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znModeratori was lurking over at the herd. blue and gold put up some stills of goff. man he missed some wide open receivers.
i can only hope that the game is still just too fast for him. and that at some point the game slows down for him.
yeah. i’m thinking it takes at least until 2019 before it all finally clicks for him. as he plays more and more i’m hoping the tunnel vision goes away. cuz this mcvay offense could be something else.
How many plays was it?
Because…pictures can dominate our perceptions, so sometimes you have to count.
My guess is that the only pics that went up were the “didn’t see open receivers” pics.
How many of those in reality in the game? How many where he DID see the receivers?
It’s always better IMO to do a real count and give percentages.
znModeratorThey are going with putrid-yellow
on national tv?I see.
w
vI may be mistaken but I don;t think those are chosen by the team. That’s the league’s doing.
znModeratorSpeed_Kills wrote:
It bothered me today that I heard the LA media say they felt better about this loss because cosmetically it was prettier than the way the Rams have lost in the past.
Yesterday I was just pissed at the run defense and Wade’s reluctance to adding an extra man in the box sooner and the play of Olgtree specifically and the safeties more broadly. I felt Sean had been out coached by his mentor and the Skins essentially abandoned the pass game and ran the ball down the Rams throat. I was pissed with the panalties because they hurt. Woods had a horrific series…just awful and it cost this team badly yesterday. That can’t happen. Jared closed the game with an egregious int which can never be thrown. EVER. Hopefully the kid recovers from that because he had played solidly up to that point and contributed greatly to the Rams getting back in the game.
Here is what I think after watching again
The Rams cannot turn it over like that and expect to beat a team like the Skins if they arent getting TOs in return. Jared Goff was ok… he competed well. Composed himself well on the 69 yard pass to Everett. Clearly that play is an example of him improvising when the original play broke down. He also did well when the Skins brought heat by getting the ball to Gurley in the screen game. The Rams might have something there…they are working the kinks out on that thing (screen game).
After the game I had this feeling that Sean didn’t run the ball enough and feed Gurley who had his best game by far in a long long time. I am even more convinced now. It sounds strange saying it because a lot of us have been critical of Gurley. However, a coach has to have a feel for the game and go with the hot hand. I think the Rams could have really run the ball down the Skins throats too. The FG drive getting the Rams to 10 was a fantastic drive featuring Gurley. The TD drive in the 3rd also obviously… The Gurley TD in the 3rd was spectacular effort. Loved that.
The Rams Oline I thought played well… best run blocking we have seen a quite a while. Lets hope its a trend. They also appeared to be really good in pass blocking and when Jared did get heat he was able slide and move consistently. We must get the ball to Sammy Watkins… Josh Norman aint all that. PERIOD
The Rams defense will come back from that poor performance. I would be stunned if this defense doesn’t come out hot and mad Thursday. Wade was making the kinds of faces that I haven’t seen since he was the head coach of the Cowboys earlier this decade.
The Rams were sloppy yesterday, got out coached, and run over at times physically … yet there they were. The offense really did show flashes of what they can be… its going to take time though. More than this year IMO
This a young QB, with a rookie HC, and a whole bunch of young players offensively who don’t know what they are doing yet. The middle of their defense is obviously flawed physically. But there are clearly some positives to focus on from yesterday
If the Rams can fix the goofy stuff this team can likely contend for a playoff spot next year. It is clear to me though that Jared needs a year just get his feet under him….
I’m also not sure they will be able to keep Watkins. Oh TA… smh hes running out of time. They gave him some touches but he failed to even stress the defense. TA must just be awful in that slot. I just can’t understand why its so hard to get him in space
I bet Sean is kicking himself over yesterday I hope Wade is helping him to move on. Can’t dwell on Washington
I started this post by saying I was annoyed that people seemed to be ok with a pretty loss but the truth is there were some things that were obviously good about yesterday
I am hopeful… just disappointed that its going to take another year.
znModeratoroverall i’d have to say though that goff did alright. even if he was missing receivers, through the first three quarters he had a 70 percent completion rate at over 10 ypa. his qb rating was at approximately 130.
and the drive before the last they were in position to score another td and then the penalties.
we’ll see.
Goff is young and will have “learning experiences” but he has already shown me he’s an NFL qb. The only questions are HOW good will he be, and how long before he becomes however good he will be.
September 18, 2017 at 6:32 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74530znModeratorMore reasons to like Rams emerge from close loss than from blowout win
David Steele
The Rams looked more impressive losing in Week 2 than they did winning in Week 1. And Los Angeles won by 37 points in Week 1.
Yes, the 46-9 blowout of the Colts at home on opening day does count. But the Rams’ opponent Sunday at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Washington, didn’t hand them the game. The Rams pushed them hard enough on both sides of the ball to make them take it from them.
In the end, Washington did. They marched 70 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 1:49 left, then intercepted Jared Goff on the first play when the Rams got the ball back to try to tie or win it. They lost a winnable game 27-20, yet putting themselves in position to beat a team that wasn’t in total chaos is something the Rams can build on — for now.
MORE: Rams-Redskins box score, stats
It was coach Sean McVay’s first NFL loss. It was against the team that groomed him for the job, and it definitely stung. He has to get everybody to shake it off before Thursday’s NFC West game in San Francisco.
McVay didn’t make excuses afterward, but he did praise his players’ “football character” and the way they stayed in a game they seemed on the verge of losing track of several times.
“I know we’ll look ourselves critically in the mirror, the coaches included, starting with me,” McVay said, one of several times he took the weight for the loss.
Ironically, the Rams started 1-1 last season, too, on their way to the most deceptive 3-1 start in the league — with Jeff Fisher still coaching and Goff two months away from taking over in a lost season. That’s the comparison Rams players and observers made, the latter portion when things fell apart, Goff looked lost at times and Fisher eventually got fired.
The Colts rout was largely a factor of Indianapolis’ ineptitude, with two interceptions returned for touchdowns and a safety among the biggest gifts. They got no such gifts from Washington: Kirk Cousins reduced his opening-week turnovers from three to zero, and they rushed for 229 yards.
Yet the Rams know Aaron Donald, who played his first game after a contract holdout, will shake off the rust and anchor the defense better. They expect cornerback Trumaine Johnson to be on the field for critical drives, unlike on Sunday, when he cramped up and missed much of Washington’s game-winning possession.
Otherwise, the Rams did not crumble at the first taste of adversity, after an opener with not a shred of adversity all game long. They fell behind 13-0 in the second quarter, gave up a 61-yard touchdown run late in the half and missed some red-zone opportunities at the worst times — but still were one stop away from winning, and a drive away from extending the game.
Despite the late pick, Goff looked very much like he belonged, making the kinds of plays No. 1 overall picks are expected to make, especially when protection broke down. More crucial to the Rams, running back Todd Gurley was a major part of the offense, rather than disappearing as he had last season. He had 136 combined yards and scored twice.
Rookie wideout Cooper Kupp impressed again. Trade acquisition Sammy Watkins made his first big play as a Ram with a 28-yard catch-and-run. Rookie tight end Gerald Everett clicked with Goff for a 69-yard completion off of a scramble. Johnny Hecker pulled off another fake punt that set up the game-tying field goal.
A narrow loss after a blowout win didn’t drain the Rams of their confidence.
“I think as a team we took a lot away. I think we saw how we could fight back,” Goff said. “It’s good to know that we have that capability. With that being said, though, it wasn’t nearly what we could be, but it’s good to know.”
What they know after two games should be encouraging … including what they know after a loss.
znModeratorRams didn’t stop any aspect of the run…
up the gut, sweeps, nor draw plays…
Carlos Hyde ran for 120+ yards on 15 carries yesterday in Seattle. (8+ YPC)
Rams better figure out the run D before Thursday…..
