Tag: Los Angeles Rams

Watch Sean McVay’s fiery locker room speech after Rams’ win over Saints

Sean McVay was fired up after the Rams’ comeback win over the Saints, handing out game balls to Kyren Williams and two others

Sean McVay always brings the energy in the locker room after Rams wins, applauding his players for getting the job done – whether it’s a one-point win or 30-point blowout. Sunday’s game against the Saints was a close one, but the Rams pulled out the victory with a second-half comeback after getting shut out in the first 30 minutes.

McVay was fired up in the locker room, giving a passionate speech to the team at the Superdome. He also handed out three game balls, recognizing Kevin Dotson, assistant defensive line coach AC Carter and Kyren Williams for their efforts on Sunday.

He was particularly excited to give Williams his game ball, praising the running back for bouncing back after fumbling twice last week against the Eagles.

“I think it’s fitting that he (expletive) closes the game out, you see the way he (expletive) approached the week,” McVay said. “You talk about a guy that is all about the right kind of (expletive). He did something today that nobody is surprised about. We all knew, he knew. What a (expletive) G. Kyren Williams.”

Williams broke down the huddle in the locker room with a fiery speech of his own.

“Don’t forget this (expletive) feeling we got right now. We’re going to carry this (expletive) on for the rest of the season. Ain’t nobody (expletive) stopping us, man. I ain’t hearing (expletive).”

It was great to see Williams rebound from a tough game last week, and even better for McVay to recognize him. In the win on Sunday, Williams rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Jared Verse was the closer the Rams needed against the Saints

Jared Verse delivered with the game on the line against the Saints, coming up with a key stop on fourth down

Jared Verse didn’t have a sack in the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the New Orleans Saints. He didn’t have a single tackle for a loss and finished with five total tackles. It wasn’t his best game by any means, but when the Rams needed him most, he delivered in the clutch.

It shows the impact a pass rusher can have on a game even when he isn’t sacking the quarterback and Verse has quickly become one of the best young edge defenders in the NFL.

With the Rams leading 21-14 and just over a minute remaining, the Saints were threatening to tie the game from Los Angeles’ 9-yard line. It was fourth-and-3 after three straight runs by Alvin Kamara, which is when Verse made his presence felt.

Foolishly, the Saints tried to block him one-on-one with tight end Foster Moreau and it went about as poorly as you’d expect. Verse beat Moreau rather easily, turned the corner and hit Derek Carr’s arm to force the incompletion. It didn’t go down as a turnover forced by Verse, but it was a turnover on downs and got the ball back for the Rams, allowing them to ice the game one play later thanks to an 11-yard run by Kyren Williams.

Verse ended the game with six pressures and three stops, a fantastic performance once again by the rookie out of Florida State. He was constantly in the backfield pressuring Carr, dominating on the right side of the defense.

Just as Aaron Donald did in the Super Bowl, Verse closed out the game in dominant fashion by forcing an incompletion on fourth down to all but end it.

 

WATCH: Saints tie the game on huge two-point conversion catch by Dante Pettis

WATCH: Saints wideout Dante Pettis makes a spectacular grab to tie the game with a two-point conversion against the Rams

The New Orleans Saints were able to tie their matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter on the back of a Marquez Valdes-Scantling touchdown, and then a Dante Pettis two-point conversion catch. The play by Dante Pettis was pretty spectacular, as Derek Carr had to throw off his back foot which caused the pass to be underthrown, and Pettis was able to come back to the ball and snag it over the top of Darious Williams. This tied the game at 14 points a piece, and brought the Saints back into contention as they were previously down 14 to 6.

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Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends

Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends. His predecessor lost four times after shutting out an opponent in the first half:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi has a chance to buck an alarming trend that started under Dennis Allen, after holding the Los Angeles Rams scoreless in the first half.

Saints fan and professional statistician Jeff Asher shared an interesting stat; Allen-led New Orleans teams had lost four games after not allowing the opponents to score in the first half. Sean Payton never once lost one of those games.

