The Los Angeles Rams suffered a heartbreaking 33-26 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday after Joshua Karty had two field goal attempts blocked in the fourth quarter.
In both instances, the Rams’ protection did not hold up as Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis got through to block Karty’s kicks.
Before that, Karty converted all four field goal attempts in the first half and has made six of his first eight to begin the season.
Karty has also excelled in kickoffs as the Rams lead the NFL in opponents’ average field position through Week 3, via Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com:
The Rams' kickoff operation has been fantastic through 3 weeks. Their opponents' average field position after kickoffs is the lowest in the NFL by a wide margin.
Joshua Karty's squib kicks into the landing zone have given the Rams a major edge. pic.twitter.com/bZ0BOV1rPn
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) September 22, 2025
The NFL amended the “Dynamic Kickoff” rule that was introduced in 2024 by moving the ball to the 35-yard line after a touchback.
This was intended to discourage teams from kicking the ball out of the end zone as the league wants to see more returns as a way to increase game action.
Karty has quickly found a solution to this by kicking knuckleballs and squibbing it into the landing zone, which extends from the goal line to the 20-yard line. The Eagles did not have an answer for these squib kicks and started with bad field position on most of their drives.
Given the Rams’ success with this strategy, it wouldn’t be surprising if more teams try to emulate them as the season progresses.
Sean McVay not making any excuses for blocked field goals in Rams’ loss to Eagles
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay did not want to place the blame on any one player for the team’s costly special teams mistakes against the Eagles.
“Uh, you know, Kevin Dotson was – the reality is, is that we’ve got to execute better,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said after the loss. “Credit to them. They made the plays. I’m not going to make any excuses.”
McVay was referring to starting right guard Kevin Dotson dealing with cramps in the fourth quarter, which led to him missing some key snaps.
Jalen Carter blocked Joshua Karty’s first attempt in the fourth quarter, which would have given the Rams an eight-point lead. Jordan Davis then blocked the game-winning attempt and returned it for a 61-yard touchdown to help the Eagles improve to 3-0.