All true.
Is there any chance you will make it to the chat room some time?
We have nachos.
September 18, 2017 at 4:43 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74526znModeratorFive Takeaways from Rams 27-20 Loss to Washington
Myles SimmonsLos Angeles tied Sunday’s matchup midway through the fourth quarter but could not complete the comeback, as Washington used a 10-play drive to drain the clock and score a game-winning touchdown. With a short turnaround before playing San Francisco for Thursday Night Football, L.A. has much to correct. But there were also some encouraging aspects to Sunday’s game.
With that in mind, here are five takeaways from Week 2.
1) Run defense must improve
Washington rushed for 229 yards on Sunday, receiving significant production from three different running backs. Starter Rob Kelley recorded 78 yards on 12 carries before exiting the game with an injury to his ribs. Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine picked up where Kelley left off, rushing for 77 and 67 yards, respectively.
“It’s frustrating to lose period and it was definitely frustrating giving up that amount of yards in the run game,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “And when you don’t stop the run, you leave yourself open for a lot of stuff. They executed really well and credit to them for coming in with a good game plan and doing the right things.”
“We’ve got to watch the film, but just got to play better on the run and when run situations come, you’ve got to win your one-on-ones and get off the field,” defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “That’s what we need to do.”
Overall, Washington averaged 5.9 yards per rushing attempt, with three plays of at least 19 yards.
“I haven’t seen the film yet, so I’ll have to go and watch it and see,” Ogletree said, “but I feel like we just weren’t physical enough at stopping the run and we didn’t do our job today.”
Physicality could be one factor, but it’s likely not the only one. This is an area in which the Rams must improve going forward, especially considering their next opponent.
2) Penalties, turnovers hurt offense
Los Angeles had a hard time getting going offensively in the first half in part due to a key penalty on a kickoff and a fumble on the third drive.
After Washington’s first field goal, wide receiver Pharoh Cooper appeared to return the ensuing kickoff to the home team’s 26-yard line. But linebacker Cory Littleton was flagged for holding and Washington was called for a facemask. After some lengthy discussion, the officials determined that because the fouls occurred after the ball was possessed, the Rams’ drive was to start where the kick ended — which was the two-yard line. This had a clear negative effect on the offense, as L.A. went three-and-out.
Then running back Todd Gurley fumbled on the first play on the next drive. He credited Washington cornerback Josh Norman for making the play to jar the ball out, but the sudden change allowed the visitors to add a field goal and take a 13-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, wide receiver Robert Woods committed a pair of penalties on the Rams’ game-tying drive that contributed to stalling the offense and keeping it out of the end zone. The first foul was unnecessary roughness and the second was offensive pass interference. Woods took responsibility for both mistakes in the locker room postgame.
And when the Rams had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception on the drive’s first play to effectively end the contest.
Overall, Los Angeles was penalized seven times for 75 yards and turned the ball over twice.
“We can’t hurt ourselves with the penalties, some of the different things that occurred throughout the course of the game,” McVay said. “But, I know that we’ll look at ourselves critically in the mirror — coaches included, starting with me — and make sure that we do a good job with our short week of preparation going into a game against our divisional opponent in the Niners.”
3) Gurley got going
One positive takeaway from Sunday’s game is Gurley’s production both on the ground and through the air.
The running back finished with 136 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns — one receiving, and one rushing. Gurley recorded 16 carries for 88 yards — 5.5 yards per carry — and three receptions for 48 yards.
After the game, Gurley and Goff both mentioned how they noticed Washington wasn’t necessarily paying much attention to the running back on routes out of the backfield.
“Todd was great,” Goff said. “We talked early on, they weren’t covering him much out of our backfield in the pass game, so we were trying to get him the ball al tilt bit and sure enough we did. He kept jumping over people and making some plays.”
Gurley made as impressive a play as you’ll see for the first touchdown reception of his career in the third quarter. On 1st-and-10 from the Washington 18, Goff hit Gurley in the left flat. From there, the running back hurdled over cornerback Bashaud Breeland at about the 10-yard line, then stayed in bounds as safety Deshazor Everett hit him, extending the ball over the pylon for six points.
With the Rams losing the game, Gurley understandably downplayed the hurdles, saying only it “[j]ust happens. I don’t really pay attention to it too much.”
4) Donald returns, but isn’t quite “back”
Defensive tackle Aaron Donald played his first game of 2017 on Sunday, but wan’t pleased with his own performance.
“I didn’t win my one-on-ones,” he said postgame. “When I have one-on-ones I usually win those, — just doing too much thinking. And you can try to say that [it was because] I didn’t play. But that’s on me — I need to play better.”
Donald played 48 snaps on Sunday, which works out to 68 percent of the defense’s time on the field. He said he felt fine as far as fatigue, but was adamant that the needed to improve.
“I’ll be good next week,” Donald said. “Just to be out there with live bullets just to get the speed of the game and seeing little things that help me play a little faster. So like I said, breaking down the film and coming back next week a lot better because I didn’t like the way I played today.”
5) Better get right back to work
Any loss is disappointing, but there’s not much time to dwell on it as Los Angeles will head up to the Bay Area to play San Francisco on Thursday Night Football this week.
“Yeah, you’ve got to start that preparation right away because everything is condensed down,” McVay said. “The players will start with the recovery process and ti’ll be more of an above-the-neck approach for the next couple days. But that processed that procedure in terms of getting ready for that game on Thursday starts right now.”
Recovery and preparation can be difficult for a Thursday game, especially when it’s on the road. To that end, the Rams canceled their originally scheduled jog-through for late Monday afternoon. The club will hold a shorter practice on Tuesday afternoon before traveling on Wednesday.
“We’ve got to look at ourselves — I’ve got to do a better job for our team as a whole,” McVay said. “First adversity that we’ve faced — we really get a chance to see how we’ll respond on a short week. So we don’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves about this game.”
znModeratorFarr says there’s good reason to think the refs were targeting Woods at one point.
znModeratorNFL 2017 Week 2 | Washington Redskins Vs Los Angeles Rams
znModeratorJohnny Hekker’s Fake Punt Pass Gets Big Yards! | Redskins vs. Rams | NFL Wk 2 Highlights
znModeratorTodd Gurley’s Strong Day vs. Washington | Redskins vs. Rams | NFL Wk 2 Player Highlights
znModeratorSo, he’s saying that Goff does not go through his progressions. Hmmmmm
But. We know he DOES. We;ve seen it.
Not like a tuned in seasoned pro but what’s happening here is that one bad play is being set up to define the kid.
I just don’t buy that, based on what we have seen. I won’t be alone on this either.
znModeratorAn Laram post.
Well I would say this to him directly as honest disagreement there or here, but, IMO that post is overdoing it a bit. In 2 games he has had more than just one unscripted play meaning it’s more than just the one throw to Everett.
On the play in question, the INT, he locked on to Kupp and a washington LB spotted it and jumped the route.
If you watch the entire game that one play quite simply does not define him or what he can be.
So if that becomes a pattern, bad news, and if he learns from it, then there’s no issue.
The problem yesterday was the run defense.
….
