LOS ANGELES RAMS HEAD COACH SEAN MCVAY

Postgame press conference
Sunday, November 17, 2024

SM: Okay, guys. First of all, a lot of respect for Coach Mayo and their group. They did a great job, giving us everything they had. Really, it was a strange game. I thought offensively, after we have nine plays in the first quarter, end up not converting on a third down, even though we had had explosives in between there. Then we got rolling. It was a quick drives. A one-play scoring drive, a two-play scoring drive. I thought Matthew [Stafford] was in command the whole day. They did a good job of possessing the football so we didn't have that many snaps, even though we were able to get good positive yardage. Would love for us to have come away with points at the end of the half. You get all the way down, there's a great drive by the offense. For us to not come away with anything, that was frustrating. Overall, I'm proud of this group. They are resilient, and they had some good momentum going, and then our defense does a great job getting a stop right there. Kam Kinchens coming up with another big play. Seems like Fiske made his presence felt. Puka was big-time today. And then congratulations to Matthew being top ten in touchdown passes all time. That's a major accomplishment. I thought he was lights out today. Really, if it wasn't for a couple of those third downs where we just missed, even in the last drive where we're trying to be able to run the clock out, we had a big play to Demarcus. They did good job being able to get their hands up. But he was in command. Unbelievable job of just kind of I thought he saw the field really well. Recognized the zero, ended up hitting Cooper on the 69-yard touchdown. He did a great job today.

Q: Sean, no sacks and then also, not just the pass game but the run game in the middle parts of the game, you guys were able to get it going. How did the offensive line play today in your mind, and what went into replacing –

SM: Just what we thought would be best, Jordan, kind of like what I talked you guys about. When you're able to run the football, other things can come off of it. It's what offensive ball should look like when it's quality. And I thought there was a lot of examples of that. We have to be able to build on this. I was proud of that group. It was a weird day, like I mentioned, because some of the minimal opportunities. And then some of the snaps we had in the first half were more situational ball or a sudden change in the red area. They did a good job. The one drive we're talking about where Kyren got a couple of runs, I thought our left side did an excellent job. You can see Alaric was really coming off the football. Steve did a great job. I was proud of the group overall. They did give us a couple different things. They'd shown some stuff. I thought we held up really well in protection.

There was a couple times where there were some stunts they brought that forced to ball to come out earlier than we'd have liked. I was really pleased. Thought Coach Wendell did a really great job. Cool to have a handful of guys that were here. This place meant a lot to them, to be able to come back here and get a win.

Q: A couple of thoughts on Drake Maye and what's striking about him now that you've seen him in person?

SM: You look at it, and you can really see his ability to create off schedule. I thought he did a great job of being able to make plays in the pocket today, extend drives. I thought he was patient, taking some underneath check-downs where guys were able to create. We had tighter coverages, and he was able to fit the ball into tight windows. He looks like a stud. I didn't do too much work on him coming out. I do know a lot of people that studied him really hard that I truly respect their opinions loved what he was all about. You can see just the impact that he has on his teammates, the way people talk about him here. He looks like he's going to be a special player for a long time, and he gave us fits today.

Q: At the end of the game, when you decided to punt and not kick the field goal, difficult decision?

SM: There wasn't a lot of reason to feel great about that operation today. And so felt good about the defense. I thought Ethan and our punt team did a good job of being able to pin them deep. Knowing they needed a touchdown, there wasn't a whole lot of back and forth. Felt pretty convicted in that decision right there.

Q: Three for four in the red zone. What was the difference in that area?

SM: Execution. It always is. Really the one we didn't was at the end of the half where we were more competing against the clock. It was execution. The guys did what they're capable of doing. I thought the coaches did a great job of this week of being able to provide clarity. They had the courage to be able to go for it. That's what we want. They did a good job mixing it up. There's a lot of different personnel groups, a lot of different people they play defensively. So we've got to be able to build on this. I was proud of the group and, obviously, finishing with touchdowns instead of field goals or those field goal attempts, that was the difference in last week's game and arguably the difference in this week's game.

Q: I know Puka came back into the game. Was there any worry when he went out with an injury?

