WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams pulled off an improbable 10-point fourth quarter comeback on Sunday against the division rival 49ers. Even more shockingly, given how the first two weeks of the season went, they escaped without any new injuries.
That means Los Angeles will have some continuity heading into their Week 4 matchup against the Bears in Chicago. On Wednesday, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about the path forward after that key victory. Offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, defensive coordinator Chris Shula and special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn also spoke with the media on Thursday.
Here are a few of the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences, which can be viewed below:
"What I am excited about is we were able to come out healthy, so now we can have a little bit of continuity, and let's see if we can build on that, have a great week of work and ultimately, let's go cut it loose on Sunday in a challenging road atmosphere." - McVay
The Rams came out of both of the team's first two games with injuries to key players that will hold them out for extended periods of time. That wasn't the case on Sunday, and McVay wants to use that momentum to help the team get back to peak performance, even if they aren't at full strength.
McVay said they address the significance of continuity in meetings and the film room, adding that "you tell the truth, I mean, these guys know what's going on (with injuries)." It isn't something they try to ignore, but rather find solutions for. That showed on Sunday in the form of increased 12 personnel packages.
Every week will present different circumstances, but the Rams coming out of a dog fight with the 49ers healthy has McVay trying to figure out how to "use that to our advantage in terms of the intentionality with the work."
"(Caleb Williams) is obviously immensely talented, he makes plays every single week that you see on TV and blow you away. As a quarterback I sit there and go, 'man, that is some incredible stuff,' and then I'm sure there are plays he wants back, like all of us." - Stafford
Before Williams even played an NFL game, he labeled Stafford as someone who he admires and tries to model some of his play after. Now that Stafford has seen Williams play in the NFL, he's been impressed with the rookie as well. He recalled that the highs and the lows in a quarterback's rookie year are all learning opportunities, and he's sure that Williams will "figure it out more and more as he continues to play."
Stafford also said "it's humbling" to be used as a positive example for young quarterbacks, and it "makes me feel old, but I'll take it."
In terms of continuity, Stafford said "it's nice" to not have major changes in practice this week after so many injuries through the first two weeks. To build on the team's success from Sunday's win, Stafford said they will have to "go out there and earn it during the week."
In terms of the Bears' defense, Stafford said that cornerback Jaylon Johnson presents "all of" the challenges a corner possibly could, adding that Johnson is a complete player who has his respect, along with the respect of others around the league.
"How they're hitting blocks, how it just looks in unison, right? You can just tell when a(n offensive) line is gelling together and when they're not. And then once they are, they can feel that and anyone can see just the kind of confidence that can bring." - LaFleur
The Rams lost three offensive linemen to injury before Week 3: Jonah Jackson, Joe Noteboom and Steve Avila. But last week against the 49ers, the players who have stepped up in their place looked like a cohesive unit to LaFleur. Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson returned from his two-game suspension to reprise his usual role at left tackle. Meanwhile, on the interior, Logan Bruss and rookie center Beaux Limmer worked well together against a tough San Francisco front.
LaFleur said having the entire line together in practice provided some continuity that helped them with the nuances of the position to "protect the right way." He added that, in a scrappy, comeback win, having Stafford on the field eases everyone's mind, especially for a wide receiver corps that's also been thrown together week-by-week due to injuries.
"No one was worried about the production," LaFleur said. "It's just one play at a time." And that's the mindset they employ at every position, not just the injury-riddled ones.
"(Jared Verse and Braden Fiske) have been disruptive and causing havoc and that's always a good thing in the backfield, and now we just need to stress finishing plays and putting yourself in those positions in practice. And that's the hardest thing is that in practice, you get in some of those positions and you assume that they make the play, and that's a thing we're learning as coaches and as players is you need to keep stressing the finishing aspect of it every single play." - Shula
Defensive end Braden Fiske and outside linebacker Jared Verse rank first and second, respectively, in pressures among rookies this season, but they only have one sack between them despite generating a combined 23 pressures in three games, via Next Gen Stats. Shula said they have been continuing to push the importance of finishing those plays, but that can only go so far in practice, where they can't fully tackle.
The Rams have blitzed at the fourth-lowest rate of any team this season, but Shula's defense has gotten pressure on the quarterback at the seventh-highest rate. They just haven't finished many of those plays with sacks. Shula said his blitzing tendencies will vary based on the opponent, depending on the opposing quarterback and "matchups on the outside."
Of Williams, Shula said he and Kyler Murray, who both played under Lincoln Riley in college, are "different guys (who present) similar challenges." He added that they are both "elite escape artists." Murray had his best game of the season against the Rams in Week 2, which makes finishing tackles that much more important against the Williams-led Bears on Sunday, and much of that starts with the pass rush.
"I think there's times and places you still think you can pick and choose (if you want a touchback or not) and try to figure out when you want to cover and things like that, and there's going to be times when you have to cover based upon wind, environment, things like that... But if you look around the league, if you're just putting the ball to them, there's a lot of 1-on-1 tackles in space that save a touchdown or a big, explosive return, and it just depends on when you're willing to risk it." - Blackburn
The Rams are the only team in the NFL that have not allowed a "dynamic kickoff" return this season. All of their kicks have ended in touchbacks. So far, the Rams' coaching staff has felt their best option has been to kick it through the end zone and not risk a big return, but Blackburn knows that won't always be the case.
Last Sunday was a good special teams day for the Rams. They pulled off a fake punt resulting in a first down from Ronnie Rivers and won the game on kicker Joshua Karty's game-winning field goal, which was set up by a clutch 38-yard punt return from Xavier Smith on his first NFL touch.
Despite all that excitement from his unit, Blackburn said he tries to "stay calm in the game" because maintaining "that level of consistency" is important. There's another play to be run and he needs to stay focused on the task at hand. Blackburn said Smith, who will be the punt returner going forward, is "the first guy out here every day," and has earned that opportunity through work and dedication to his craft.