September 18, 2017 at 2:41 am in reply to: McVay, Goff … 9/17 … vids & transcripts (of them & others) #74495znModeratorRams Head Coach Sean McVay – – September 17, 2017
(Opening Remarks)
“On the injuries, (TE) Gerald Everett had a contusion of his thigh. He came back, he’ll be day-to-day, but other than that we came out clean.”(On if this game is a teachable moment going forward)
“Absolutely, that’s exactly right. It starts with me and we’ve got to do a good job. What I was proud of with our team was we fell behind early – some things that credit to Washington, they made some plays to give themselves a lead and we continued to fight back. We can’t hurt ourselves with the penalties, some of the different things that occurred throughout the course of the game. But, I know that we’ll look at ourselves critically in the mirror, coaches included, starting with me and making sure that we do a good job with our short week of preparation going into a game against our divisional opponent in the Niners and we know it’s going to be a great challenge.”(On if WR Robert Woods accountability to admit his mistakes was important)
“Absolutely. That’s part of that football character that we talk about all the time – taking full responsibility for your actions, for your performance, no excuses, no complaining and that’s why Robert is one of the guys that we’re counting on. We know that he will respond the right way and we expect our entire team to be able to do the same thing.”(On why they had so many problems stopping the run)
“I think they did a good job with some of the schemes. Until we go back and look at some of things on the tape, it’s hard to exactly identify and say, but credit to Washington for doing a nice job today.”(On how he felt RB Todd Gurley looked today)
“I thought he did a nice job. He got some plays out on the perimeter where it was some tight, inside-zone type plays and then he bounced it out and was able to create. I thought the (offensive) line did a nice job. I’ve got to do a better job of giving ourselves a chance to get that going. It was hard in the first half, didn’t really have a lot of opportunities, but that’s not an excuse. It starts with me and I thought that Todd made a handful of plays today and it was good to see him be able to do that.”(On if CB Trumaine Johnson had cramps at the end of the game)
“Just a cramp. Yeah, he’ll be okay. He was just cramping.”(On what it was like watching the Redskins drive down the field for the winning touchdown)
“There was a couple plays here and there where you might have a chance to get off and then you’re also starting to try to gather your thoughts for the two-minute situation, whether you’re playing for a field goal or playing for a touchdown. Again, credit to Washington, they ended up making enough plays to win the football game and we didn’t do that.”(On the fake punt)
“That was a play that ‘Bones’ (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) had a lot of confidence in. We’ve seen those guys, they’ve been repping that for a number of weeks now. He said he thought it would be a good time and I said, ‘Let’s go ahead and do it.’ And credit to (WR) Josh (Reynolds) and (P) Johnny (Hekker), they did a great job executing on that play.”(On if Redskins QB Kirk Cousins marching the Redskins down the field at the end was his worst nightmare)
“I think it was – anytime it comes down to the last possession, it’s always exciting in this game. Like I said, those guys made some plays. At the same time, you’re trying to get some thoughts together, trying to foresee how this thing is going to play out. But, they made the plays, we didn’t. We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can do to get that thing fixed and move forward.”(On QB Jared Goff’s interception)
“It was just one of those deals – they did a good job playing vision defense. (LB) Mason Foster made a flat break underneath on a quick-game concept that we had. I probably could have given us a better play and we could have made a better decision with the football.”(On if both staff’s knowledge of each other played a big factor in the first half)
“I think they did a good job executing. I wouldn’t say that there was anything that surprised us. I just thought it was a good, competitive game. I’ve got a lot of respect for that Washington coaching staff, what they’ve done for me and I thought their defense did a nice job mixing up. (Redskins Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Greg) Manusky, credit to him and his staff. We’ve got to look at ourselves – I’ve got to do a better job for our team as a whole and that’s one of the things that now – first adversity that we’ve faced. We really get a chance to see how we’ll respond on a short week, so we don’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves about this game.”(On if they will have some long hours tonight because of the short turnaround with the Thursday night game)
“Yeah, you’ve got to start that preparation right away because everything is condensed down. The players will start with the recovery process and it’ll be more of an above the neck approach for the next couple days. But, that process and that procedure in terms of getting ready for that game on Thursday starts right now.”(On if today went like how he envisioned it)
“It was just like any other game. I think there were some things that just looking at myself critically, I can do a much better job of for our team. That’s where you’ve got to be honest with your evaluations, but again, it was good to see a lot of those guys before. There are a lot of emotion involved, but once the game starts, it’s just like any other football game.”(On how he thought Goff played today)
“I thought he did a good job. He created some off-schedule plays. It’s unfortunate the way the game ended where their defense made a nice play and we turned the football over. But, I thought with a handful of things that presented itself in terms of some of the looks, the different things, the situation we put him in – I thought he created and did a nice job for the most part.”(On if Gurley’s plays in the passing game were planned or check downs)
“Couple of them were designed plays where he was the primary and then a couple of them were a great job by Jared being able to progress across the board and be able to find him as an outlet and then he made some plays when the ball got in his hands.”(On the familiarity with the San Francisco coaching staff and prepping for them on three days)
“I think you’ve got to really make sure that what we ask our players to do are things that they feel comfortable with. We’ve got to look at kind of, what are some of the things that we’ve done a good job of? But then also what attacks, the coverages, some of the fronts and different things that the 49ers will present and the same thing for our defense defending their offense and special teams the same. It’s going to be a great challenge. It sounds like they had a tough battle against an excellent Seattle team and I’ve got a lot of respect for that coaching staff in San Francisco and I know (San Francisco Head Coach) Kyle (Shanahan) will have his guys ready to go.”***
Rams QB Jared Goff – – September 17, 2017
(On his last throw, the interception, today)
“I think it was a good play by their defense. They covered it up pretty well. A play I probably shouldn’t have cut to the check down on and wish I wouldn’t have made obviously. Tough way to end it, but I think there’s a lot of good things to learn from in this game and obviously never like losing. And never ever, ever are you settling with that, but there were some good things to learn from.”(On takeaways from today’s game)
“I think as a team we can take a lot away. I think we saw that we can fight back. We were down 13-nothing pretty early and couldn’t get much going offensively. Then, we were able to get some big plays and come all the way back – and get a chance to take the lead there and ultimately tied it with the field goal. Then still had a chance to win it at the end of the game. Had a chance to go down the field there and score and put it into overtime. We were unable to, but it’s good to know that we have that capability. With that being said, though, it wasn’t nearly where we could be – so it’s good to know.”(On how RB Todd Gurley played today)
“Tremendous, tremendous. Todd was great. Todd was really good. We talked early on, they weren’t covering him much of our back-field in the pass game, so we were trying to get him the ball a little bit and sure enough we did. He kept jumping over people and making some plays.”(On how he would describe the team today in comparison to last year)
“I think we’re 1-1. The first game we played really well at times and didn’t – and today the same way. I think we’re at the point where it can kind of go either way. You can either fight the adversity and come back on a short week this week, go up Thursday night to San Francisco and play the way we know we can or you can lay down. Knowing the guys in that room and knowing that it’ll be the first. I think that we’re excited to face some adversity and get a chance to respond.”(On how Gurley ran the ball today)
“Great. You know really good. Especially, coming off of last week was not exactly what we wanted in the run game. But, I thought that the line did a great job opening up holes for him. You open up a little space for him and he‘ll make it work. He did a good job.”(On tight games in the fourth quarter and if he thinks he must experience those type of situations to learn how to handle them)
“I’ve been playing for a long time. I’ve been in those situations before so it’s something that I know, and I know how to do. We need to do better in those situations. I need to be better. Ultimately, the whole game comes down to turnovers. We had two offensively and one on a crucial spot there at the end and I don’t think they had any, if I’m remembering correctly. So, that’s a difference of the game. Most of the time that’ll show who wins and losses.”(On the difference in the offense this compared to last year’s offense)
