WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The NFC West is the closest division race in football, with three teams sitting at 5-5, including Los Angeles. Coming off a 28-22 road win against Patriots, the Rams will host the 8-2 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football in Week 12. Philadelphia is on a six-game win streak, while the Rams are 4-1 since their bye week.
On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and safety Kamren Kinchens spoke with the media about the Week 11 win and upcoming primetime showdown with the Eagles. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua spoke with the media on Thursday.
Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from the press conferences, which can be viewed below:
"I think the biggest thing that I would say that makes (Eagles defensive coordinator) Vic (Fangio) a great coach is he's going to adjust and adapt and figure out what is going to be best given the circumstances. There's still foundational philosophy. There's a way of making people play and understanding of how to try to limit what people are trying to get done." - McVay
Fangio does a fantastic job of disguising his defense's true motive before the snap in order to confuse the opposing offense. McVay acknowledged that, calling them "one of the best defenses in the league." Luckily for the Rams, Stafford is one of the smartest quarterbacks in football.
Offensively, running back Saquon Barkley has made waves with a slew of incredible plays ranging from backwards hurdles to explosive runs. McVay said he's "a huge energy spark plug" for a team that is giving him a variety of opportunities to shine in the run and pass game.
McVay said that the Eagles' signature "tush push" play has created an earned advantage for them in those short-distance scenarios, adding that "hopefully you're efficient enough that you don't get to too many of those."
"You work all training camp and all the beginning of the season to get points like this... where you're still in your divisional race, you're playing a primetime opponent on a big stage. Yeah, absolutely. It's an exciting game. There's going to be a lot of buzz around this one. They're a hell of a football team." - Stafford
Stafford said that the Eagles' roster is "as good as it gets in this league, if not the best." It's no secret that Philadelphia has been one of the hottest teams in football over the last six weeks, but the Rams are not far behind. The Eagles' front is "physical, fast, aggressive," Stafford said, and that extends throughout the defense as well, but it's accentuated in their front end.
It's a defensive scheme that Stafford is familiar with having played and practiced against it in Detroit, but it doesn't "waste players," he said, and disguises their intentions well.
Last week, Stafford's four touchdowns and 295 yards brought out his competitive fire in the form of finger gun celebrations and winks to the sideline. Stafford said that "has always been there" but wasn't always on display early in his career when he wasn't having the same success – "they have more camera angles than they used to," he said with a laugh. He's hoping to have another successful game in primetime against the Eagles, worthy of more hand gestures.
"It ain't like nothing about my ability has changed. That's always been there. It's just about understanding where I'm needed in the defense... I was kind of trying to force my way into making plays... so just going through the growing pains about it, and just not getting discouraged when something not going my way." – Kinchens
After securing eight tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and a game-sealing interception, Kinchens won his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week award of his rookie season. He said he "didn't see that coming," but he is focused on his ultimate goal, which is winning every week, but added "once I start getting Defensive Player of the Year, then it'll start moving the needle."
Kinchens said getting support from veteran safeties like Kam Curl and Quentin Lake has helped his progression, putting him in the right places at the right times to make plays – "even on a good play, they tell me what I could do better," he said.
"(The Eagles have) one of the top o-lines in the league and (offensive line) coach (Jeff) Stoutland has been there for a while and obviously a new offensive coordinator, but you're seeing a lot of the same stuff... They've done a great job of developing those guys in that philosophy and it's a great challenge like it is any week, but this week especially." - Shula
The Rams have one of the youngest, if not the youngest, defensive line unit in football, and they will be pitted against a notoriously good and veteran offensive line in Philadelphia. Offensive tackle Lane Johnson is one of the best in the business, and Shula knows they will have a tough task ahead of them in primetime.
Then, there's the problem of who that line is protecting: quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley. After being acquired as a free agent this offseason, Barkley is second in the NFL in rushing yards and Shula called him "one of the best if not the best open-field runners in the league right now." To avoid falling victim to that, Shula said the Rams' front needs to clog those rushing lanes that are usually provided by Philadelphia's elite offensive line.
In the pass game, Shula said "it's everything" to keep Hurts in the pocket as much as possible. He has 11 rushing touchdowns this season, and although most are courtesy of the tush push, he can tuck it and run with the best of them. Shula added that "he can really hurt you off-schedule," but they've had experience with that already this season and will try to draw from their previous successes.
"(Fangio) is arguably the best of his generation. His defenses are always elite, they're always really good, they always play really hard. He's about as structured as they come in terms of tendencies and percentages, you just can't pop him on anything. He knows that, we know that... you don't know what other wrinkle he's gonna have." - LaFleur
The Eagles' defense has dynamic athletes and top-tier coaching. LaFleur knows that, saying "you want to play against the best." LaFleur said they are playing fast and physical, and that starts up front. Defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are both freakish athletes that utilize elite quickness at their hulking sizes.
On the offensive side, center Beaux Limmer will have a tall task (literally) dealing with those playmakers in the middle and handling protection calls. LaFleur said he's been impressed with his ownership of those responsibilities and "there's been a better rapport" between Limmer and Stafford over the past few weeks.
"(Stafford has) shown (what he did last week) is who he is. When it's not rolling or things aren't quite there, you're kind of just expecting that it's going to pop off at some point... The intention on the sideline is knowing, 'hey, we got nine back there, if we keep working, keep trying to find solutions here, he's gonna keep working for us and give us an opportunity.'" - Kupp
Even when things start slow, as they often have this season, Kupp has complete confidence that the other half of "Nine & Dime" will come through for the team. That was certainly the case last week, as Stafford finished with 295 passing yards and four touchdowns after starting the game with two-straight punts. Stafford will need to validate that view on Sunday to beat a surging Eagles team.
Kupp said the Eagles' defense is "good across the board" and the players have bought into Fangio's defense to play off each other successfully. He acknowledged that Fangio's scheme has had proven success in the NFL and they have to respect that. Kupp will spend the day reading books and relaxing in the hotel room before Sunday Night Football, which isn't uncommon for him, as he said he's already read 18 books this football season.
"The last couple games (the Eagles defensive backs) look like they've been moving well. The secondary group is moving in-sync and they're playing confident football and they're playing complimentary football as a whole right now." - Nacua
Along with the athletic rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Nacua acknowledged that they have some veteran players that make sure everyone is doing what they're supposed to do. That would include cornerback Darius Slay among others.
Last week, Nacua hauled in a stunning diving catch for his first touchdown of the season and was slow to get up afterwards. Now, he said there were "definitely some bruises, but I feel good." Leading up to the primetime matchup, Nacua said "I'm not a big football watcher, so I'll probably try to sleep as much as I can."
He also doesn't let a tight division race impact his preparation, saying "if I'm being honest with you guys, someone just told me we're in the NFC West, so that's good to know I guess."