SM: They were being cautious with him because he threw up. He fell on the ball. He's crazy like that. There wasn't anything with his head. He's okay.

Q: I know you talk about this in L.A. You have two wide receivers. One of them dominated the first half. Second half, Kupp, a big second half. Both over 100 yards, both big plays. Can you talk about the importance of that not only balance on your team, running and throwing, but having two go-to guys.

SM: I think you mentioned it. With the question, you answered it. To be able to have two capable guys. I think Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell has been really reliable. It was good to see Colby Parkinson make a big play for the touchdown on the keeper. Puka and Cooper have been – Cooper obviously has been doing it for a long time. He's so steady. He maximizes his moments. There's a couple of ops where we missed him in the first half, even though we were able to get the touchdown to him. I thought the touchdown coming out of the half, the second play of our opening drive, that was big. Zero blitz. He's running a seam across his face but he's always kind of just – that's what he's been. That's what makes him great, and I think his influence has rubbed off on Puka. Puka is a stud. No moment is too big for him. I thought it was a huge third down catch that he had to be able to extend the drive to run some more clock off. And the best thing about Puka is he'll probably tell you he wanted to make the one we didn't make where we could have extended it down inside their tight red area if we end up making that play versus man coverage. But they were both great. They were instrumental in today's win.

Q: Sean, to follow up on that, on the zero blitz, did Cooper deviate? So did he read that as –

SM: He read it right. That was the adjustment you want with that specific route and that coverage contour. He and Matthew were on the same page. It was a 69-yard touchdown. We like those plays.

Q: To follow up on defense, they've been taking the ball away. That sequence in the fourth quarter, the Patriots scoring drive with the two big penalties, any concern there? What are the teachable moments?

SM: The teachable moments are that we can learn from those things. That was the thing. Jared Verse is – he's going to be better from that. Those are the types of things when you've got a young, youthful group, they've got a great spirit about them. How do we reign them in and not allow them to extend drives by things we can control. That's absolutely something we've got to be mindful of. We'll get it fixed. Our guys are the right kinds of guys, I have no doubt. That could have cost us and, fortunately, we don't have to learn the hard way. I trust we'll be better moving forward. It starts with me making sure there's clarity. Love the guys, but that was something we gathered them up and talked about it right after that drive. Like I mentioned, could have cost us, but I do believe we have the right guys that will learn from it.

Q: Sean, you're 5-5. Are you guys a .500 team? If not what do you have to do going down to the last seven days to change that?

SM: Take them one week at a time, Gary. Here's what I know. You're really starting the second half of the season. However you want to look at it, we look at it as those first nine games or the first half, here's the second half of the season. It's about how you finish. You've seen that. You've got to be able to earn it every single day. We can't play two games now. We can only play one game this week. We can have a great week of preparation. We've got a super-hot team coming in town, this is what you love. It's a great challenge. We are 5-5. That's what our record is after ten games. I fully believe we are capable of continuing to trend in the right direction and continue to improve. What that looks like, I'm excited for us to be able to go swing and see what the hell, you know, I'm sitting up here saying. And maybe you'll be asking "hey, you're 6-5 now." But you've got to earn it. We'll take it one game at a time.

Q: Sean, on the wide receivers, it seemed like you were kind of staying away from Christian Gonzalez a little bit. I should say Cooper and Puka were able to stay away from those guys. Is that a scheme thing?

SM: It kind of just worked out that way. There were some instances where we got a lot of respect for them. I had a lot of respect for the secondary, the different things they could do. Gonzalez is the real deal, does an excellent job, and I think it worked out that way. There were some instances where we said if you can avoid him, let's go ahead and do that.

Q: Is that something that you thought about entering the game?

SM: You know, I mean, you always look at – It's always about, all right, your players first, our team, and then what are those match-ups. And if you have the opportunity to be able to stay away certain things, then you want to be able to do that. But he's a great player. I think it just kind of worked out that way. Then there were some instances he was at the point of attack. All things being equal, if you had your choice, you'd say let's stay away from him.

Q: Hunter Long, his continuing growth blocking for you.