“I think it’s similar to what I was saying earlier. Our ability to fight back that we now know we have. We didn’t have to do it in Week 1 – preseason’s completely different. But, knowing that we can go down 13-nothing, we probably could’ve even gone down 17-nothing and get a chance to fight back. We’ve got the weapons out there to make the plays – to make big plays and we get ourselves back in the game. I think it’s drastically improved. We now know that we’re never out of the fight and continue to keep going. As long as we execute and take care of the ball – good things will happen.”(On how the 69-yard completion to TE Gerald Everett materialized)
“It was just an off-schedule play. I got out of the pocket and saw no one was covering him. He took the correct angle up the field and just gave him the ball and ran it up the field – he made a really good play. He played really well today. The seam ball he came up to was really good – really, really good.”(On if his comfort-level in the pocket contributed to the couple plays today where he was able to keep the ball alive)
“Probably shouldn’t have done as much as I did today. I got a little too comfortable getting outside the pocket. I can probably sit in there and go through the progression a little bit further. But, yeah there were some times where it’s necessary. Today there were some times, but I think that we can be better with that and stick in there and trust the guys upfront and give ourselves a chance to get the ball down the field.”(On what an off-schedule play means)
“Just when nobody’s open early on and I get out of the pocket and (TE) Gerald (Everett) went down the field.”(On protection from the offensive line today)
“Protection’s great. I thought, again, they did a great job. They’ve continued to do a great job with (C) John (Sullivan) leading the charge up there and making all the calls and everyone else following suit and it was really good – really good across the board. Again like what I said with the run game, I thought was really good. Ultimately, I don’t want to keep saying everything was great, you know, we did lose the game, but I thought we did some good things.”(On lessons he learned from playing in a short week last season)
“Get ready. It’s only a few days away and we will be on the road so we get one less day. Just get ready – three days away.”(On playing in his home territory of San Francisco this week and what that means to him)
“It’ll be good. I’m sure I’ll have a crew there. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of people there and it’ll be fun. I’ve played in Levi’s once before in college, so it’ll be a good time to go back there and hopefully come away with the win.”(On his familiarity with the players on the 49ers)
“Yeah, do have a lot of Pac-12 players.”(On how that may help)
“I know they’re good players. That’s the really the only thing. I’ve been hit by them in the past, so hopefully I don’t get hit by them in the future. This week especially. We’ve got to come ready to play and ready to get ourselves another win.”***
Rams WR Robert Woods – – September 17, 2017
(On how important it is to tie up the loose ends such as limiting penalties and turnovers)
“It’s a winnable game. I know we want all wins. It’s early in the year, but there’s things we can fix and we’re still in the game. We lost by seven. Still had a chance to come back and win the game. So you see the things – I mean, there are details that cost us the game, but I would say they’re very little that we can correct and just tighten them down. Like I said, we lost by seven, still in the game. If we fix that I feel like we should be able to compete and win those games.”(On the fast turnaround heading into Thursday Night Football against San Francisco)
“Yeah. We’re starting that today. Our staff is already on it. Guys are sticking around in the locker room today just to get ahead of recovery. I mean, this is our day one preparation for San Fran, starts today.”***
Rams TE Gerald Everett – – September 17, 2017
(On a reason to be optimistic moving forward)
“We still believe in ourselves and we know what we are capable of. We just had some stuff today that shouldn’t have happened with penalties and just negative plays. So, moving forward we’ve just got to cancel those out the best that we can.”***
Rams RB Todd Gurley – – September 17, 2017
(On if he feels that he’s starting to hit his stride on the field)
“Yeah, I can’t be out there fumbling. That’s one thing that I’ve got to fix, but it was a good team effort. We fought hard today and we just didn’t get the result that we wanted.”(On if he thinks about things during the game such as having multiple touchdowns and hurdling defenders)
“It just happens. I don’t really pay attention to it too much.”(On if something was different out there today that caused his uncharacteristic fumble)
“(Redskins CB) Josh Norman…No, he’s a great player. He has that punch down pat, but that’s just no excuse for me to be out there putting the ball on the ground. So, I’ve got to get that fixed for sure.”(On if he feels more comfortable with getting more touches in space)
“We did a good job on the offense. Just everybody making space for each other and just going out there and making plays. We just (weren’t) able to make enough plays.”***
Rams DT Aaron Donald – – September 17, 2017
(On how much time it will take him to be in game shape)
“I’ll be good next week. Just to be out there with live movements, just to get the speed of the game and seeing little things to help me play a little faster. So like I said, breaking down the film and coming back next week a lot better.”(On a quick turnaround with a Thursday game this week)
“I’ll be good. I’m going to be ready, a lot more ready than I was this week.”(On how the 3-4 defense was for him)
“It’s the same as a 4-3, honestly. Had a lot of one-on-ones – I need to win those. That’s what they put me out there for so like I said, just need to knock out the cobwebs and get out there and play a lot better to help my team try and pull out close games like this.”(On what he didn’t like about how he played)
“I didn’t win my one-on-ones. When I have one-on-ones, I usually win those. I was doing too much thinking. I keep trying to say, that’s on me so I just have to play better.”***
Rams LB Alec Ogletree – – September 17, 2017
(On why they weren’t able to stop the run)
“They executed really well in what they were doing and kind of caught us in some bad calls sometimes and also we just weren’t playing physical enough to stop the run. You don’t do that, those are the kind of yards they’re going to put up on you. Like I said, it’s a short week and we’ll be ready for next week.”(On how frustrating that passing touchdown was)
“I mean, it’s frustrating to lose period. We were definitely frustrated with giving up that amount of yards in the run game. When you don’t stop the run, you leave yourself open to a lot of stuff. They executed real well. Credit to them for coming in with a good game plan and doing the right thing. But, we definitely have a lot of work to do and we have a short week so quick turnaround for us. We’ll be ready.”(On how they need to protect home turf)
“Yeah, definitely. Like you said, when you play at home, that’s your home field and you definitely want to protect your house and we didn’t do that today. Like I said, we have a short week and we’ll be ready next week.”(On the difference with Aaron Donald being back)
“He came in and did what he needs to do to help us try and get a victory. But, like I said, we just didn’t get the job done today.”***
Rams OLB Robert Quinn – – September 17, 2017
(On how they will go about fixing the run defense)
“Well, we really have got to break down the film, see what really hurt us. I thought they had a couple explosive runs. They made their plays when they had to. We just really need to go and break down the film and see what we did wrong. They just had a good game plan against us.”(On how they held their pass game in check until the end)
“Like you said, I don’t know what their game plan was. It seemed early they wanted to run the ball. Like you said, when we thought we had things going, they kind of picked us apart at the end with that pass. Like I said, we kept fighting until the very end but in a situation like that, we as a team need to figure out why we need to make our play to give ourselves a better chance. So, like I said, learn and build on it and keep things moving.”(On if he could feel the difference with Aaron Donald back)
“Like you said, it’s great to always have him. I think it made them a little nervous because they know the talent he has. But at the end of the day, with him here, we as a team didn’t do what we came to do and that’s win a football game. Like I said, we have got some work to do. But it was Week 2 and we have to keep moving.”September 18, 2017 at 1:36 am in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74492znModeratorRams learn bitter lesson about loose ends, but an even bigger one in accountability
VINCENT BONSIGNORE
The Rams locker room was barely open a minute or two Sunday after a gut-wrenching 27-20 loss to Washington when Robert Woods motioned for reporters to come talk to him.
If anyone had reason to hide from the media or brush them off or figure out a way to make himself invisible it was Woods, whose two careless penalties during a critical fourth-quarter drive likely cost the Rams a chance to score a touchdown and take the lead.
Instead of coming all the way back from a double-digit deficit to forge ahead, the Rams frustratingly settled for a game-tying field goal.
Rather than inhaling all the momentum that comes with completing a stirring rally, and feeding off it over the final seven minutes, it was more like satisfaction with an asterisk.
Good.
But not good enough.
In a loss defined by self-infliction, loose ends and cursory penalties and turnovers, Woods’ fourth-quarter indiscretions – and the painful ramifications that resulted – offered an imperfect snapshot of the whole exasperating afternoon.
