Tag: Sean McVay

Cardinals vs. Rams ultimate Week 13 preview

The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Arizona Cardinals this Sunday as the Cards look to start the end of the season strong. Can Kyler Murray lead the team to their first victory since October?

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals aren’t in playoff contention anymore, although they are not technically eliminated from the playoff race. Despite this, the overall mood of the locker room feels optimistic. The surrounding view of the team is far different than it was at this time last year. While a victory Sunday can’t propel them into the postseason, they can play spoiler to a dreaded division rival.

Recent history hasn’t been kind to fans in the desert when facing the Rams.  Los Angeles has dominated the Arizona Cardinals the past two years, outscoring them 130-25. That number includes two shutouts. For four games, Arizona had zero answers for the Sean McVay-Wade Phillips coaching combination.

This 2019 Cardinals team looks to be a lot different than the ones the Rams have played recently. Their record shows that of a ball club featuring a rookie head coach and quarterback, but the box scores show a team that has gone toe-to-toe with some of the league’s best.

This year’s Rams have had a fall from grace after nearly defeating the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. They’re 6-5 and have sputtered out of control following a strong start to the season. Jared Goff has only eleven touchdown passes compared to twelve interceptions. They’ll be coming into Glendale on a short week following a 6-45 massacre at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.

The Cardinals very nearly beat that same Ravens team in week two of the season, falling 17-23 after a beautiful pass from Lamar Jackson to Hollywood Brown on 3rd down and 13. That game looks more and more impressive for the Cards as the season moves along, as the Ravens are looking like the AFC favorite for the Super Bowl.

The Cardinals are refreshed after their bye week. In fact, it’s possible all 53 players on the active roster will be healthy this Sunday. Can they start the end of the season strong, or will they come out rusty and unprepared?

Continue on for our game preview of the Rams.

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Sean McVay: Aaron Donald’s stats are misleading but he can still improve

Aaron Donald certainly has things he can improve on, according to Sean McVay.

Aaron Donald has been one of the best overall players in the NFL the last few years, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. He led the league in sacks with 20.5 last season, which set an NFL record for a defensive tackle, but his numbers don’t look as impressive in 2019.

He has eight sacks in 11 games, which is still impressive for a DT but it isn’t what fans are used to after seeing him stuff the stat sheet last season.

Donald was shut out by the Ravens in Week 12, being held to just a tackle assist on the night. He didn’t get a single hit on Lamar Jackson, nor did he do much in the way of pressure. Sean McVay said Donald’s stats are misleading because of how much attention he draws.

Still, McVay believes Donald has room for improvement.

“Sometimes the stats can be misleading. I don’t think anybody on our team, really as a whole, played good enough to feel good about what occurred last week,” he said. “He certainly has things he can improve on. Then, sometimes there is an element of, all right, if they are paying a lot of attention and he’s dictating double teams, then it does free other guys up. Sometimes it’s about the play-ops that present themselves. More than anything, you look at your factor-ops from a defensive standpoint. He consistently grades extremely high on that, but that was a game our team as a whole, and I don’t think anybody can say that they were good enough last week.”

Donald remains one of the best players in the league and someone every offense has to be aware of. He can wreck a game with his ability to generate pressure and create negative plays, which is what makes him so good.

He’s still in contention for Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, which says everything you need to know about how well-respected and viewed he is by everyone.

Rams coach Sean McVay is a big fan of Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald

McVay gushed about the Cardinals legend when he spoke with reporters on Thursday.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald is arguably the most respected player in the entire National Football League. He has fans all over. One big fan of his is Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

McVay gushed about Fitzgerald when he spoke with reporters on Thursday as his team prepares to take on the Cardinals this weekend in Arizona.

“You talk about the epitome of a pro – class, represents everything that’s right about the NFL,” he said. “Then the production, the talent, what he’s done over the course of his career is why he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer,
without a doubt.”

McVay just loves everything about Fitzgerald on and off the field.