SM: He's done a great job. I've been really pleased. I think Nick Caley's leadership with that room in general has been on display. You look at Hunter, you look at Davis, you look at Colby, all those guys have continued to improve. We'll look forward to at some point getting Tyler Higbee back. Hunter's been awesome. It's been great to see him stay healthy. He's had great ability, works the right way. He's all about the right kind of stuff, and he's been a key contributor. Been really happy for Hunter.

QUARTERBACK MATTHEW STAFFORD

Postgame press conference
Sunday, November 17, 2024

Q: What did you make of the offense altogether, four touchdown passes? Apart from that what did you make of it overall?

MS: I thought it was good. Obviously things we want to clean up. First couple drives, had some opportunities to convert on third down and didn't quite do it. I thought the offensive line played really solid today. Obviously our backs did a nice job in the run game, and they kept me clean the majority of the game. That's a recipe for success when you play on offense. Big shout-out to those guys up front. I thought they played great.

Q: The third quarter, what did you see from Kyren Williams and how he was seeing some of the levels that were opened up for him and how he was hitting those?

MS: Yeah, I'll have to go back and look at it, but obviously it starts up front. Our guys on the perimeter did a nice job blocking and then it seemed like the run was over and then I would look up and he'd get five more. That's the kind of back that he is, that Blake [Corum] is. Those guys are really good football players. When you give those guys space, good things are going to happen for us.

Q: You described the momentum change at the start of the third quarter on that zero blitz. Describe what you saw and does Cooper Kupp make the adjustment in what you were seeing?

MS: Yeah, I mean, it was an off-the-ball kind of base defense, late-hitting zero a little bit. They're trying to hold it and get to us. I kind of alerted right away to Coop, that's kind of the route that he's running. He did not change it too much. Did a really nice job of kind of making something happen at the top of it. Don't really run a seam route versus zero very often in NFL football. I thought he did a great job of kind of giving me an indicator. I put it to a good spot and then he did the rest.

Q: You've had 10 touchdowns in the last four games combined. Does that speak to a comfort level or a confidence level?

MS: Just trying to play good football. You look at it today, it's all things, right. Coop made a good play on that play, Puka made a diving catch on another one. Colby did a great job of keeping his feet down in the back of the end zone on another. It takes everybody. It was just a good offensive day. We left points out there a few different times. But continue to try to get better and better.

Q: You were pretty specific about your memories of the last trip here for you. These memories will be better, I guess –

MS: Yeah.

Q: How does it feel to move up the career passing touchdown –

MS: Yeah, obviously a better day today than we've had in the past. Similar type defense, not as many nuanced things, but was a better day for us on offense, and then moving up the list. It's humbling. It is every week, obviously, if something happens. It's a really cool thing to be a part of. I love this game, love the history of it, have so much appreciation for the guys that came before me and really the guys that are coming after me. Just a humbling thing.

Q: What did you see from Puka Nacua on the touchdown catch?

MS: It was a great route. Great route. He made a great catch. It was kind of right in the sun spot. First two touchdowns were right there. But Coop and Puka did a nice job bringing those in. Obviously ran a great route and finished it off, like he always does.

Q: You guys were three of four in the red zone today. What was different?

MS: Just execution, right? It's no secret. We were up against the clock on the one drive when we were down in there, so it makes it a little difficult to do everything you want to do on that two-minute drive, but just guys making plays. That's what it is. We had some opportunities to make them. I'd try to give them chances, and those guys made them.

Q: This game was like the start of the second half of the season. How do you feel about that? What do you guys have to do to be more than a .500 team?

MS: Yeah, you've got to string wins together. That's what you've got to do. You've got to try to build off momentum, things that you do positive, and find ways to get better at the things that maybe didn't go your way in the game. Each game is a different one, and it's going to have a different flow to it. You're going to have to find a way to win it, which is the most important thing, but to try to continue to be as good of a football team as we can be, and then when those opportunities arise in games to finish people off we've got to do a good job of finishing people off.

Q: What are your thoughts on Drake Maye?

MS: Yeah, really talented player. I've watched a little bit of crossover tape just from games, but really talented kid. Obviously can move great in the pocket. I thought he stood in there a few times today and made some nice plays on third down. He's got a bright future.