“We can’t hurt ourselves with the penalties, some of the different things that occurred through the course of the game,” said Rams head coach Sean McVay.
The Rams are an improved team compared to last year. Dramatically so in some ways, subtly in others.
As evidenced by how they spotted Washington leads of 13-0 and 20-10 only to come roaring back to tie it with just over seven minutes remaining.
They did it by tapping into Jared Goff’s continued maturity, the athletic ability of Sammy Watkins and Gerald Everett, the headiness of Cooper Kupp, a defense that made adjustments to slow down Washington’s offense and even Todd Gurley, who finally flashed to Los Angeles the kind of burst and running ability that marked his rookie season in St. Louis.
And a mettle and moxie we rarely saw last year, if at all.
There’s absolutely no room in the NFL for moral victories. But there are redeeming take aways young teams can embrace even in losing.
“We put ourselves in a hole 13-0, but you’re really proud of the way we battled back to get into it,” said tackle Andrew Whitworth. “We made plays and got ourselves back in the game. There’s a lot of times teams lay down in that situation or can’t figure it out. So hats off to the team for that. To have a 20-20 game go down to the wire, that’s NFL football.”
They just aren’t good enough yet to spot a team double-digit leads on top of turning the ball over twice and committing seven penalties.
Like they did on Sunday.
Someday, maybe.
But not now.
All of which reared it’s ugly head in a major way when Woods was called for unnecessary roughness at the end of a run by Gurley, nullifying a first down and forcing the Rams to eventually execute a fake punt to keep the drive alive and, even worse, getting called for offensive pass interference to negate a Gurley pass completion to set up first-and-goal at the Washington 5.
The latter pushed the Rams back to the Washington 22-yard-line, and after Goff and Woods couldn’t connect on a throw to the end zone, Greg Zuerlein came in to kick a 40-yard field goal to make it 20-20.
The tie was good.
A lead would have been much better.
So yeah, Woods had every reason to duck out the back door on his way to the glorious early evening weather awaiting him outside in Los Angeles.
Instead, he did the complete opposite,
And if you’re searching for reasons why the Rams look, feel act and will eventually play like a much different team this year compared to those of their recent path, look no further than the way Woods waved reporters over to his locker.
Not to make excuses, but to answer for his mistakes.
Not to blame the referees for throwing flags when they could have easily kept them in their pockets, but to hold himself accountable.
“I just have to be more controlled, stay in the game, and just play within the whistle,” Woods said quietly.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, Woods being acquired last offseason to help show a young team what it’s like to be a professional day in and day out and be present and in the moment from the practice field to the meeting room to the classroom to the playing field.
Woods was an example on Sunday alright, just not the positive kind.
At least on the field.
But the accountability he showed afterward might end up being an even bigger lesson for his young teammates.
“That’s part of the football character we that we talk about all the time – taking full responsibility for your actions, for your performance,” said McVay. “No excuses. No complaining. And that’s why Robert is one of the guys that we’re counting on.”
There are no morale victories in the NFL.
But there are lessons to be learned, even in a loss.
“There are details that lost us the game,” Woods said, taking a hard look at himself in the mirror. “But I would say they’re very little that we can correct and just tighten them down. If we fix that I feel like we should be able to compete and win those games.”
The Rams aren’t there yet.
But they’re getting closer.
znModeratorIn a single bound, Todd Gurley shows Rams that he might be super again
RICH HAMMOND
LOS ANGELES — In high school, the hurdles never tried to tackle Todd Gurley.
A former track star in sprints and the 110-high hurdles in North Carolina, Gurley long ago traded spikes for cleats, but clearly the instincts remain. As Gurley struggled to run the ball for the Rams last season, perhaps he attuned that it’s easier to jump over opponents than to try to slip their tackles.
Regardless, it’s working. In Sunday’s loss to Washington, Gurley rushed 16 times for 88 yards and one touchdown and caught three passes for 48 yards and one touchdown. Gurley’s 136 yards from scrimmage was his highest total since December 2015, when he totaled 147 yards against Detroit.
The highlight play came in the third quarter, when Gurley caught short pass and, on the run, jumped over cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who lunged to make a tackle. Gurley kept his balance and completed the 18-yard touchdown, his first touchdown catch of his 31-game NFL career.
“They did a nice job of calling plays for me,” Gurley said, “and we just executed. … We did a good job on offense. Just everybody making space for each other and going out there and making plays..”
If only it could always be that simple. Gurley, who rushed for 1,106 yards as a rookie in 2015, struggled through an 885-yard 2016 and never topped more than 85 yards in a game.
So, first-year coach Sean McVay has turned creative, and that includes sneaking Gurley out of the backfield more often. Gurley has eight catches in two games. He had 43 in 16 games last season. Gurley has looked confident with the ball in the open field and has showed the ability to make defenders miss.
“Tremendous,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “Todd was great. We talked early on, and they weren’t covering him much coming out of the backfield in the pass game, so we were trying to get him the ball. Sure enough, we did, and he started jumping over people and making some plays.”
McVay also praised Gurley, and might want to see more. Seven of Gurley’s 16 carries came in the fourth quarter, when the Rams were able to run the ball effectively. McVay indicated that perhaps he should have got Gurley going earlier.
“I’ve got to to do a better job of giving us a chance to get that going,” McVay said. “It starts with me, and I thought Todd made a handful of plays and it was good to see him be able to do that.”
September 18, 2017 at 12:17 am in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74486znModeratorAaron Donald’s return mostly a dud, as Rams are gashed on the ground
By RYAN KARTJE
LOS ANGELES — Aaron Donald burst through the line, loose in the backfield for the first time since his months-long holdout ended, and immediately, the All-Pro defensive tackle knew what was coming.
But it was too late. Kirk Cousins tossed left, just barely out of Donald’s reach. Washington running back Chris Thompson corralled the toss and found the edge, zooming 7 yards for a touchdown. Donald, by just a split-second’s margin, was left out of the play.
The return of one of the NFL’s best interior defenders was expected to solidify a Rams defensive front that looked elite without him in their Week 1 domination of the Colts. Instead, for the majority of Sunday’s 27-20 loss to Washington, Donald did not look like his dominant self, and neither did the Rams defense, which was steamrolled for 229 yards on the ground.
Perhaps it might have been different if Donald had burst through that line just a moment sooner, intercepted the toss and taken it the distance. But from his locker, following his first game action since last January, Donald offered no excuses for his poor play.
“I just have to be better,” Donald said.
Donald returned to practice early last week, after missing the entirety of the team’s offseason program. All week long, coaches treaded lightly when asked about how much he would play in his first live action of the season. But Donald would brush off suggestions that he was rusty in his return. Fatigue-wise, he said, he felt good.
But this was not the Donald the Rams were hoping to get on Sunday, and it wasn’t the type of performance the team would expect from a player who spent months demanding he be paid like the best defensive player in the league.
All game, Washington tempted Donald with one-on-one matchups — the exact circumstances in which he’s often at his best. But the gamble worked in Washington’s favor. Donald struggled to get off blocks, especially when matched up against right tackle Morgan Moses. As three Washington backs each ran for 67 yards or more, Donald was mostly a non-factor. He finished with two tackles, one for loss, but was quiet for long stretches.
“I have to play a lot better to help my team when we’re trying to pull out close games like this,” Donald said. “I had one-on-ones, and I usually win those. That’s on me.”
The rest of the Rams defense should share in some of that blame, of course. From the start, the front seven seemed out of sorts. After allowing just 75 rushing yards in the entire game last week, the Rams defense was gashed for 75 yards in the first quarter alone, as Washington running back Rob Kelley ran wild early. He’d leave with a rib injury in the second quarter, but in his stead, Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine picked up right where he left off, running over and around the Rams defense. By halftime, Washington had racked up 167 yards on the ground.