“I think the things that he does off the field – the way that he just consistently handles himself,” he said. “Then you watch the way that he competes with the ball, without the ball – the way that he’s still able to be productive. You can’t say enough good things about Larry. I have so much respect for him. I’ve loved watching him compete over the years. I’m a fan of Larry Fitzgerald. It’s impressive what he’s done.”

Through 11 games this season, Fitzgerald has 55 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns.

He has been especially productive in his career against the Rams. His 185 receptions against the Rams are the most he has against any team in the NFL.

The Cardinals and Rams lay this Sunday at 2 p.m. Arizona time at State Farm Stadium.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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Kliff Kingsbury on Sean McVay: ‘I wouldn’t have this job if not for him’

Kliff Kingsbury raved about Sean McVay on Wednesday.

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For the first time as NFL head coaches, Sean McVay and Kliff Kingsbury will square off on Sunday. The two are close off the field, but this will be the first time they face each other on opposing sidelines.

Kingsbury nearly joined McVay’s staff last offseason after he was fired by Texas Tech, but instead opted for the Cardinals’ head coaching vacancy after accepting a job as USC’s offensive coordinator.

On Wednesday, Kingsbury said he was “close” to joining the Rams, even after the USC opening came about.

Of course, Kingsbury found himself in a great spot with the Cardinals as their head coach, and he credits his current job to McVay. He told Arizona media members that if not for McVay, he wouldn’t be in this position.

On a conference call with Rams media, he discussed further how helpful McVay has been during his transition to the NFL.

“Sean was great. Even though we’re in the same division, anything that I needed once I got the job – questions, thoughts, giving real advice – he was great,” Kingsbury said. “That’s just the type of person that he is – those of you that have been around him. We haven’t talked much during the season – both of us have jobs in the same division – but, he knows that I’m always cheering for him 14 out of 16 games and I’m sure he’s doing the same.”

Kingsbury and the Cardinals can play spoiler on Sunday afternoon against the Rams. A win would drop Los Angeles to 6-6 on the year, effectively ending any playoff hopes McVay’s squad had.

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Sean McVay not bothered by Jalen Ramsey-Marcus Peters spat

Sean McVay isn’t worried about the incident between Jalen Ramsey and Marcus Peters.

After the Ravens picked apart and dismantled the Rams on Monday night at the Coliseum, Marcus Peters and Jalen Ramsey got into it on the field and exchanged words. Ramsey had to be restrained by a member of the Rams and was held back all the way down to the team’s locker room.

Peters was seen taunting Ramsey during the game and even mocked his usual celebration, which appeared to anger the Rams cornerback. Ramsey refused to answer any questions about the altercation after the game, attempting to move on from the disappointing night.

Sean McVay wasn’t immediately aware of the confrontation between Ramsey and Peters and didn’t see them arguing until they were separated, but on Tuesday, he was asked if he talked to Ramsey about it.

“I have not, I haven’t spoken to him,” McVay said. “I addressed the team, we talked about a couple of things today. We’ve been getting ready for Arizona. (Rams communications director) Artis (Twyman) had mentioned (it) to me before we started here. And then, I saw those guys talking when I was walking off the field, but by the time I had circled back, they were separated and really that’s kind of all I had seen about that.”

Postgame incidents are never something the NFL or its teams want to see, but this one was pretty harmless – especially compared to the fight between the Browns and Steelers a couple weeks ago.

McVay would not compare the Ramsey-Peters spat to the Myles Garrett-Mason Rudolph fight, saying it was just a matter of competitors going back and forth.

“What, just them talking back and forth? I’m not sure,” McVay said when asked if this was in the same category as the Browns-Steelers fight. “Guys have fun, that’s a part of it. What we always talk about is, as long as what goes on doesn’t take away from what we are trying to get done as a team, those are things that competitors (do), they go back and forth, but I think that’s a little bit of a different scenario than kind of what occurred in that game.”

McVay had a strong relationship with Peters while he was with the Rams, and he still does. He said he talked to the cornerback before and after the game, saying he’s playing at a high level for his new team.

