Not everything was flawless for the Los Angeles Rams in their romp of the Chicago Bears to kick off the 2021 season.
Sure, the offense produced the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in quarterback Matthew Stafford. Cooper Kupp surpassed 100 yards receiving. And defensively, the Rams forced a turnover inside their red zone and pounced on a fumble.
But one notable flaw from the 34-14 stomping? Stopping the run.
And head coach Sean McVay didn’t place blame on new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris or the 11 defenders who were on the SoFi Stadium grass that night. He revealed to the L.A. media on the evening of Wednesday, September 15, where the blame there lies: Himself.
“I think in some instances, usually the tackling and some of the yards after contact always comes down to fundamentals. And like I’ve mentioned, I think there’s definitely some blame on me as far as our guys haven’t gotten a lot of that speed work,” McVay said, which he addressed near the 1:25 mark of the post practice video below.
What Went Wrong for the Rams Run Defense?
If there was any highlight from the Bears’ side, it came through the ground attack.
Chicago piled 134 yards through the ground game, averaging 5.2 yards a carry. David Montgomery broke loose on the game’s second play – a 41-yard scamper.
DAVID MONTGOMERY IS LOOSE 💨
The Bears also scored both of their touchdowns through the run: The first through a 3-yard run by David Montgomery and the second on a 3-yard Justin Fields quarterback keeper run through a read option play.
No matter how much time the Rams spend practices trying to simulate someone else’s offensive schemes, it’s still far different from getting the real thing come gameday.
“It’s hard to simulate that,” McVay said.
But, McVay admitted that the August period may have been a main contributor behind the flaws on run defense.
“I think some of that might be a result of not playing in the preseason,” McVay said.
Honing on technique, though, is still a must especially with the Rams preparing for the Indianapolis Colts for Sunday.
“But you know, taking good angles, making sure you understand where your leverage is, where your help is and being able to instinctually be able to react to (the run) in those split seconds. That’s the difference between a two-yard run or a possible 24-yard run,” McVay said.
Early Scouting Report of the Colts Offense
This is a Colts offense that’s much more than just a group that only mustered 16 points in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
This is a team that’s already been bitten by the injury bug.
The team’s Twitter account announced that eight players did not practice on Wednesday, including three offensive line starters.
Wednesday’s practice report for #LARvsIND.
Yes, the Colts have stud guard Quenton Nelson battling foot and back injuries while tackle starters Eric Fisher (Achilles) and Braden Smith (foot) were held out.
And the offense sputtered against the Rams’ NFC West rival – averaging just 3.8 yards through the ground game and surrendering three sacks in the 28-16 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium. McVay and the Rams, though, aren’t underestimating the 0-1 Colts.
“These guys are really tough,” McVay said. “They’ve got a really physical offensive line. They’ve got great skill players and they can really do a lot of different things that can put a lot of pressure on you. There’s a reason why they’re a playoff team and why they’ve done so well since coach (Frank) Reich took over. They got great players and a really tough scheme.”
In all likelihood, the Colts will test the run defense right out the gate. McVay and L.A. aims to be better prepared this time.
“Overall, I think we can play better and kind of have a better expectation of what type of schemes to expect based on personnel groupings we’re in,” McVay said.
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Sean McVay Accepts Blame in one Flaw From Season Opener