“Just keep running it until we got it right,” Thompson said of coach Jay Gruden’s gameplan.
Washington never had to stray from those plans. The Rams defense would eventually adjust, limiting Washington to just 62 yards rushing in the second half. But most of that total came on the final drive, as Perine toted the ball seven times and Washington milked the clock down to the two-minute warning. From there, Cousins turned a third down into an 11-yard, game-winning score.
“I feel like we just weren’t physical enough stopping the run,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We didn’t do our job today.”
After Donald’s holdout, it was the tackle’s less-than-stellar performance that stood to garner the most criticism. As time ran out, he left the field his helmet on and his head hanging. His frustration was apparent.
In the locker room afterward, his teammates sung his praises, simply happy to have him back. But in Donald’s own opinion, that wasn’t enough. When the Rams return to action on Thursday, he promised he’ll be better — and so will the defense around him.
“We’ll watch the film, and we’ll fix it,” Donald said. “There ain’t nothing to worry about. We’ll do better.”
September 18, 2017 at 12:02 am in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74485znModeratorRams Run Defense Comes Up Short Against Redskins
Kristen Lago
After a strong defensive showing in Week 1, the Rams’ inability to stop the run against Washington on Sunday sealed their fate, falling 27-20. Although the visitors brought a reputation as a pass-first offense to L.A., Washington head coach Jay Gruden called a heavy dose of carries, as his club recorded 229 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t stop the run [and] we didn’t do what we needed to do to stop the run,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We didn’t do our job today and we have to give them credit on what they did, but also look at ourselves and fix our mistakes.”
Three Washington running backs finished with at least 67 yards rushing: Rob Kelley, Chris Thompson, and Samaje Perine. Kelley had 78 yards on 12 carries, Thompson 77 yards on three carries — with two touchdowns — and Perine recorded 67 yards on 21 carries. Kelley left the game with an injury to his ribs and did not return, but Thompson and Perine picked up where he left off.
“Coach Gruden was letting us know, ‘I’m going to run the ball. I’m going to give you guys the ball.’ His plan was to keep running it until we got it right,” Thompson said postgame. “We did enough to win.”
“It was definitely frustrating giving up that amount of yards in the run game, and when you don’t stop the run you leave yourself open for a lot of stuff,” Ogletree said. “They executed really well, and credit to them for coming in with a good game plan and doing the right things.”
On Washington’s second possession, Kelley rushed for 19 and 21 yards on back-to-back plays, before Thompson scored on a seven-yard run to the left side. That momentum would continue on throughout the contest, including a standout play by Thompson heading into halftime.
On 2nd-and-6 from the Washington 39, quarterback Kirk Cousins handed the ball off to Thompson on a draw, who took it straight up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown run.
“On that draw play, it was a look that we never really went over and they just got the job done [up front] and I was able to just do my thing and run,” Thompson said. “So, let’s all give credit to the O-line and guys that were blocking for me.”
“I thought they had a couple of explosive runs, they made their plays when they had to,” outside linebacker Robert Quinn said. “They just had a good game plan against us.”
Coming into the second half, the defense appeared to have made a variety of halftime adjustments, holding the Redskins scoreless in the third quarter. And as Washington’s offense ground to a halt, the momentum shifted towards Los Angeles when running back Todd Gurley hurdled over cornerback Bashaud Breeland on a touchdown reception to pull the Rams within three.
However, after kicker Greg Zuerlein tied the score at 20 with 7:16 left in the game, Washington got one final chance to score. Perine took seven carries on the fourth-quarter drive, allowing the visitors to drain much of the clock. Then on 3rd-and-4 from the Los Angeles 11, Cousins hit wide receiver Ryan Grant in the corner of the end zone for what would become the game-winning touchdown.
“The big runs kept the momentum on their side and the touchdown pass at the end was basically like a dagger that stung a bit,” Quinn said of the play. “[But] that’s football, you win some you lose some. As our standards here, we expect to win them all and we didn’t play up to our standards today, especially as a defense.”
The Rams will have a quick turnaround for Week 3, travelling to face the 49ers on the road on Thursday. As a unit, Los Angeles’ defense will need to brush off this loss and be ready for both the running and passing attack in San Francisco.
“At the end of the day we as a team, didn’t do what we needed to do and that’s win a football game,” Quinn said. “We’ve got some work to do, but it’s Week 2 and we’ve got to keep moving.”
“When you play at home that’s your home field, you definitely want to protect your house and we didn’t do that today,” Ogletree said, “but we have a short week and we’ll be ready for the next one.”
September 17, 2017 at 11:15 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74484znModeratorRams can’t complete comeback in home loss to Washington
RICH HAMMOND
link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/09/17/rams-cant-complete-comeback-in-home-loss-to-washington/
LOS ANGELES — One of Rams coach Sean McVay’s proteges made game-winning plays Sunday. The other? Well, maybe he’s getting there, but the progress is a bit halting
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins did exactly what McVay once trained him to do: drive 70 yards in the fourth quarter of a tie game, and win it. Rams quarterback Jared Goff, given the chance for a coming-of-age NFL moment, cracked, and Washington pulled out a 27-20 victory at the Coliseum.
The Rams imploded much earlier, into a rubble of poor run defense, penalties and a sputter-start offense that had them in a 13-0 hole five minutes into the second quarter. The fact that the Rams rallied and nearly took the lead in the fourth quarter is a testament to the immediate improvement under McVay.
“Last year, it would have been a lot different,” running back Todd Gurley said. “It would have been 27-3, instead of us, as an offense, being able to put points on the board and being able to keep our defense in it. It’s a start. Last year is last year. At the end of the day, we didn’t get what we wanted today.”
It’s not enough, at least not yet. Washington, the team that employed McVay for six years, showed poise and skill, and Cousins, who transformed from afterthought to all-star under McVay, beat his mentor. Washington is what the Rams strive to be, sooner than later, and the gap didn’t appear wide.
The Rams tied the game 20-20 with 7:16 left in the fourth quarter on a Greg Zuerlein 40-yard field goal, but Washington then mixed runs and passes effectively and went 70 yards in 10 plays. The last one, a 12-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to receiver Jamison Crowder, gave Washington a 27-20 lead.
Goff had 1:44 on the clock and two timeouts, and 72 yards to go in order to tie the game. It could have been a defining moment, for the young quarterback and his 31-year-old coach, but on the drive’s first play, Goff attempted a slant pass and Washington’s Mason Foster easily stepped in front for the interception.
“I think it was a good play by their defense,” Goff said. “I probably should have went to the check-down. It’s a tough way to end it, but I think there were a lot of good things to learn from this game.”
It’s still tough to know what to make of these Rams (1-1). A week earlier, they demolished an average, injury-riddle Indianapolis team. This Sunday, they looked lost for most of the first half, on both sides of the ball, and their second-half improvement came after Washington suffered a series of injuries to starters.
The Rams will reveal more in the coming days. They face a short week and a Thursday night road game against San Francisco, one that they should win, and they know it. The momentum built from a season-opening win over Indianapolis is gone.
“We’re at the point where it can go either way,” Goff said. “We can fight through adversity and come back in a short week and play the way we know we can, or we can lay down. Knowing the guys in the (locker) room, I know it will be the first one. We’re excited to face some adversity and get a chance to respond.”
The question is, are the Rams a good team that started slow, or a bad team with a few good moments?
