The Los Angeles Rams officially are five days removed from the debacle in Melbourne, Australia. Yet head coach Sean McVay is zeroing in on what went wrong versus the San Francisco 49ers. Including watching his defense, from safety Quentin Lake to edge rusher Myles Garrett, struggle.
The prized June trade addition Garrett played with limited health and looked winded in the last game. Now Garrett is likely to sit for the next three to four games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. But Garrett wasn’t the only Ram who drew heat for his performance.
The captain Lake became exposed by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on the passing end. Lake surrendered seven catches his side for 54 yards, with San Francisco eventually completing its drives with touchdowns after attacking the safety.
McVay chose to give Lake his support, though.
What Sean McVay Said About Quentin Lake
McVay went on the defense for his veteran defender before facing the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
“I thought ‘Q’ did a great job,” said McVay. “‘Q’ is active. He has a bunch of different roles that he’s playing for us. His communication, his ownership, his understanding.”
Lake did deliver one highlight on an interception against Brock Purdy.
“That pick was a great play by him. Then he was really active in the run game,” McVay said.
He’s not planning to demote Lake and aims to lean more into him moving forward.
“He’s going to continue to be a big factor,” McVay said.
Sean McVay Defends Rams After Letdown Opener
Analysts and fans have buried the Rams following the Friday abomination.
Yet McVay continued to defend his team.
“I don’t think really the game the other day was really any sort of reflection of the way that we want to play in any of the three phases on a consistent basis, even though there were some positive things that we saw,” McVay continued.
So he dove into what energizes him about how LA moves forward from here.
“I’m excited about how we can say, ‘Hey, what does that identity look like as we continue to establish it, learn about this team? How do we put them in the most favorable spots and then how can our play style come to life where we can play complementary ball off of one another?’” McVay asked.
He aims to correct what he called “one of those humbling days” before returning home inside SoFi Stadium.
“We look at ourselves in the mirror and we say, ‘How can we move forward and be a part of the solution?’ And it’s exactly what you’re going to get from this group,'” McVay vows.
The Rams will face a Giants team that knocked off the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday Night Football. Plus brings in former Rams Super Bowl winner Odell Beckham Jr.
Sean McVay Fiercely Backs Rams Defender Who Got Exposed vs. 49ers