Los Angeles Rams win 51-7, Five Takeaways, Rams Play Houston Texans, Sean McVay Press Conference, Rams Coaches Show, Goff NFC Offensive Player of the Week, Between the Horns, Los Angeles Rams Weekly...

Week 10 Preview: Texans vs. Rams
The Rams not only played a near perfect game again on Sunday here in New Jersey, they also cranked bigly on the offensive side of the ball. They scored 50 points for the first time since 2014.  The team had six offensive plays go for at least 35 yards, finishing the day with 473 total yards. The Rams averaged 7.8 yards per play on 61 plays — 22 passing and 39 rushing. 

The team garnered three takeaways in the first half, each of which led to points. Linebacker Corey Littelton blocked his second punt in three games. 


And, Jared Goff threw for career highs in both yards (311) and touchdowns (four). Especially on that 95 (not really, it was 67 yards) yard pass play Jared Goff made to Sammy Watkins. That ball looked like it was thrown the entire length of the field and the catch was exceptional. 


Click here to see it! 

Goff finished with a 146.8 passer rating and 14.1 yards per attempt. 
Rams Rout Giants with 51-17 Victory
Everything on offense was on all four cylindars so to speak.

Robert woods had big plays including a catch before a long run for one of the TD's (the teams scored 51 points on Sunday).

Todd Gurley had another huge game. He had another 100 yard game (104 running yards on 18 carries).
Five Takeaways: Rams Excel in All Phases vs. Giants. The Rams are 6-2 halfway through the 2017 season, having emphatically defeated the Giants 51-17 in New Jersey on Sunday.

With so many strong plays and so many points scored, it’s almost hard to distill the Week 9 contest into five key points. But that’s what we’ll do here in this edition of five takeaways.

1) 51 points — that’s a lot
Los Angeles was edged out of being the NFL’s highest scoring team for a week. Apparently the club didn’t like that very much.

The Rams scored 50-plus points for the first time since a 52-0 shutout in 2014 on Sunday, and now leads the league at 32.9 points per game. It’s a far cry from the 14.0 points per game Los Angeles scored last year.

It’s also worth noting that the Rams have already eclipsed their scoring output from the entire 2016 season in just eight games. That’s what happens when a club scores at least 40 three times in eight chances.

“It definitely is surprising,” wide receiver Tavon Austinsaid of the 2017 team’s point total so far. “But for the most part the type of work we put in at practice day in and day out, this is something that we definitely knew was going to happen. It’s about going out there and playing sound free football and completing everything we need to do.”

The scoring output is fun for the offense to participate in, but it’s also significantly aiding the defense’s performance.

“It’s definitely a good feeling because we haven't put up that many points in a long time,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “When you’re able to do that, it definitely helps the defense out a lot to get rest and not be on the field as much. And if our offense is out there more than us, that’s a good thing usually.”

2) Goff with an efficient, effective performance
It hasn’t been a long period, but second-year quarterback Jared Goff had arguably the best performance of his young career against the Giants.

Goff set new career highs in yards passing (311) and touchdowns (four) en route to defeating New York. But the 23-year-old signal-caller was also quite efficient, averaging 14.1 yards per attempt and 22.2 yards per completion.

“Really pleased with Jared today,” head coach Sean McVay said postgame. “I thought he managed the game extremely well, I thought he made some excellent off schedule plays.”

McVay was also complimentary of Goff’s ability to handle the wet conditions, as it was lightly raining on and off throughout the contest.

“Jared seemed like he handled it really well yesterday, but I think that’s more about asking your players what their feel is, and especially the quarterback and the center — just because of the way that their controlling the ball every single snap,” McVay said. “But you’ve definitely always got to have kind of a wet-ball plan and understand how that changes and dictates some of the things that you may or may not do, because of the handling of the ball and how things you can kind of set yourself at risk.”

Midway through the season, Goff leads the league at 8.3 yards per attempt and 13.8 yards per completion. And per NFL next gen stats, with Goff’s 67-yard touchdown to wideout Sammy Watkins, the Cal product has the longest completion in terms of air distance this season at 61.8 yards.

3) Rams turn takeaways into points
Coaches often talk about units working in tandem in order to produce the most effective results. When a team produces 17 points off turnovers as Los Angeles did Sunday, that’s a prime example.

The Rams converted defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s sack/fumble, middle linebacker Alec Ogletree’s forced fumble, and cornerback Trumaine Johnson’s interception into 17 points.

“It was big,” Johnson said. “We put a big emphasis on taking the ball away all week. And those three turnovers were in the first [half]. … All of them we got points out of, so it was big for our team.”

“We had great field position all day and just [gained] momentum,” Goff said. “Being able to feel that excitement when they make the play — we expect to make a play after them.”

As McVay pointed out in his Monday press conference, L.A. is now plus three in turnover margin in 2017. The head coach often says that aside from points, the biggest indicator of wins and losses in the league is turnovers.

“There’s a lot of good things that we are doing right now, but it goes back to we really talk about our football philosophy with our players and the number one thing that we talk about is it’s always about the ball,” McVay said. “By going plus-three in the turnover margin yesterday, that was a big indicator of giving yourself to win the football game and now we’re at plus-three for the season. … Those are the things that we talk about, we emphasis moving forward and those don’t really change.”

4) Everett shows versatility

Rookie tight end Gerald Everett has become a Swiss army knife of sorts in McVay’s offense.