Goff continues to be an enigma. He finished 15 of 25 for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception, which is about as vanilla as it gets. Goff spread the ball around well again (receptions to eight targets) and improvised well, particularly with passes to tight end Gerald Everett (three receptions, 95 yards) and running back Todd Gurley (three receptions, 48 yards), but consistency remains an issue.
Gurley also ran well (88 yards on 15 carries) and the Rams’ run blocking improved, but the offense didn’t get going until the second half and the Rams lost the time-of-possession battle by 10 minutes.
The defense is, potentially, more problematic. Clearly, Washington coaches watched tape of the Rams’ victory over Indianapolis and adjusted. Cousins (18 of 27, 179 yards) got rid of the ball before the Rams’ front seven (including newly returned Aaron Donald) could lay a hand on him.
Washington’s offensive line also dominated in the first half, when the team totaled 167 rushing yards. The Rams adjusted back, though, and held Washington to 62 rushing yards in the second half. Washington’s Rob Kelley gained 78 yards on only 12 carries before a first-half rib injury.
The Rams also had 75 penalty yards, including some in critical situations in the fourth quarter.
“We have some work to do,” linebacker Robert Quinn said, “but it’s week two and we’ve got to keep moving.”
September 17, 2017 at 11:12 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74483znModeratorRams Fall to Washington 27-20
Myles Simmons
LOS ANGELES — The Rams had difficulty slowing down Washington’s ground attack all game long, as the visitors amassed 385 total yards and possessed the ball for 36:19 to defeat Los Angeles, 27-20.
The Rams tied the game at 20 midway through the fourth quarter, and had a chance to even it once again after Washington scored a go-ahead touchdown with just under two minutes to play. But on 1st-and-10 from the Rams’ 28, quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception to Washington linebacker Mason Foster, effectively ending the contest.
“It was just one of those deals — they did a good job playing vision defense,” head coach Sean McVay said of the turnover. “Mason Foster made a flat break underneath on a quick-game concept that we had. I probably could have given us a better play, and we could have made a better decision with the football.”
“Yeah, I think it was a good play by their defense,” Goff said. “They covered it up pretty well. A play I probably should’ve got to the check down on, and [a play] I wish I wouldn’t have made, obviously. Tough way to end it.”
But Washington’s ground game was Los Angeles’ biggest issue on Sunday, as the home team surrendered 229 yards rushing. Washington averaged 5.9 yards per carry as a team, and had three different running backs finish with at least 67 yards.
“They executed really well in what they were doing and kind of caught us in some bad calls sometimes. And also, we just weren’t playing physical enough to stop the run,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “You don’t do that, those are the kind of yards they’re going to put up on you.”
“We tried it and that’s what we thought we had most success at, is running the football,” Washington head coach Jay Gruden said. “From counters or powers, we have a lot of different schemes going at them — gaps, traps, warps, all that stuff, pitches, guys pulling. We have an athletic line — a powerful line — and it was great to show their versatility today.”
The ground game started with running back Rob Kelley, who had 78 yards on 12 carries. Kelley, however, left the game with an injury to his ribs and did not return.
Chris Thompson and Samaje Perine picked up where Kelley left off, rushing three times for 77 yards and 21 times for 67 yards, respectively. Two of Thompson’s three carries went for touchdowns — one seven yards, another 61 — and he also caught three passes for 29 yards.
Offensively, the Rams started out slow in the first quarter, but were able to get things going as the game continued. Goff finished 15-of-25 passing for 224 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Todd Gurley had 88 yards on 16 carries and three receptions for 48 yards — giving him 136 yards on 19 touches. He also scored a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Both Gurley and Goff mentioned postgame that they noticed Washington wasn’t covering Gurley much out on routes out of the backfield and tried to take advantage of it.
“[The receptions] just come when they happen,” Gurley said. “They weren’t really respecting — they weren’t really guarding me at all on the check down. So just told Goff to be alert for me and he was able to hit me on a couple of them.”
Gurley’s best play was his touchdown catch, during which he hurdled a defender before keeping his balance and stretching the ball over the pylon for an 18-yard scoring strike.
“Just happens,” Gurley said of the hurdle. “I don’t really pay attention to it too much.”
There were other positives to take out of the game — like tight end Gerald Everett’s 69-yard reception to the right, and his 24-yard reception down the seam, both of which Goff complimented in his postgame press conference.
But ultimately, the Rams were on the wrong side of this game in part because penalties and turnovers set them back. Gurley fumbled on the first play of the Rams’ third drive, giving Washington the ball back at the L.A. 30. And on Los Angeles’ penultimate drive, wide receiver Robert Woods was flagged for both unnecessary roughness and offensive pass interference. The latter helped keep the Rams in field-goal range to tie the game instead of potentially scoring a touchdown to go ahead.
“One of them, just ran my route, linebacker just happened to run into me and got called for [offensive pass interference],” Woods said. “The other one, just got to be more controlled and stay in the game and just play within the whistle.”
“That’s part of that football character that we talk about all the time — taking full responsibility for your actions, for your performance, no excuses, no complaining,” McVay said of Woods’ comments. “And that’s why Robert is one of those guys that we’re counting on. We know that he will respond the right way and we expect our entire team to be able to do the same thing.”
Washington got on the board first with a 41-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Though the visitors had 3rd-and-17 on the Los Angeles 45, quarterback Kirk Cousins was able to neutralize strong pressure with a screen pass to wide receiver Jamison Crowder that gained 21 yards.
The visitors would later score a first-quarter touchdown in large part from Kelley gashing the Rams with runs of 19 and 21 yards to move down the field. But Thompson would finish the drive with a seven-yard run to give Washington a 10-0 advantage.
Gurley’s fumble induced a sudden-change situation, with Washington beginning its drive deep in L.A. territory. But the Rams’ defense held the visitors to a field goal, keeping the score within reach.
Down 13-0, Los Angeles’ offense got going with Goff’s 69-yard pass to Everett on 1st-and-10 from the 25. Goff called it an “off schedule” play, as he escaped a collapsing pocket to the right and noticed no one covering Everett on the right side.
“He took the correct angle up the field, and just gave him the ball and [he] ran down the field,” Goff said. “He played really well today. The seam ball he caught, too, was really good — really, really good.”
Gurley would complete the drive with a one-yard touchdown run, his second rushing touchdown of the season.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein connected on a 32-yard field goal later in the second quarter to bring the Rams within three. But Washington would get a quick touchdown to go into halftime up 20-10.
On 2nd-and-6 from the Washington 39, Cousins handed a draw play to Thompson and the running back went up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown.
Gurley’s touchdown reception came early in the third quarter to cut Washington’s lead to three. And after trading a few punts, the Rams got tricky on fourth down to extend what would be their game-tying drive in the fourth quarter.
On 4th-and-6 at the Washington 45, punter Johnny Hekker fielded the snap, then cocked fright his arm and fired a pass to wide receiver Josh Reynolds on the left side for a first down. But Reynolds wasn’t done, evading defenders to move down the field for a 28-yard gain.
Zuerlein’s 40-yard field goal evened the score at 20 with 7:16 left in the game. But Washington used a 10-play, 70-yard drive to to go up by seven and take 5:27 off the clock. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson left the field midway through the drive due to injury, though McVay said postgame it was a cramping issue and Johnson should be fine. But Johnson’s absence was felt for the rest of the drive.
Cornerback Kevin Peterson replaced Johnson on the field and was matched up with wide receiver Ryan Grant on Kirk Cousins’ game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass to the left side of the end zone.
“They made the plays, we didn’t,” McVay said. “We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we can do to get that thing fixed and move forward.”
The Rams are now 1-1 in 2017, and will have a particularly quick turnaround this week as they head up to the Bay Area to face the 49ers on Thursday Night Football.
