Getty Hasson Reddick sacks Matthew Stafford on October 8, 2023 in Inglewood.
There were a number of convincing moments the Los Angeles Rams had against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, October 8 at SoFi Stadium. However, there was one moment that Sean McVay said made him “very upset.”
And it involved accounting for one Eagles star and witnessing the final outcome.
Sean McVay Explains What He Saw on Back-to-Back Sacks
Throughout the afternoon, the Rams kept one Eagles star in check in Hasson Reddick, as the star edge rusher was held to zero sacks for most of the game.
But then came the final three minutes as Reddick got not one, but two sacks and helped call game in the 23-14 Eagles road win.
HE’S BIG TIME
McVay took to the podium to explain what he saw that play. While trying to be chipper about his team’s efforts, there were notable mental lapses in the game — including what he had hoped to see on that sack.
“I saw us not do a good job of chipping,” McVay said strongly. “We had a chip on that right there, we accelerated Reddick into a rush and that was very poor execution on our part. Those are the things that make me very upset.”
In other words, running back Kyren Williams was supposed to be responsible for slowing down the cat-quick Reddick, even though backup right tackle Warren McClendon Jr was also responsible for countering Reddick. By “chipping” the Eagles defender by throwing one shoulder pad into him, it would’ve disrupted Reddick’s pass rush attempt. Even if Reddick recalibrated, a chip would’ve given Matthew Stafford more time to throw the football.
Instead, it ended with Reddick and the Eagles blowing that fourth down pass attempt up and helping seal the Eagles’ road win.
Pass Protection Remains a Question Mark for Rams in 2023
Fortunately for the Rams, they’re not dealing with the influx of injuries that plagued the offensive trenches and forced them to go through more than 10 different linemen groupings last season.
But unfortunately, the Rams have continued to show difficulty in establishing consistency with protecting Stafford.
Now, Stafford has been sacked in a game four consecutive weeks. He was not taken to the ground on a sack in the Week 1 rout of the Seattle Seahawks.
But since that game, Stafford has been taken to the ground between one to six times.
Facing the San Francisco 49ers and their loaded group of defensive linemen, Stafford was sacked once. But against the Cincinnati Bengals, they dialed up the pressure and wreaked havoc on Stafford’s protection — notching six sacks in the Rams’ Week 3 loss.
In last week’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, Stafford was still sacked twice. Now, facing a fast Eagles defense, the pass protection allowed four sacks of Stafford.
Outside of Reddick, rookie Jalen Carter was the other Eagle with a pair of QB sacks at two.
How Did Rams Offense Fare for the Rest of the Afternoon?
Despite the quartet of times Stafford went down hard, the Rams saw some efficiency early.
Stafford finished with 222 yards and two touchdown passes — one to Tutu Atwell for the Rams’ first score and then a red zone lob to Puka Nacua who was being covered by Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry.
But a big highlight for the Rams was seeing Cooper Kupp get back to form. In his first game since his hamstring ailment, Kupp caught eight passes for 118 yards and looked every bit as the Kupp Ram fans have gotten used to watching.
The Rams, though, only mustered 55 total plays compared to the Eagles’ 78. And their total yards was 249.
L.A. will aim to re-even its record against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, October 15.