There was a lot of frustration among Rams players and coaches following Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers after the team blew a 13-9 lead late in the fourth quarter to fall two games below .500. Jalen Ramsey, who’s a leader of this team and an outspoken player, wasn’t afraid to make his feelings about the offense known.
He was critical of the fact that the offense couldn’t close out the game by picking up just one first down with under two minutes to play. That was after the defense stopped the Bucs on fourth down, capped off by Ramsey’s pass deflection in the end zone.
“The defense should not have had to go back on the field. Simple,” Ramsey said, via NFL.com. “Gotta have some dogs who are gonna go get it. We shouldn’t come to the sideline after a big stop like that and our coaches or the other side or whoever telling us, ‘We gonna to need y’all one more time. We gonna to need y’all one more time.’”
On Monday, Sean McVay was asked about Ramsey’s comments and he didn’t take issue with them. He talked to Ramsey and knows how passionate he is, feeling the All-Pro cornerback said what he did with the right intentions. He also noted that Ramsey would say the same thing about the defense inf the roles were reversed.
“I talked to Jalen and I am aware of those things. I talked with him this morning. Jalen’s a great competitor. He would say the same thing on the defensive side of the ball if the roles were reversed. So he’s always going to be honest,” McVay said. “He wants to win. He’s passionate about this. He is supportive of his teammates, but he wants them to want to do well and wants them to expect to do well and have that confidence that’s exuded. That’s no different than when you hear him talk to his fellow teammates on the defensive side of the ball, if there’s got to be an opportunity to be able to rise up and make a play, or if there hasn’t been that delivered in certain instances over the last few years. So Jalen is consistent. That’s consistent with his demeanor and I know where he is coming from in terms of wanting to win, wanting to compete, and wanting his teammates to expect to do well and have the confidence to close out those games. So I think his teammates know that, his coaches know that. I know where he’s coming from and it’s all with the right intentions.”
Nothing Ramsey said was wrong or inaccurate, either. The offense mustered just 206 yards, nine first downs and punted nine times, failing to pick up a single first down in the entire fourth quarter.
The defense, meanwhile, only gave up one touchdown and 323 yards to the Bucs, and 54 of those yards came on the final game-winning drive. The defense did its job, but the offense did not.