Q. How did Beaux Limmer handle this week coming back into the starting lineup, and how did he handle tonight's game?

MS: He did a nice job. There's always going to be ones that we want back. I think of the third down kind of on their sideline, I had to flip one out to Coop and really I should have gotten us straightened out there a little bit better. But I thought handling the different looks, different personnels that they wanted to try to play against us, I thought he did a nice job, but I'll have to go see.

Q: What did you see on the seam route on the zero blitz?

MS: I just hadn't had a lot of opportunities to run that kind of a play against a zero pressure. I'm just glad he was on the same page I was on and did a nice job at the top.

Q: How much is that a different play than Tampa Bay in the playoffs?

MS: I would say the likelihood of getting the ball today is higher than it was in that Tampa one, but as far as the look went, no, it was similar. Kind of hit it on the run same kind of way, a little bit off the ball, and he did a nice job.

ADDITIONAL PLAYERS:

Puka Nacua, WR

(On his touchdown catch)

"I was trying to be part of the run game, then trying to outrace that corner. It wasn't great leverage, but Matthew [Stafford] put the ball up out there and just left the rest to me. I was like, 'I got to get that ball.' We were talking about the opportunities that we were going to have. Especially us wide receivers, when we were going to get in the red zone. That was my first touchdown of the season, so super excited for that, but also every time you get in the red zone and come away with six it feels a lot better. I came away with some nicks and bruises, it made me try to catch my breath but it felt good."

(On Matthew Stafford clicking today)

"I feel like it's every day. So I just try to make sure what it looked like when he was eating breakfast this morning. When he gets out there, and you see that ball coming out of his hand, you just trust it's going to be in the right spot. Something I try to mention all the time. I try to be better in my route position because you know he's going to put it in the one spot it can be. So when you run a good route you work the technique at the top of the route and create separation. A great ball makes it look like seven yards of separation for a good route."

(On moving forward after this win)

"A nice flight home and to rest and to digest the game and get ready to go back at it again. I feel like we got a lot of receivers involved and I feel like that is something we pride ourselves on. I'm always excited for all our guys to go out there and make plays. Colby Parkinson had his first touchdown today, and I think we've been able to show the versatility that we can provide in whatever personal group we but out there. We just have to continue to go out there and put out best foot forward."

(On Christian Gonzalez)

"A lot of the receivers were excited for that match up. I had a chance to play him in college, but I was hurt, so we didn't get to play. You're always excited to go up against some of the best. Obviously we just had Jalen Ramsey last week, but then we feel like we got a lot of receivers in our group so we put a big challenge to the defense."

Cooper Kupp, WR

(On the play of Hunter Long)

"He has been awesome. He has had some stuff, he has been hurt, and has some stuff going on and coming in here and being in and out and finding ways to get on the field. When he has been on the field, he has been really good for us, kudos for him, obviously everyone wants to be able to play. Even when he is not there, he's preparing for when these opportunities come up. He has been awesome"

(On his touchdown catch at the beginning of the third quarter)

"They have been showing a lot of stuff, like getting back into these clouds and that nickel defensive was off, whatever you want to call it. There were guys moving all over the place. They had [Jonathan] Jones off and outside about 8 yards and Dugger inside. I thought they were going to give us a Tampa two safety look and be able to drop off with how far off they were, and on the snap Dugger disappeared. What I thought was going to be a Tampa 2 was actually a soft zero and it goes back to a very old rule we had about running seam routes about speeding everything up and ripping in there. Matthew [Stafford] was just ready to go, it is not something we have talked about in a while but being on the same page as him is huge."

(On his long touchdown changing momentum)

"It is, obviously you drive down at the end of the first half, and we had some opportunities that I had hoped we had a chance to make a play in the red zone for us, but the defense made it tough on us. Obviously, not coming away with points, but being able to come out in the second half, and be able to get something going, it goes a long way. It was huge to get that going, and obviously from there next being to run the ball and get yardage and chunk the way down the field. It was good but we have stuff to clean up."

(On being 5-5 and any potential playoff run)

"It is the same thing I have said over and over again, we have to trust in this process. Trust in that we are doing the right thing and we are not trying to reinvent the wheel, or anything like that. For each of these guys, what can we do just a little bit better, and that process allows you to prepare yourself, to do the best you can out there. A lot of the guys that are in here, we are at our best when we are having fun. Remember that there is always preparation and all that work that goes into it and remember on Sundays you just have to let go. Go play and enjoy this game. It's meant to be enjoyed."