And the only other time the Rams had been shut out under Sean McVay was the infamous Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots. Los Angeles will be entering unknown territory here.

The Saints were only able to muster six points themselves, so the game could still go either way. It’s another important test for Rizzi, and a big opportunity for him to buck one of the most troubling trends of his predecessor’s tenure.

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Rams just snapped a 129-game streak by getting shut out in 1st half vs. Saints

The Rams had gone 129 straight games without getting shut out in the first half before Sunday’s game against the Saints

The Los Angeles Rams came into Week 13 looking to find something on offense after putting up just 20 points against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the first half went about as poorly as it could have. After gaining just 4 yards in the entire first quarter against the New Orleans Saints, the Rams continued to struggle in the second quarter with just 89 total yards and zero points.

They went into halftime at the Superdome trailing 6-0, getting outgained by the Saints, 174-93. Alvin Kamara had 80 yards rushing by himself, which was just 13 fewer yards than the Rams had as a team.

It was the first time in the Sean McVay era that the Rams were shut out in the first half of a regular-season game. Coming into this game, they had an NFL-long 129 game streak without getting shut out in the first half, but that came to an end with their abysmal performance in the first 30 minutes against New Orleans.

The last time they were shut out in the first half of a game was in December of 2016, before McVay was even hired. Currently, the Ravens have the longest streak of games without being shut out in the first half, extending it to 124 games on Sunday.

Rams vs. Saints inactives: Who’s in, who’s out for Week 13

Alaric Jackson is officially active for the Rams today against the Saints after being questionable

For the first time this season, the Los Angeles Rams won’t be missing a single starting offensive lineman due to injury or suspension. They’ll be at full strength up front today against the New Orleans Saints, which is great news for the offense.

Alaric Jackson, who was questionable to play with a foot injury, is officially active. Rob Havenstein is also active after missing the last three games with an ankle issue. Steve Avila, Beaux Limmer and Kevin Dotson are expected to be the other starters on the interior.

Below is the full list of inactives for the Rams as they take on the Saints today, which includes Brennan Jackson and Warren McClendon Jr. both being a healthy scratch

For the Saints, there are no huge surprises on their list of inactives. Center Erik McCoy was listed as questionable coming into the game but he’s inactive.

Why do Rams kickers seem to regress under special teams coach Chase Blackburn?

Joshua Karty is the latest kicker to struggle with the Rams under special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn

It has been no secret for Rams fans that the team has suffered from inconsistent kicking performances since the hiring of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.

Having gone through three kickers in two years, the prevalent problems of missed field goals and extra points have somehow plagued every player who inherits the starting job. When looking at Brett Maher, Lucas Haversik, and Joshua Karty, you have three kickers with three different backgrounds and experience levels. Yet, as Rams, all three kickers have had a field goal make percentage between 73.9-76.2%.

However, it is not a case of the Rams signing kickers with that percentage.  Maher was effective in the year before he joined the Rams. During his 2023 season in Los Angeles, Maher’s FG accuracy was 73.9% with two missed extra points in 15 attempts. He was also 10-of-17 from 40 yards and beyond.

In 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys, Maher’s FG accuracy was 90% with three missed extra points in 50 attempts. He was 15-for-18 from 40-plus yards. Maher was coached by former Rams STC John Fassel during that season.

Lucas Havrisik was an inconsistent kicker throughout his collegiate career and he has yet to play a game in the NFL outside of his stint with the Rams so Blackburn wasn’t entirely to blame in 2023. But Karty’s performances in 2024 have changed that narrative.

Karty has only made 76.2% of his field goal attempts with two extra points missed and a 5-for-8 mark from 40-plus yards. Considering he’s supposed to be getting better coaching in the NFL, Karty should have better numbers from his days in college but they are in fact worse.

In 2023 as a member of the Stanford Cardinal, Karty made 85.2% of his field goals and was 11-for-14 from 40+ yards. The problem appears to be Blackburn.

