media & twitter –Arizona game

ESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
Matthew Stafford collects his first-ever win against an opponent who entered at least 5 games above .500.

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
Sean McVay said that the team re-shuffled and changed their gameplan “too many times to count” since first player moved to COVID/reserve list late last week and even did so as late as five hours before kick when they designated Ramsey and Higbee there.

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams head coach Sean McVay: “Unbelievable job by our team. So many guys stepped up. Can’t say enough about the leadership of this group.”

Rams24/7@Rams24_7
Hats off to Noteboom, Blanton, Evans, Long Jr all for stepping up on short notice. Next men up on a short week

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
Sean McVay on how he reacted to today’s COVID-19 news: “My initial reaction was ‘you gotta be shittin’ me.'”

🙏GRATEFUL🙏 https://t.co/35opOKx9Qq pic.twitter.com/dh33OpPepA

— Melissa Whitworth (@mrs_whit77) December 14, 2021

Rams provided reminder of what their potential can be in prime-time win at Arizona: The Pile

By Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/3014622/2021/12/14/rams-provided-reminder-of-what-their-potential-can-be-in-prime-time-win-at-arizona-the-pile/

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Every once in a while, a group of people will remind you of what they have the potential to be. Earlier this season, the Rams did so in a win against Tampa Bay before a harsh reality check came courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. On Monday, although shorthanded after five players (all either starters or key rotational depth) went on the COVID-19/Reserve list over the past three days, the Rams put together a decisive 30-23 win against an Arizona team that has, since beating them back in October, been rolling.

“My initial reaction was, ‘You’ve got to be shittin’ me,’” said head coach Sean McVay seriously postgame, of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The Rams were without starting cornerback Jalen Ramsey, recent starter Dont’e Deayon, put rookie rotational player Robert Rochell on injured reserve this week with a chest injury, didn’t have starting right tackle Rob Havenstein or starting tight end Tyler Higbee, and were without running back Darrell Henderson.

“This was a sign of a mentally tough team,” McVay said. “You talk about identity … I think, really, what it is is figuring out a way to put it all together week in and week out. What that looks like might be changing, but for us to start playing good ball in the month of December, after the month of November that we had, can’t say enough about the leadership of this group.”

Strictly on the field, November was a mistake-riddled, thickly bleak fog; the Rams nearly lost themselves for good within it.

But perhaps playing with nothing to lose after shuffling, re-shuffling and re-shuffling their game plan since Saturday — the day teams have full installations locked in ahead of a Monday Night Football game — and their roster as late as five hours before kickoff, McVay said, when Ramsey was moved to COVID-19/Reserve along with Higbee, the Rams re-discovered everything they have to gain, and who they can become within that.

“This was a must-win,” outside linebacker Leonard Floyd said. “Our backs were against the wall. We had to win this game.”

It wasn’t just the win itself, against a division rival who could clinch a playoff berth with a victory over the Rams and who had, frankly, kicked their asses on their home turf back in early October.

It was the way they won, and what they made of who they had. Rookie linebacker Ernest Jones secured a goal-line interception of Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray off a pass tipped by star defensive lineman Aaron Donald in the first quarter. It was Jones’ first substantial minutes against Murray, and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris had hinted previously that the staff expected Jones to be a difference-maker against Arizona. Floyd also secured an interception, the second of his career, in the third quarter. The Rams offense answered both defensive takeaways with touchdowns, and in further complementary response to that, the defense also forced two turnovers-on downs (one in the red zone).

“Our defense did a hell of a job getting us the ball back,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford postgame, with a grin. “I’m standing on the sideline next to (offensive coordinator) Kevin O’Connell on that play where AD tipped it and Ernest picked it. Not three seconds before that play happened, I’m thinking, ‘Let’s go down and answer, let’s answer after this …’ And he goes, ‘Well, you never know. (Murray) could try to throw one in there and it could get tipped and picked.’ And as he’s finishing his sentence, the dang thing happens.”

Stafford played another clean game, after a three-game stretch in November he’d probably like to leave far behind him. “Clean” does not do it justice, actually. As he went 23-of-30 for 287 yards and three touchdowns, Stafford made throws that, at times, defied logic. A 4-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cooper Kupp, who eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the eighth time this year (13 catches on 15 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown), was a teleported ball that disappeared from Stafford’s hands only to cross several space-time planes and re-appear in Kupp’s arms. A third-down strike across the middle on third-and-8 on as sharply sliced as a route could be by Odell Beckham Jr. (who also had his third touchdown in three games) was a surreal throw, among a few others Stafford made on Monday night, including a 52-yard touchdown pass to receiver Van Jefferson to open the third quarter that is becoming a vintage play between the young receiver and veteran quarterback.

But it was other moments, too, that showed the ethos of this group and especially in these particular circumstances. Running back Sony Michel, out on a power-running island with no proven player backing him up, ran ferociously once again, behind a line that had reserve left tackle Joe Noteboom manning the right side in place of steady starter Havenstein, two deep-roster-backup tight ends helping in heavier personnel sets, a backup center (Coleman Shelton in his first start) and depth lineman Bobby Evans as the jumbo tackle. Beckham’s crucial 17-yard catch on the long third down was set up by a hard 12-yard run by Michel, who added another necessary third-down run late in the game.