“We’ve got to look at ourselves — I’ve got to do a better job for our team as a whole,” McVay said. “[This is] the first adversity that we’ve faced. We really get a chance to see how we’ll respond on a short week, so we don’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves about this game.”
“it’s going to be a great challenge,” McVay later added. “It sounds like they had a tough battle against an excellent Seattle team. And I’ve got a lot of respect of that coaching staff in San Francisco, and I know [49ers head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] will have his guys ready to go.”
September 17, 2017 at 11:10 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74482znModeratorFrustrating loss shows how far Rams have come
AP
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams have improved. And Sunday’s loss was a prime example.
The Rams had a chance to tie against Washington in the final two minutes despite struggling to stop the run and committing untimely mistakes on offense. The 27-20 loss is both a reminder of how far they have come and how far they still have to go to become consistent winners.
“We saw how we can fight back,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “We were down 13-nothing pretty early and couldn’t get much going offensively. Then we were able to get some big plays, come all the way back and get a chance to take the lead there, ultimately tied it with the field goal. And still had a chance to win at the end of the game. It’s good to know that we have that capability. With that being said, though, it wasn’t nearly where we could be.”
All the good feelings from their season-opening romp over the Indianapolis Colts seemed like they were erased when Washington took a 10-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter. Running back Todd Gurley lost a fumble on the next play from scrimmage, and it seemed inevitable that another of the woefully uncompetitive losses that defined the Rams’ disappointing first season back in Los Angeles was about to happen again.
But the defense held Washington to a 22-yard field goal, and Goff found tight end Gerald Everett for a 69-yard pass after breaking the pocket to start the ensuing drive. A potential 17-0 whitewashing had turned into a 13-7 fight in just a few plays.
The game was on, even after Chris Thompson took a delayed handoff 61 yards for a touchdown and a 20-10 Washington lead late in the second quarter.
“We got the weapons out there to make the plays, to make big plays to get ourselves back in the game,” Goff said. “It’s drastically improved. As long as we execute and take care of the ball good things will happen.”
However, the Rams failed on both accounts, and failed in their chance to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2001. The defense allowed 229 yards rushing for the game and a 70-yard game-winning touchdown drive to Washington late in the fourth quarter.
Several Rams players could not explain the reason for those issues against the run despite the return of All-Pro lineman Aaron Donald until they reviewed the film, but defensive end Ethan Westbrooks attributed it to not maintaining gap integrity.
“It’s frustrating to lose, period,” Ogletree said. “We were definitely frustrated about giving up that amount of yards in the run game. When you don’t stop the run, you leave yourself open for a lot of stuff. They executed real well. Credit to them for coming in with a good game plan and doing the right thing, but we got a lot of work to do.”
The offense’s issues came down to penalties and turnovers.
Goff threw an interception with 1:37 remaining, as his lazy check down to Cooper Kupp was picked off. Wide receiver Robert Woods was called for two penalties on the drive where the Rams tied the game at 20 with 7:16 to play, including an offensive pass interference call that negated a completion to Gurley that would have given the offense first and goal at the 5-yard line.
Compared to last season’s Rams, who were blown out by 21 points or more in four of their last six games, cleaning up the self-inflicted errors is a task this group is hungry to address.
“There’s things we can fix,” Woods said. “There are details that cost us the game. If we fix that, I feel like we should be able to compete and win those games.”
September 17, 2017 at 11:08 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74481znModeratorSam Farmer @LATimesfarmer
The Rams beat Seattle, 9-6, in W2 last year, and it felt like a dead-end street.
They lost to Washington, 27-20, and looked like an NFL teamI think we have a prejudice here. In the first game the defense won it. That apparently doesn’t count. Today the defense fell apart, but the offense was better, so…now it’s a real team even though it lost. Not, as I would describe it instead, an improving offense with a bad defense…because apparently for Sam, that is neither here nor there.
September 17, 2017 at 11:05 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74480znModeratorSam Farmer @LATimesfarmer
The Rams beat Seattle, 9-6, in W2 last year, and it felt like a dead-end street.
They lost to Washington, 27-20, and looked like an NFL teamznModeratorHah! What happened to my post? Weird.
Anyway–not posting all that again. Had trouble posting a gif so I wrote a scathing review of the game–around 3,000 words or so, I believe(I didn’t count them). Anyway–I’m having a posting performance kind of like the Rams playing performance today.
I’ll get better.
I will hold myself accountable.
I promise.
I may have screwed that up accidently. You had a gif that wasn’t working and I tried to fix it. I think I may have hit edit before noticing you had added to the post. And it was for nothing because I couldn’t fix the gif anyway.
I apologize PA. Just being overzealous I guess. My bad.
…
September 17, 2017 at 8:38 pm in reply to: McVay, Goff … 9/17 … vids & transcripts (of them & others) #74471znModerator#LARams Post-game LIVE: Jared Goff https://t.co/7wzm6EMu8X
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 18, 2017
September 17, 2017 at 8:35 pm in reply to: media on the WASHINGTON GAME…tweets, articles, etc. #74469znModeratorVincent Bonsignore @DailyNewsVinny
#Rams are an improved team this year. But they aren’t good enough to overcome the type of loose ends they had today1 Lot of credit to #Rams WR Robert Woods, who basically asked the reporters over to his locker to take full responsibility for his penalties
2. There is something very different about this #Rams team compared to last. And Woods owning his huge mistakes is a prime example.Great play call by #Rams on fake punt. Josh Reynolds nice move to pick up extra yards on pass from Hekker
#Rams Gurley running much more decisively..as far as hanging onto the ball, well.
J.B. Long @JB_Long
#LARams most recent 93yd drive (capped by Gurley hurdle TD) was longest for #Rams since November 2014. #HornsUpScramble drill: Longest completion of Jared Goff’s @RamsNFL career goes 69 yds to Gerald Everett. Game on. #LARams
Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Cousins TD pass as Ryan Grant beats CB Kevin Peterson, who was activated Sat. from practice squadRyan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Aaron Donald was not happy with his performance today: “I didn’t play too good. It showed.” Said he’ll be “a lot more ready” next week.Rich Hammond @Rich_Hammond
MVPunter.Alden Gonzalez @Alden_Gonzalez
Jared Goff threw the clinching interception at the start of what could’ve been a game-tying drive, but this game was lost on the Rams’ struggles defending te underneath part of the field. Redskins killed them with their running game (even though Rob Kelley left early with a rib injury) and Kirk Cousins’ quick, short throws.Rams executed a perfect fake punt, something they loved to do under Jeff Fisher. 4th and 6, Johnny Hekker completes a short pass to Josh Reynolds on the outside, and Reynolds picks up 28 yards.
Joe Curley @vcsjoecurley
“I’m sure I’ll have a crew there,” Goff says about going home to Bay Area next week.Goff says today did show the Rams have the ability to fight back and get back in a game. “We now know we’re never out of the fight.”
“Tough way to end it,” says Jared Goff. Says there were some lessons to be learned.
“I probably could have called a better play and we probably could have done a better job” with the football – McVay on late int
McVay says he has to do a better job of giving run game a chance.
Only injury update: Gerald Everett (thigh contusion). He’s day to day.
znModeratorInactives, Washington game
Brandon Allen QB Inactive
Marqui Christian DB Inactive
Justin Davis RB Inactive
Andrew Donnal OT Inactive
Cornelius Lucas OT Inactive
Ejuan Price LB Inactive
Kayvon Webster CB InactiveznModeratorGoff 15 of 25 (60%) for 224, 8.96 YPA, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks, qb rating of 86.03 (estimated not official)
Gurley, 16 for 88, 5.5 YPC, 1 TD, 1 fmbl lost
znModeratorovertime! Colts 13, Cards 13
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