close
close

Before Matthew Stafford plays the impossible finale, the Rams defense had its big moment

SEATTLE — Before Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford unleashed his own special dark chaos with two throws that defied the deadly rules of physics and led the Rams to a 26-20 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday …

Before veteran receiver Demarcus Robinson caught the most unlikely touchdown pass with one hand and kept defender Tariq Woolen at bay with the other arm, Cooper Kupp had to fend off an edge block against a linebacker. His block gave Stafford the opportunity to rotate his hips to position himself for a deeper throw as he moved to his left. It was also that block that convinced Stafford to throw the kill shot against full pressure rather than to an outlet underneath — before the snap, he said, he had no plans to unleash that particular throw to Robinson from a high corner route . He thought he had undercut, but that was because Robinson Woolen was conveying that message with his body language because the ultra-fast cornerback had made up most of the early distance Robinson had gained against him and the smart receiver didn't want to, that Woolen thought about the ball coming his way.

“I didn’t think I threw the ball before the snap,” Stafford said. “Sometimes things like that happen, you get away clean and D-Rob does a great job, wins the point, then holds it back and catches it.”

Kupp added with a grin: “Take the 'athlete' out into space.” Matthew, that is. And then give him a chance to make a play and do something sweet. So I just tried to stay on that edge a little more than usual and he did a great job of rotating his hips and getting the ball to D-Rob. … This ball is very rarely thrown in this direction. …I just couldn't believe it when I saw Matthew rotating his hips. I thought, 'Oh, he's going to give up on this thing.'”

Before Stafford hit fourth-grader Tutu Atwell for another tough throw and catch, gaining 16 yards with 6:29 left in overtime, he completed a pass 24 yards down the right sideline to another veteran, Tyler Johnson Die, in two sets Arms of the defenders. Throwing and catching was definitely not possible convincingly. Except they were.

And before the Rams' otherwise clogged and error-riddled offense got the ball back in overtime — in a sudden-death situation where any next point would win — a young defense that's starting to learn who it is was stopped.

It wasn't just any stopover; The Seahawks' fourth-and-1 from the Los Angeles 16-yard line was a running play with a particularly suited offensive lineman, a jumbo run formation and possibly the weight of a season on the line.

“I thought, 'Hey, whoever comes out here, we're ready to ball,'” rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske said. “I think we were pretty excited when they came out with that offense and tried to get into a big personnel group. I think we all kind of embraced it. It was like, 'Well, let's go.' Let the ball run. Bring it with you.'”

Seattle was clearly watching the Rams' last overtime game – a loss to Detroit in Week 1, in which the offense watched helplessly from the sidelines as the Lions repeatedly rammed the ball into a gassed defensive front and steamrolled it to victory. The Seahawks opened their overtime schedule the same way, with physical runs and quick slants that looked all too familiar.

Not this time. This defense now stands late after practice and works together on gap techniques and communication against overturned trash cans set up to simulate opposing offensive line blocks. Afterward, Fiske pulls weight sleds alone on the side of the locker room to work his legs, hips and back. Not only are they in better shape, they are also at full speed better.

“Yeah, it felt similar (to the loss in Week 1),” Sean McVay said, “but this group has grown.” The mental toughness, the physical toughness, especially of that defensive group – you know, you talk about that Being able to “find your identity” is what they are scoring points in four weeks in a row. … It’s pretty fun to be in this group. And they just have an infectious energy and enthusiasm.”

Was this stop liberating, especially given what happened to this young defense a few weeks ago?

“I'm not really sure what 'cathartic' means, but yeah, based on the context, yeah,” Fiske said, laughing at himself after the game. “We just had to buckle down. That was the big thing. We remembered that. At the Detroit game, they ran us down the field. They scored pretty easily. Getting knocked down in this situation…deep red zone. …It was time to buckle up. I’m just really proud of the guys that were out there.”

No, the Rams' defense wasn't flawless. Interior defenders going offside early in the game while trying to time the snap resulted in penalties and worse – teammates on the second and third levels being one step short of a free play for the offense after reacting to that move had reacted. That led to a receiver falling behind veteran Darious Williams on Seattle's first touchdown. Then second-year receiver Puka Nacua was ejected after an emotional, undisciplined moment just before halftime in which he tackled linebacker Tyrel Dodson (and after a contested ball intended for Nacua was intercepted). ), the defense completely collapsed and Seattle scored again. The Seahawks led 13-3 at halftime. Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished the game with 180 yards and two touchdowns, while missed tackles (particularly in the middle of the field, as former leading tackler and team captain Ernest Jones IV watched from the other sideline) led to some explosive gains led.

Go deeper

Rams WR Puka Nacua exits in the second quarter against the Seahawks

But as the offense repeatedly lost possession – minus a balanced, physical touchdown drive in the third quarter – and failed to tie the game in two attempts north and south of the two-minute warning (even after Seattle called its last time out). ), the defense stayed on the ball.

“There would be a lot of reasons for them to be upset about what the offense did today, and me never “I felt that,” McVay said. “I think this is such a cool thing that reflects the caliber of character of this team and the culture that these guys are building and establishing.”

Undrafted free agent rookie safety Jaylen McCollough's first-quarter interception on a third-and-9 shouldn't get lost in the utter chaos of Sunday's game (Seriously, what not happen? They even had a punt blocked. Poor Ty Zentner joined the team on Thursday as a replacement for starter Ethan Evans as he recovered from an illness. Zentner shouldn't have been on the field so often, but the offense couldn't sustain the attacks or even push the ball past midfield at times. McCollough leads the team with four interceptions. Rookie safety Kamren Kinchens, who saw more snaps while Kam Curl was dealing with a knee injury, caught two snaps of his own and one was a 103-yard touchdown return, the longest in franchise history.

“If you catch one, it’s not illegal to catch another,” Kinchens said after the game. Legendary safety Ed Reed used to tell him that when Kinchens was at the University of Miami. The Rams have eight interceptions this season and are tied for fifth in the NFL entering Sunday night games.

Overall, the Rams' defense finished the game with seven sacks – the most in a game since 2020 – and three takeaways with one touchdown. Rookies Jared Verse and Fiske competed all night for sacks (Fiske had two, Verse had one), and five players on defense are above the league average in pressure rate (Verse, who doubled the league average, Fiske, Byron Young, Michael Hoecht and nose tackle Kobie Turner). The extent of their confidence in each other and overall was evident in small moments of style points as they continued to make plays. Defensive coach Giff Smith celebrated his “conductor” with Turner from his spot on the sideline after Turner collected a sack. Verse waved to the famous “12s” – the raucous home crowd at Lumen Field between snaps. Hoecht stood imperiously over a penalty flag (Seattle had saved the game) and pointed exaggeratedly at it, i.e. in the direction the ball would move (backwards).

This is a group that learns their personality, their quirks and everything. It's a group that doesn't give up.

“The movie doesn’t lie,” Fiske said. “We are a young defense. We come together. I think that's what shined tonight, the way everyone came together. Everyone communicated on the field – it was cool. It's really cool to see that happen for us. We worked really hard.”

(Photo of Rams' fourth stop: Joe Nicholson / Imagn Images)

You may also like...