Rams Take Special Teams Issues Into Postseason

"That's something that [Cardinals Assistant Head Coach/ Special Teams Coordinator Jeff] Rodgers has done in his past. That was a one play deal and you say, ‘Tip of the cap to them.’ They did a nice job executing but outside of that, I think we've covered really well in kickoff coverage. We haven't had to punt, but when we have, I thought [Punter] Ethan [Evans] hit the ball really well on both of the punts. I thought our coverage integrity was good. Then [Kicker Harrison] Mevis has continued to be steady. The blocked field goal the previous week, I think they've been really good."

"That play stands out, but what I love was that after they make that play then they hit the big play to [Cardinals Wide Receiver Michael] Wilson and we go down four. I kept saying down three, it shows you how freaking out of it I was yesterday, but we go down four points. You guys never corrected me either. What the hell [laughter]. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, right? When we go down four, what I was proud of was the collective effort from all three phases. I've been pleased. I wasn't pleased with that particular play and that was a big turning point, but I think you want to be careful to just say it's an all or nothing thing. I think the body of work over two weeks has been a real positive.”

My Take

I share McVay's optimism. The Rams needed Kotwica and Harper to experience a massive letdown in their operation to properly reveal their cracks. I expect this to force the Rams to tighten up their Special Teams operation, and for a team that has used fake punts to pull wins from the fire in the past, it should be a cold day below before that happens again.