Until the Rams fix whatever issues Blackburn is causing, whoever is kicking the ball will be subject to the same failures as before. It seems cruel to say but not being able to retain John Fassel in 2019 seems even more frustrating when the former Rams special teams coordinator has turned Brandon Aubrey into an All-Pro.

Is Tyler Higbee playing today? Injury updates for Rams TE

Rams TE Tyler Higbee is nearing a return from offseason knee and shoulder surgeries. Here are the latest updates.

Tyler Higbee has been sidelined since tearing his ACL and MCL in the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff loss to the Detroit Lions in January. It’s been a long road but the veteran tight end finally returned to practice for the first time last week.

He’s going to play at some point this season, it’s just a matter of when. The Rams could use him, too, with the offense sputtering and stalling out, particularly on third down and in the red zone.

Here are the latest updates on Higbee as he continues to work his way back from a serious knee injury suffered eight months ago.

Tyler Higbee injury update

Sean McVay provided an update on Higbee’s status Friday, telling reporters that the Rams will hold him out for another week so he will not play against the Saints today. He said Higbee isn’t “quite ready,” even though he “probably is.”

The Rams just want to be smart with him rather than rushing him back.

“It was great having him back in practice this week,” McVay said. “He has brought a spark and an energy and just being himself. He’ll still be out though, not quite ready. He probably is, but we’re going to be smart with him.

How long will Tyler Higbee be out?

It’s uncertain how much longer Higbee will be out but he’s clearly getting close to returning. McVay indicated he’s probably ready to play now but they want to take it slow and ensure that he’s fully healthy before putting him on the field again.

Rams TE depth chart

Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Hunter Long will continue to split time at tight end while Higbee is out.

Rams are unwisely running Kyren Williams into the ground

Kyren Williams’ overusage is resulting in damaging results for the Rams.

Kyren Williams had a game to forget last weekend. He fumbled the ball twice and lost one of them on the opening drive in a 37-20 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. More embarrassing for the young running back, the performance solidified a belief that he has taken a step backward in his development.

However, it is not Williams’ fault as he has had to navigate through a variety of factors, including multiple absences on the offensive line and a blatant overuse by Sean McVay and his coaching staff.

Out of 267 rush attempts by the Rams this season, Williams has accounted for 77 percent of them. When you account for carries strictly by running backs, it jumps to 84 percent. While Blake Corum has 29 carries and Ronnie Rivers has 10, Williams has 207.

Not to mention, his 121 pass-blocking snaps are 41 more than any other running back in the NFL.

Williams’ mistakes result from a combination of frustration and fatigue. He’s been the Rams’ bell cow, but he’s getting run into the ground, resulting in turnovers like what happened on Sunday night.

Sean McVay needs to give Williams a rest, especially when he plays the majority of the passing snaps, too.

Corum and Rivers are more than capable and they will get the job done. Save Kyren Williams before he becomes another case study like Todd Gurley.

Rams vs. Saints injury report: Updates on Alaric Jackson and others

All the latest updates and news on the Rams’ initial injury report ahead of their Week 13 game vs. the Saints.

The Los Angeles Rams have been fairly fortunate on the injury front in recent weeks but that doesn’t mean they’ll be at full strength against the New Orleans Saints this weekend.

Their final injury report of the week on Friday listed four players with injury designations, including Alaric Jackson. He popped up with a foot injury this week, which caused him to miss all three days of practice.

Tyler Higbee and KT Leveston have both been ruled out, while Jackson and Nick Hampton are both questionable.

Rams vs. Saints injury report

Rob Havenstein injury update

Havenstein is good to go after being a full participant in practice all week. He missed the last three games with an ankle injury, so the Rams will be glad to have him back on the field against the Saints.

Alaric Jackson injury update

Jackson missed practice all week with a foot injury, but Sean McVay said he expects Jackson to play against the Saints. He says the Rams are just “being smart” with Jackson as he deals with his foot issue.

Tyler Higbee injury update

Higbee will not play this week, though McVay did say he’s probably ready. The Rams just want to take it slow with their veteran tight end as he recovers from his knee injury.