LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although the postgame pain had dulled a bit by dawn, Sean McVay was still palpably furious with himself on Friday morning after his Los Angeles Rams blew an eminently winnable game on a short week against short-handed San Francisco.
McVay will be simmering through his long weekend because he knows the Rams (3-2) let a remarkable start to their season slip away with razor-thin losses to the Eagles and the 49ers over the past three weeks.
“I can’t remember feeling much more disgusted waking up after a tough loss than I have after the two that we’ve had,” McVay said. “You want to talk about two gut punches in terms of how we’ve lost the two games that we have. We’re a couple of execution plays away from being a 5-0 team, but the reality is we’re 3-2.”
San Francisco beat Los Angeles 26-23 in overtime Thursday despite playing without most of its star players. The game ended with Kyren Williams getting stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the 49ers 11, continuing the Rams' season-long inability to convert short-yardage rushing plays.
While the Rams conceivably are two special-teams mistakes shy of being 5-0, they’re also uncomfortably close to being on a three-game losing streak after they needed a late two-touchdown comeback last week to edge the mistake-prone Colts.
Close games always lead to sharper self-examination, and McVay will have plenty to dissect. While the Rams' defense didn't have an impressive game against Mac Jones and the depleted Niners, two areas stand out even more starkly: Special teams and ball security.
The kicking unit left four points on the field in regulation with Joshua Karty's missed 53-yard field goal attempt and a blocked extra point — the third blocked kick allowed by the Rams in three weeks.
“Oh man, I wish it was just one thing,” McVay said. “But when you watch the protection, we’ve got to fix it, and it’s not one thing in particular. There’s different locations and spots, and people that have not executed the way that we’re capable of. ... I thought we had a good handle on it, and clearly I was not right in that. So we’ve got to fix it, because that has been a killer for us, and it’s cost us two games.”
After Williams' brutal fumble at the goal line with 1:05 to play, a holding penalty on a punt return three snaps later left the Rams too far from the end zone to get more than a field goal to force overtime — and then Karty missed the landing zone on the kickoff, helping the Niners' field-goal drive.
What's working
Matthew Stafford's connection with Puka Nacua remains vibrant, and the passing offense is thriving overall. Nacua had 10 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Stafford is averaging 300.6 yards passing per game after going for 389 yards and three touchdowns against the Niners despite several conspicuously inaccurate throws.
What needs help
McVay said the Rams will “look into” adding a cornerback to the roster after another unimpressive performance by the secondary. Kyle Shanahan and Jones carved up the Rams for 333 yards passing, while LA's defensive backs combined for just one pass defensed. The Rams have appeared to lack strong cornerback talent since last spring, even before losing starter Ahkello Witherspoon to a broken collarbone.
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Stock up
Second-round pick Terrance Ferguson finally made his first NFL reception, and the nifty 21-yard grab in close coverage was the longest catch by a Rams tight end all season. Ferguson only got four offensive snaps, but McVay said the Oregon product “is only going to get more opportunities going forward.”
Stock down
The Rams' running backs have ball security problems. Williams' second lost fumble of the season was a killer for a back who fumbled five times last season and again in the fourth quarter of the Rams' playoff loss at Philadelphia. He even dropped an easy swing pass that would have resulted in a first down deep in Niners territory one snap before Karty's missed 53-yarder in the third quarter. Williams' backup, Blake Corum, also had a painful drop and later lost a pitchout from Stafford deep in Niners territory.
Injuries
McVay claimed the Rams limited left guard Steve Avila to special teams for a second straight week because he couldn't get a full week of practice on his healing left ankle, not because he has lost his job to Justin Dedich: “When Steve returns back to full health and plays the way that he's capable of, expect him to be able to earn that role back.”
Key number
52 — Nacua's receptions through five games, tops in the league. He also leads the NFL with 588 yards receiving, 117.6 yards per game, eight catches of 20-plus yards and 31 receiving first downs, and he leads all wide receivers with 214 yards after the catch.
Next steps
The Rams might face another opponent without its franchise quarterback when they travel to Baltimore next Sunday. After that, they'll stay on the East Coast to prepare for their game in London against Jacksonville on Oct. 19.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
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