GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Rams went into Arizona for a Week 2 divisional showdown and trailed right off the bat. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on each of their first three offensive drives en route to a 41-10 win over Los Angeles. Meanwhile, star wide receiver Cooper Kupp exited with an injury in the first half and did not return.
After the game, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about the Week 2 matchup in the desert. The full press conferences can be viewed below.
Here are some of the most significant quotes from McVay and Stafford:
"This was one of those days that was really humbling, and, you know, fortunately, we haven't felt many of these things, but tough times don't last, tough people do. There's a lot of things that have gone not necessarily according to plan through the first couple weeks, but today was not something that I anticipated." - McVay
McVay said that Arizona took the momentum away from the play's first drive, and they never got it back. After Blake Corum took his first NFL touch on the opening kickoff to the Cardinals' 49-yard line, The Rams failed to convert on 4th-and-2 on the first set of downs, giving the Cardinals excellent field position.
McVay said "there's nothing positive about (the game)" other than the fact that it's now over and the team can work to improve. Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray received heavy praise from McVay for his ability to make off-schedule plays, escape the pocket and capitalize on missed opportunities from the Rams.
The loss is "not something that we're okay with," McVay said, adding that the run game wasn't what it needed to be, and the five sacks were tough to overcome. This is the first time McVay has started a season 0-2 as a head coach, and he said he needs to watch the film in its totality to figure out the best way to address the miscues on both sides of the ball.
"(Starting 0-2), it's similar to when you're down in the game. Can't get it all back at once, right? Just got to continue to work. Trust, the process. Trust, hey, this is how I go about my work week. This is what I'm going to do to try and get better or fix some things that you know may have gone wrong in the previous game." - Stafford
The Rams' veteran quarterback has endured many losses during his time in Detroit, and he knows that trying to get everything back at once isn't a recipe for success. The team has already suffered a slew of tough injuries to start the year, including two of their top receivers, Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Stafford said he will be working with the wide receivers who finished Sunday afternoon's game a lot this week: Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington. He thought they "did a nice job" given their opportunities and he's going to "help them out as much as I possibly can" in preparation for San Francisco next weekend.
After being sacked five times, Stafford said that he feels "fine," adding that he could have gotten the ball out quicker in some of those situations.