“I talked to him before the game – Marcus and I have a great relationship – then I talked with him afterwards. He did a good job. That’s a really good football team and he’s playing at a high level for them,” he said.

McVay clearly wasn’t bothered by the incident after the game, as long as it doesn’t deter from the task at hand: winning games.

Rams will be tested by yet another ‘dynamic runner’ in Kyler Murray

After getting torched by Lamar Jackson, the Rams will face yet another dynamic quarterback in Kyler Murray.

“I kid you not, and I wouldn’t lie to you guys. Half the time, I didn’t know where the ball was.”

That was said by Eric Weddle after the Rams got their “faces peeled off” by the Ravens, as the veteran safety put it. He and his fellow defenders had no idea how to stop MVP frontrunner Lamar Jackson, who torched them for five touchdown passes and 95 yards rushing in only three quarters of play.

The good news is, the Rams won’t have to face Jackson again this season unless they miraculously make it to the Super Bowl. The bad news is, they have to play a quarterback with similar speed and quickness twice in the next five weeks – beginning on Sunday when the Rams visit Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.

It’s the team’s first taste of Murray, who’s in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year after being drafted No. 1 overall by Arizona. He doesn’t run as much as Jackson, and the Cardinals don’t utilize zone reads the way Baltimore does, but Murray is certainly the second-fastest quarterback in the league.

With as much trouble as Jackson gave the Rams, it’s easy to wonder how Los Angeles will fare against another player like Murray. Sean McVay shared his thoughts on the Cardinals rookie Tuesday, calling him a “dynamic runner” who’s throwing the football well.

“Really impressive. Takes great care of the football. His ability to speed it up and be able to deliver the ball when he sees guys open is really impressive – just how twitchy he is,” McVay said. “He can obviously make throws from a bunch of different platforms. He can make plays in the pocket, out of the pocket. Then, you see just what dynamic runner he is as well. You look at a couple of the plays that he’s made as of late, where they’ve started to utilize him a little bit more as a runner. He’s playing with a lot of confidence and you can see why he was a No. 1 pick.”

Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals probably watched Baltimore’s dismantling of the Rams and loved what they saw. Los Angeles had no answer for Jackson, whether it was against the run or pass. When Weddle, one of the smartest players in the NFL, says he didn’t know where the ball was half the time, that’s alarming.

Expect to see plenty of read-options by the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon in an attempt to fool the Rams defense. At the very least, it can slow down the pass rush the way it did in Monday night’s drubbing.

Arizona is only 3-7-1, but this is yet another tough test for the Rams. They failed miserably against Jackson and the Ravens, so perhaps they learned from their mistakes and will be better prepared for yet another former Heisman winner.

NFL Power Rankings: The Rams, Sean McVay have fallen from grace

SportsPulse: The Ravens have been fully entrenched at the No. 1 spot for weeks so a blowout win on Monday Night only confirms their prestige. As for the Rams, not so much.

SportsPulse: The Ravens have been fully entrenched at the No. 1 spot for weeks so a blowout win on Monday Night only confirms their prestige. As for the Rams, not so much.

4 takeaways from the Rams’ 45-6 loss to Baltimore

The Rams were embarrassed by Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on primetime. Here are four takeaways from the depressing outing.

The Los Angeles Rams were embarrassed on Monday Night Football by the Baltimore Ravens. It was complete opposite of last year’s barnburner on Monday Night Football against Kansas City. Here’s a few takeaways from the primetime debacle.

Rams’ defense nonexistent

It appears that something must have happened to the Rams over the past week that didn’t allow their defense to practice or come up with a game-plan to stop Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense. Maybe Wade Phillips just gave the team the week off. Any excuse as to why the Rams forgot to come up with a game-plan would be less embarrassing than if this was actually their game plan. 

The Ravens scored a touchdown every single time they touched the ball in the first half and Lamar Jackson completed all nine of his passes. The Rams were hopeless every time the defense touched the field.