“We had a lot of moving parts,” Stafford said. “Just proud of those guys. … Sony did a great job falling forward on some runs, there was a third-and-1 run in the red zone where it’s him and No. 34 (Jalen Thompson) in the hole, and he just runs him over. Those things are big plays that don’t show up in the highlights, but those are big-time plays for us as a team. Just proud of those guys, the physicality that they played with, great communication. Coleman coming in … playing great this week on the road in a tough environment against a really good D-line. I could go on and on with guys who I’m proud of and just happy for. Just proud of our guys.”

It was also how McVay, his head admittedly splitting in half after the game, did not deviate from the things that were clearly working for this offense after last week’s get-right win against Jacksonville, even when he had to change many of his personnel around the past few days. The Rams stayed multiple in the passing game, running play-action and the dropback game in intervals, blending short-range catch-and-run plays with longer passes and complementary layers of routes, utilizing heavy personnel groupings in the run game and even 12 personnel where they could, running motions and sweeps and Kupp pre-snap in the “I” or in the backfield and motioning players into empty sets.

“We certainly used everybody today,” McVay said. “Really proud of these guys. Proud to be associated with this group, and be a small part.”

Never, though, did this offense truly feel unbalanced. And even as Arizona, led by Murray’s own at-times-unbelievable moments, put together several explosive plays of its own against the Rams defense and a pieced-together secondary (including explosive pass plays of 36, 41, 47 and 23 yards), the defense didn’t feel rattled or overwhelmed. The pass-rush kept coming. The defensive backs kept chipping away at a talented, explosive group of Cardinals receivers. Darious Williams responded to one of those long pass plays with two pass breakups, one in the end zone. David Long Jr., after essentially getting benched earlier in the year, had a gorgeous pass breakup and near interception.

These Rams very well could have been both unbalanced and rattled, considering the serious circumstances they are in on a bigger-picture scale, as they will need to continue the contact-tracing and COVID-19 protocols as mandated by the NFL through the week and it’s not yet known how quickly players can return or even whether more players will go on the reserve list.

“To say that I’m not concerned wouldn’t be accurate,” said McVay, indicating that multiple players are at least asymptomatic and that there may have even been a false positive within the group. “I think you want to find out a little bit more. … All we can do is try to take safe, precautionary measures.”

Kupp is in the process of making history week after week, as he continues to lead the league and set new career highs with 113 catches, 1,489 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in just 13 games. It’s not a longshot to believe he could be the first triple-crown winner since Steve Smith Sr. in 2005. Monday night, he also eclipsed 5,000 career receiving yards and is No. 2 in the NFL in catches of 20-plus yards and No. 1 in receiving first downs.

But Kupp is also entrenched in the stack play after play, sealing off edges like a shorter tight end or slimmer fullback would, but with just as much physicality — so much so, in fact, that the Rams might look into getting him a 1980s neck roll. He’s also running routes from every possible alignment on the field, literally. Next Gen Stats found that on Monday night, Kupp had a catch from all seven possible pre-snap alignments on his way to his career-best 13-catch game.

“He was doing a great job tonight, as always,” Stafford said.

Aaron Donald, game-wrecker

Poetically, Donald recorded his first sack on the first play of the game, and then had the game-finisher (his third sack) as the final seconds of the game trickled away and Murray scrambled around in an effort to make something happen. After Donald’s second sack, on second-and-12 in the second quarter, he gave a little shrug at the end of the play.

“(It was a game) that was important to us, that we needed to win,” he said.

Donald’s effort was mirrored immediately by each of his teammates along the defensive front (and the front seven, really). TruMedia’s early numbers have the Rams defensive line/front seven at 26 pressures in Week 14, which leads the NFL for the week; the average in Week 14 among all 32 teams was 12.6 pressures. Donald beat that average by himself with 15.

“You’re grateful (watching him),” McVay said postgame. “That’s what the best do. They play their best when their best is required. This guy is the epitome of competitive greatness. Really proud of Aaron and not at all surprised. He’s a special player, special person. You felt his presence from the very first snap, and then to the last one. He was outstanding tonight.”

Alongside Donald’s three sacks, Floyd led the team in tackles with eight and defensive lineman Greg Gaines had a sack as well as a contain-effort play against Murray on third down that once again showcased his surprising speed for a person of his size and circumference.

“That’s Greg!” Donald said. “Going into this week, he was (talking about) how he didn’t think he could catch Murray. I said, ‘You’re fast enough to catch him, man, don’t worry about that. And he did that today. Greg is playing lights-out, man. It’s been fun to watch him play. Making big plays for us every single week. Playing with Greg right now is a lot of fun. He’s explosive, he’s quick, he can understand the game, he can rush. He’s stout in the run. … It’s fun to watch … the sky is the limit for him.”

Bottom of The Pile

• Kicker Matt Gay was the bright spot on special teams on Monday night. He hit all three of his field-goal attempts, including a season-long 55-yarder, and has not missed a field goal since the third quarter in Week 4 against Arizona.

• The Rams special teams unit, however, still couldn’t let us get through an entire game without something odd, or even potentially catastrophic occurring. After kicking a field goal to cut their deficit to seven points late in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals recovered an onside kick that set them up with great field position and a last chance to tie the game (or even win it), with just 34 seconds left to play.

• It can certainly be argued that there were a few missed calls throughout Monday night’s game; however none were as blatant as a missed facemask penalty on Stafford’s behalf in the second half that appeared to occur directly in front of one of the officials.

• Outside linebacker Von Miller wore a No. 88 helmet decal in honor of his good friend and former Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas, who tragically and suddenly passed away last week.

• Left tackle Andrew Whitworth became the first player in NFL history to start a game at left tackle at age 40, after celebrating his birthday on Sunday. “He is one of one,” said McVay postgame.