Kameron Kinchens, S

(On what he was thinking on the final drive)

"Go out there and make a play and most importantly, go out there and do your job."

(On the interception)

"Drake [Maye] made a move towards 85 [Hunter Henry], and when you see 85 go away, and you see 3 [DeMario Douglas] running up the middle of the field, there isn't anything more to do then just be attached to him. He threw the ball high and I made my play."

(On what it means to have a win like this)

"Competitive endurance, you know that is what Coach McVay always talks about. We got punched in the mouth first, but you know we came back swinging, and ended up winning the fight."

(On what he saw on the interception)

"It was a simple play, they came out 4 by 1 and 85 and 3 are their main guys, so it doesn't get any easier than that. His reads were kind of right there once you saw 85 go right there and 3 went up the middle. I was really going to make the tackle, but when I kind of saw the ball going high and 3 not adjusting to the ball, it was my opportunity to make a play."

(On the excitement of a walk-off interception and the slide)

"Oh yeah, I was trying to make it walk-off pick-six, but Boom [Christian Rozeboom] stopped me and I got down. Yeah, I would have probably just kept running. Oh no, no, I could have slid better, I intentionally, I wasn't trying to slide, I did that on purpose."

Braden Fiske, LB

(On his sacks)

"It's a testament to the whole defense. We were flying around and making plays. I couldn't have done it without Kobie (Turner) on the first one and the second one was guys just straight rushing and getting up field to the pocket and I did the clean-up."

(On the play of the defense)

"It feels good. We are playing good, we just need to clean up some of the little dumb things. It takes 11 of us to make it happen."

(On Drake Maye)

"Solid quarterback. He seems like he is getting better and better. You see the throws. The talent is obviously there. He has a bright future."

(On the win)

"We're excited, we're a young team. Keep taking the next step and get another win. Keep grinding. This puts us in position to win another one and that's all we can ask for. Get ready for the next game, one at a time, we are back to .500. There was a lot of self-inflicted wounds, the penalties. There were some points they probably shouldn't have had but those penalties put them in position to score. We've got to limit those things. It all comes down to discipline."

(On the turnovers)

"That's where our defense has grown the most, creating turnovers. That is where we have taken the biggest jump. Forcing turnovers, that gets their offense off schedule and giving our offense an opportunity."

Kobie Turner, DE

(On the win)

"This gives us some good momentum going into next week. We were able to pick up some stops when we needed to. We also had a lot of penalties, first and foremost myself, that prolonged drives that didn't need to be prolonged. We have a lot to learn from. We are going to be ready to go back and attack next week. It gives you shades of what we can be as a defense and what we can be as a team. We have to put it all together and not shoot ourselves in the foot."

(On the penalties)

"It comes down to not shooting ourselves in the foot. Whether it comes down to me not jumping offside on third and ten, giving them third and five or us getting a penalty after you already have a third down stop. I think it comes back to everything that we did to ourselves. It's a blessing and a curse. The curse part is we didn't need to make this game as close as it was. The blessing part is we got a win. That is the only thing that really matters is whether you get a win or a loss in the record book and the last time I checked a win is a win."

(On forcing turnovers)

"We've been playing some really good ball. We are an electric front and once we get them in those third and long situations, we pin our ears back and go get after the passer, that is when we can excel. To be able to stop them on early downs and force them into that long situation and then the two minute at the end of the game. What better way as a defense can you ask for to end a game. The guys stepped up big time."

Warren McClendon Jr., OL

(On how the offense held up today)

"It felt good, we saw some of those looks earlier in the week. Beaux Limmer did a good job of calling it out and stuff, so he was able get us in the right direction."

(On Kevin Dotson)

"He played great, he helped me out a lot."

(On having Beaux Limmer back)

"Beaux just stepped up like he never skipped a beat. He just came in and just got back to work, so I'm proud of him."

(On how well the offensive line played)

"It made a big difference of being able to run the ball. Being able to run the ball then you can throw the ball. So I think we did a good job with that today."