the NFL over the past few years, and he's put together a strong showing in Seattle during his first year as the head coach. LaFleur knows he will have a tough task on Sunday, but having increased continuity, both on the offensive line and at skill positions, will be a big help.
LaFleur called last week "very abnormal" for Nacua, who practiced just once with the team before playing in primetime against the Vikings. He said that having Nacua and Kupp back at practice "felt like normal." Through all the injuries and emotions of an NFL season, LaFleur tries to stay even-keeled: "I'm still relatively young, but I I feel like I do know this league is week to week." That mindset helps him stay prepared for whatever is in store.
"There's not really one guy that they can target (on the defensive line). Obviously, I'm used to that... where the whole stadium knew, with Aaron Donald here, where the protection was going. So now we're kind of seeing it week-to-week and it's a lot on us as coaches to try and adjust in game to see how these teams value our guys." - Shula
Between defensive ends Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske and outside linebackers Jared Verse and Byron Young, opposing offensive lines have to pick their poison. That's not something the Rams have had in past years when Aaron Donald demanded most of the attention. Shula said that's been an advantage, but the coaching staff is still getting used to it.
Shula gave a lot of credit to assistant defensive line coach AC Carter, defensive line coach Giff Smith and outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio a lot of credit for developing that young talent to the point where they've made a sizable impact this season. Shula said the team has put themselves "in position to rush a little bit more" by setting up passing downs and that has helped the unit get in more of a rhythm.
Shula added that playing against Jones in a Seattle uniform is going to be strange because of how close they became during his time with the Rams.
"(Kicker Josh Karty) was dealing with some stuff, different things, as everyone does throughout the year, and just (his) body didn't feel quite right and was having a little trouble feeling where his leg swing speed was and things like that. And it was just about trusting it, and it got back to that. It was great to see all four of (his kicks) go through last week." - Blackburn
Karty has been through the highs and lows already for a kicker in his rookie season, from the game-winner against San Francisco to two missed kicks against the Raiders. According to Blackburn, he didn't feel quite right coming out of the bye week, but he's back to form entering a big divisional matchup.
Blackburn also talked about the dynamic kickoff and how the best strategy is "still up for debate." Every team will have preferences, and they may not be absolute, but fluid based on the matchup and personnel available to them. The Rams have kicked touchbacks on 97% of their kicks, the most in the NFL. But Blackburn said there's a lot of variables to take into account, such as the likelihood of injuries and penalties occurring on those plays. But so far, they've felt that kicking it deep is in the team's best interest most of the time.
He added that signing punter Ryan Sanborn to the practice squad was influenced by punter Ethan Evans dealing with an illness.
"I thought there was an ability to stay ahead of the sticks (against the Vikings). I think we did a good job there, overcoming when there were mistakes, and being able to just get first downs, find a way to get first downs, and guys just competed really hard. I think there's a lot that hustle can make up for a lot... If you run hard, good things will happen." - Kupp
After the primetime win in Minnesota, McVay and multiple players talked about how getting Kupp and Nacua back gave the whole team a boost. The energy that they provided was palpable throughout the offense and defense, and that showed up as hustle on the tape. "If you run hard, good things will happen," Kupp said. Now, with a 10-day break between games, the Rams have an opportunity to build on that and come out strong once again in Seattle.
Kupp said that, while he was hurt, he tried to stay "as engaged as possible" during games so he didn't miss a beat upon returning to the lineup. He was able to view the game through a different lens, and help out his teammates any way he could.
Kupp, a Washington native, said "the air up there is different" and he loves being back in the northwest. This won't be the same type of Seahawks team he's played in the past with Macdonald now at the helm, and Kupp said he has a "a lot of respect" for the new staff and their defensive philosophy.
