Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris Reveals Challenges of Short Week vs. Saints

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris went into detail about the challenges a short week of preparation present for a team ahead of a Thursday night game.

The Los Angeles Rams will get to see if a short week of practice paid off on Thursday night when they play host to the New Orleans Saints.

The grind of an NFL season is difficult enough when there are seven days between games, but when the turnaround between weeks comes from Sunday to Thursday, even more challenges pop up, but Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris believes the biggest adjustment is simply having to move at a faster pace throughout preparation.

“You kind of get used to it," Morris said. "You go through your process, and you kind of do your process, and everything kind of gets sped up a little bit. Your coaches all have to be on their stuff a little bit more, so they have to jump ahead some so by the time you get to it and you are able to talk about it, you have people with more information than you normally would have."

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Even if the adjustment seems somewhat seamless, the physical toll and faster pace of preparation for a Thursday night game cannot go unnoticed, and it certainly can impact a team's performance on game day.

There is also the fact that "Thursday Night Football" brings some added pressure this week. 

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Both the Rams and Saints are vying for a spot in the NFC Wild Card, and although the Rams currently hold the upper hand in this race, a loss to New Orleans would give the Saints the tiebreaker moving forward in the final stretch of the season.

Kickoff on Thursday night between New Orleans and Los Angeles is set for 5:15 p.m. PT, and the game will be televised on Prime Video.