Although it may not have been pretty, the Los Angeles Rams managed to get a winning streak going with their 28-19 victory over the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
Aside from a reunion for quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff, not much was made of this matchup with the 0-6 Lions heading in. To their credit, they pulled out all the stops early on with their trickery on special teams and made it a compelling game for those that had written them off.
The Rams were ultimately able to find their footing and their efforts on defense proved to be the difference down the stretch. However, it provided Sean McVay with a stark reminder that there are no easy weeks in the NFL.
McVay shared plenty of praise for Detroit after they managed to give L.A. a run for their money at SoFi Stadium.
“Today, a lot of adversity that we had to overcome. I thought the guys weathered the storm. A lot of credit to the Lions and Coach (Dan) Campbell. I thought Jared (Goff) did an excellent job being able to make his plays. I thought (D’Andre) Swift was outstanding. They did a great job defensively, really, creating a lot of pressure and making it difficult on us to kind of, you know, finish all those drives with touchdowns. Especially in the second half. But we came away with the win.
“I was really, really pleased with the guys in crunch time. I mean, for Aaron (Donald) to get that rush when we had to have it, force kind of an erred throw. Jalen (Ramsey) makes an unbelievable pick. Then we end up driving the length of the field, kick a field goal. Matt Gay delivers, in essence, kind of put the game out of hand. I thought Matthew (Stafford) made play after play. I thought Robert (Woods) and Cooper (Kupp) stepped up in a big way. There was a lot of realy good individual contributions. We’ll take it. That’s a really tough football team you got to give those guys their credit. But a lot of things that we can clean up. But certainly no style points in this league. And, again, a lot of respect for Coach Campbell and those guys.”
McVay was also seen shaking hands and sharing a few words with Goff after the game. Despite some initial hesitation, he revealed a synopsis of what was said.
“No, I’m not going to get into — no, I mean, it’s — as I said, ‘Great job. I’ll touch base with you a little bit later on.’ But that was — so I guess I did just share with you what I said.”
Goff’s unceremonious departure from L.A. in the blockbuster trade for Stafford served as the central storyline going into this matchup. As much as he tried to downplay any ill will toward his former team, the 27-year-old admitted that there was still a chip on his shoulder leading up to his homecoming.
McVay notably expressed his regret with how Goff’s situation was handled and the lack of communication they had prior to the trade. Now that their reunion is out of the way, perhaps it is a chance for him to mend the relationship with his former quarterback.
