WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – After a 23-15 loss against Miami on Monday Night Football during which quarterback Matthew Stafford was sacked four times, head coach Sean McVay said the team would "evaluate everything." The offense failed to score a touchdown and the line play left much to be desired despite two starters, Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, coming back from Injured Reserve (IR).
On Wednesday, McVay and Stafford spoke with the media about the approach they are taking with the offensive line and the upcoming matchup with the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.
Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from the press conferences, which can be viewed below:
"I think it's about finding the best group that collectively plays together (on the offensive line) and not just individual pieces. You know, and what does that look like? What's that evaluation? And then how quickly can you get some guys that are back up to speed so they can play the way they're capable of?... Our goal is to be able to figure out what is the best way to put that unit together based on the guys that we do have." - McVay
McVay started off his press conference by saying that offensive linemen Rob Havenstein and Joe Noteboom won't practice on Wednesday and added that Havenstein playing on Sunday is "less likely than likely." McVay said "your guess is as good as mine" with respect to whether the five offensive linemen that were projected to be starters in training camp would be on the field together this season.
After watching the offensive line film against Miami, McVay said "there were some tough things" that he saw, but acknowledged that some of those players hadn't played at full speed in months, and the unit as a whole had never played together consistently. Still, he said "we expect better," and he looks to himself to help put his players in positions to succeed, and that means discussing which players will make up the unit they put out there.
In terms of the team's red zone offense, which scored zero touchdown on three trips, McVay said "it's a small sample size" with their current personnel, but "it hasn't been good enough, collectively," and that was "the defining factor" against Miami.
"I feel like (the Patriots' front is) long, aggressive, I've practiced against this style of defense for a number of years when I was in Detroit. It's not the exact same, but it's that same type of style where they're stopping the run, transition to pass rush, two-gap and do a really nice job of stopping the run." - Stafford
The Rams' shaky offensive line play against Miami was a surprise after two-straight weeks with zero sacks allowed. Stafford's familiarity with New England's pass rush scheme could help the Rams get back on track in Week 11, but the personnel is still up in the air.
Stafford said spending more time with the offensive line, both on and off the field, helps their chemistry on game day. He said that, whoever is at center, "we all have our jobs to do" and he trusts the guy in front of him to do theirs to the best of their ability.
The Rams have not gotten off to fast starts very often this season, and Stafford said that is a product of execution, not game planning. Stafford added that "we feel the sense of urgency" to come out firing on offense and they hope to do just that in New England on Sunday.
