Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast: Looking Ahead to Week 18

In today's episode of the Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast, we take a look at the Rams and Week 18.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay reacts against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In today's episode of the Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast, we turn our focus to Week 18.

To watch today's episode, view below.

Rams head coach Sean McVay also spoke earlier this week. Below is a partial transcript.

Q: On whether they had any injuries in yesterday's game?

McVay: "I think we came out okay. Guys are still getting in a little bit. They haven't gotten in yet. As far as I know, [Vice President of Sports Health and Performance] Reggie [Scott] said we came out fairly clean. It seems like Kam Kinchens is going to be okay, got a little stinger last night but that could change just based on guys coming in this morning. When I spoke with Reggie after the game and his checks before the guys left, that was a positive.”

Q: On QB Matthew Stafford potentially eclipsing 60,000 passing yards in next week's game vs. Seattle and what that means for his legacy?

McVay: "I think that when you start talking about these types of things, it's an incredible testament to the consistency over time. I think the longer that you get a chance to be a part of how competitive this league is and how hard it is to just win games or to do some of the things, to go out there and put up some of the numbers that are in alignment with trying to go win football games week in and week out, you realize how special that consistency word is. Certainly, he's been doing it for a lot longer than I've been a head coach and it's an incredible testament to the career, the resilience, the mental toughness, the physical toughness, the competitive stamina, and all of those things to even be in a position to have that as part of the conversation. Nothing but respect. He's a hall of famer in my book. I think a lot of these numbers back it up, but also the way that he elevates his teammates, which I think is the most important thing."

Q: On how they set up this week for practice and preparation for the Seattle Seahawks if they don't have a game time set?

McVay: "Regardless, we're going to prepare for this game. There are some different scenarios and things that can play out. I'm aware of those now and what those entail. Whether or not that changes our approach, I don't think that can affect us. We'll come in, we'll clean up the tape from yesterday, and we'll look at the things that we need to do to be able to move forward. We're operating with the assumption that we're going to play on Saturday so rather than say, 'Alright, hey, we don't know if we're playing Saturday or Sunday,' we're going to take the approach that we'll get our players in, get them a lift, and get them out of here. Tomorrow will be their 'players' day off', and we're going to operate under the assumption that we're playing on Saturday until they tell us otherwise."

Q: On whether OL Rob Havenstein was close to playing yesterday after dealing with a shoulder injury during the week?

McVay: "Close. That shoulder is such a finicky thing and it's such an important part of being able to control those blocks. It was such a freak thing that happened in practice. We don't have any padded practices left unless we're fortunate enough to earn the opportunity to get in [to the playoffs] so it was one of those just awkward collisions. It didn't look like much, but when you look at the scan there was something there that said there was a strain, and you want to be smart with that. He's going to do everything in his power to be ready to roll and he was certainly missed last night."

Q: On whether there are any play calls that indicate how far Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula has come in his first year as a defensive coordinator?

McVay: "Yeah, I think one would short the job that he and the coaching staff did. Obviously the last one where you're coming after him being aggressive and it leads to the ball going off of [Cardinals TE Trey] McBride's head and then Ahkello [Witherspoon] making an incredible play. I thought we had a lot of bullets yesterday. I thought Chris did an excellent job of being able to mix it and mix a variety of different looks. I thought we rushed for the most part with pretty good integrity where [Braden] Fiske's able to get a couple of sacks, Byron Young's one, Kobie Turner [had one], and then I thought our pressure on him throughout the majority of the day [was solid] and we were able to be pretty sticky in coverage. I just think it's the different varieties of things that he presented throughout and it's one of those deals that... Alright, our guys just stayed in the moment. They've made key and critical stops deep in red zone areas whether it's fourth down stops or the turnover like we talked about. I think to just say one in general would be shorting the body of work that was on display yesterday from our defense as a whole and Chris was certainly an instrumental part of that and I'm really proud of him."

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