Fake punts have mostly been taken out of the Rams’ playbook since John Fassel left the special teams staff but Sean McVay still has some tricks up his sleeve as the head coach. Desperate for a first down, McVay gambled on fourth-and-6 in the second quarter against the 49ers and called a fake punt that worked perfectly.
Ronnie Rivers took the direct snap and ran 7 yards for the first down, moving the chains from the Rams’ 43-yard line to midfield. It’s not the way the Rams want to pick up first downs but it worked when Los Angeles badly needed to keep the drive alive.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1837966290360635776
Even the cameraman was fooled by the Rams’ trickery.
https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1837966291992564128