Something also must have happened at halftime that caused the Rams to make any adjustments, because if they actually attempted to make any adjustments, they were meaningless. Baltimore scored a touchdown on their first two possessions of the second half before Lamar Jackson called it a night.

These games happen to everyone. Good teams get blown out. Bad teams get blown out. Mediocre teams get blown out. The Rams were decimated by Baltimore’s elite offense. It happens. But it certainly stings a little more when it’s on primetime and it drops your record to 6-5.

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Sean McVay sees pros and cons to playing on Monday Night Football

Sean McVay likes watching games on Sunday, but he’s not crazy about the changed schedule.

The Rams will be on center stage Monday night when they host the Baltimore Ravens at the Coliseum. It’s a marquee matchup between last season’s NFC representative in the Super Bowl and one of this year’s top contenders in the AFC.

It’s the second straight week the Rams will be in prime time, and they still have two more night games remaining on their schedule this season. By now, they should be used to playing under the bright lights.

Sean McVay likes the idea of being the only game on, but he also sees cons to playing on Monday Night Football – primarily having to wait all weekend to play one day after every other team.

“I would say this: It’s fun being the only game on, but for us it really doesn’t change anything. It’s about getting ready for a game. The only thing that I think sometimes you prefer, it’s a long day waiting around,” McVay said this weekend. “The benefit is, you have your day where you get a chance to see a little bit of football – being a fan of the game – and watching the day before but, you feel like Monday is an eternity. I think all things being equal, me as a coach, you’d prefer to stay on a regulated rhythm, because once that thing kicks off, it’s a normal football game. To be able to play on national television, the atmospheres that we’ve had at night, especially at the Coliseum, those always bring out some fun environments for the guys to be able to compete in.”

Monday night will be a huge test for the Rams, not because it’s in prime time, but because of their opponent. The Ravens have won six in a row and look like one of the best teams in the league.

Todd Gurley is fine with playing on Monday night, but he’d rather take the field on Sunday and get the week over with.

“Nah,” he said of whether prime time games give players extra juice. “Actually, they’re cool, but I’d rather just get the game over with. Just go onto the next week.”

Kickoff on Monday night is set for 8:15 p.m. ET from the Coliseum.

Scouting the Los Angeles Rams

A look at the Los Angeles Rams from a playcalling and tendency point of view ahead of Monday Night Football in Week 12

The Baltimore Ravens travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams on Monday Night Football, as they continue their push for the postseason. This will be the seventh meeting between these two teams, but the first time that a game will be played in Los Angeles. The last time the Ravens went on to the road to face the Rams in 2011, the Rams called St. Louis home.

The Ravens own a 4-2 record against the Rams and have won each of the last three games between the two sides. Their last encounter was back in 2015 in a game the Ravens won 16-13 thanks to a Justin Tucker field goal from 47 yards out as time expired.

Let’s take a closer look at the Rams to better acquaint ourselves with what the Ravens are likely to see on Monday night.

Offense

Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams offense which took the league by storm in coach Sean McVay’s first two seasons has failed to hit these heights in 2019. The Kansas City Chiefs were the only team that scored more points and had more yards than the Rams in 2018. But the Rams are a lot closer to the middle of the pack this season. They are 13th in points scored and 15th in total offense. This is largely due to their failings in the run game, as they sit 21st in rushing yards against 7th in passing.

The Rams are predominantly an 11 personnel offense (three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end), and have lined up this way on 77% of their offensive plays this season. This is the second-highest rate in the NFL. They switch to 12 personnel (one back, two wide receivers and two tight ends) 15% of the time, the 8th lowest rate. The Rams like to run the ball out of 12, doing so on 69% of the time. They average only 3.3 yards per rush attempt, however, compared with 4.1 when they are in 11. The Rams average 7.4 yards per pass attempt in either formation.

From a play-calling point of view, the Rams are balanced between pass and run. They have a pass to run ratio of 1.53 this season, which is 17th in the NFL. The Rams slightly favor passing on 1st-and-10, but not by much. Their pass to run ratio in this scenario is 51-49.

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