In the last few games, Everett has taken an inside shovel pass for a touchdown, caught a long pass after lining up on the outside, and even run a jet sweep.

So what does McVay see in Everett?

“He’s a great athlete,” the head coach said. “Playing in-line, contributing in the run game, whether that be a movable piece kind of as a lead blocker, as that H-back, or even just playing in-line. But, he’s got a bright future. He’s a joy to be around and it was good for Gerald to be able to make some of those big plays yesterday.”

Goff complimented Everett’s ability to come in and contribute after what he did at UAB and South Alabama.

“He’s extremely versatile. Obviously, we use him in a bunch of different ways,” Goff said. “He basically played receiver in college so getting him where he needs to be blocking has been really good to see his effort there and how far he has come in that realm has been great. But anytime we can get him on the outside we get excited and get a good matchup with him, we’ll try to get him the ball.”

5) Special teams — weirdly kind of a footnote
Not only did the offense take advantage of the field position from the club’s takeaways, but the unit also scored a pair of touchdowns after big special teams plays in the third quarter.

First wide receiver Pharoh Cooper continued his string of strong returns, taking a punt back 30 yards to the New York 45-yard line.

Four plays later, wide receiver Robert Woods was in the end zone for his second touchdown of the day — a four-yard reception from Goff.

“I think in the kick return and in the punt return he has brought a huge spark to our team, and it’s been referenced by just the field position in some of those big returns where you flip the field and get us in some good spots offensively to start drives,” McVay said. “We’ve been very pleased with Pharoh.”

New York’s ensuing drive ended with another outstanding L.A. special teams play, as linebacker Cory Littleton blocked his second punt in three games.

McVay gave plenty of credit to the unit’s coordinator, John “Bones” Fassel, for identifying how the club could use Littleton in that role.

“‘Bones’ is a special leader, special, special teams coach where he’s got a great feel for the game, he knows how to attack protections in the punt pro game and I think Cory is excellent,” McVay said. “He has put him in some good spots.”

In most other games, these two plays might have been headliners. And clearly they’re still worth noting. But in a matchup where the Rams scored 51 points, there’s just so much to choose from.

LISTEN: Rams Coaches Show with Sean McVay

On Monday night, Rams' head coach Sean McVay joined JB Long and D'Marco Farr on ESPN LA’s weekly series "The Coach McVay Show." In Week 10, McVay talked about the Rams taking sole possession of the NFC West. The guys also discussed L.A.'s latest win over the New York Giants and finally, McVay looked ahead to the team's next challenge, the Houston Texans.

You can listen to the full audio interview by clicking the link below.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

TRANCSRIPT: McVay, Goff Press Conference 11/8
Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – November 8, 2017
(Opening Remarks)
“On practice today we gave (OLB Connor) Barwin, (T) Andrew Whitworth and (C) John Sullivan their typical day of rest. (RB) Malcolm Brown actually got his MCL pretty good in the game, so he’s out right now. He’s going to be out for a little bit of time while he rehabs. (OLB) Robert Quinn was out with an illness and then (TE) Derek Carrier kind of strained his hamstring early on in practice, so he was a non-participant as well.”

(On if Brown will need surgery)
“We’re figuring that out right now, but he’s going to be out his week. That’s something that we’re going to be evaluating moving forward.”

(On the play of the right side of the offensive line this season)
“Very pleased with those guys. Certainly there’s always things that we can clean up, but I think you watch their progression, the way that they continue to mature – they’re playing really good football right now. I think they’re getting comfortable, they’re getting a rapport with each other. We’ve been able, for the most part, with the exception of a couple times where John has had to come out – keep the continuity of those five up front and I think it shows with the way that they’ve played as a group. (G) Jamon (Brown) and (T) Rob (Havenstein) continue to take steps in the right direction and I think them being conscientious being around some of the guys in that room as far as the veteran presence and then also (Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer’s leadership and guidance. I’ve been very pleased with those guys and want to continue to seem them grow and develop. But, just looking at where they are in their career and just kind of projecting moving forward, I feel very good about those two.”

(On what he can point to as being the reason that this team has been so successful in the first half of the season)
“Well, I think we’ve connected as a team and we’ve got fortunately, really good football players that are doing things the right way with the weekly preparation, the approach – our coaching staff has put them in a good position. So, anytime that you see some of the things that we’ve done, certainly it’s far from perfect, but I think it takes everybody. That’s what you love so much about this game, is it’s not about one person, it’s about all 11 on defense, offense, special teams, the coaches doing a good job of putting their players in a positon to go into the game with a quieted mind and confidence and I think you’re seeing a lot of those things take place. The challenge for us is can we still continue to approach every single week with that level of urgency that needs to be raised each and every week to continue to play at a high level and come away with the result we want in an extremely competitive league.”

(On how he keeps his players from looking ahead)
“The best thing we try to do is take it one day at a time because that’s really all that matters. Every single day is so vital to our preparation to be able to put ourselves in a position to feel good about that performance on Sunday and today really is first, second and some third down emphasis. Tomorrow we will continue with the third down, two-minute, some short yardage, a little bit of red zone and then Friday you kind of wrap everything up with the red zone emphasis and then revisit some of those areas. But, every single day is a very important step that we need to make as a team, both offense, defense and special teams to be ready to go on Sunday – if you’re not, you get humbled in this league and that’s why you can’t overlook anybody, especially a very good team coming in here that’s won their division the last couple years.”

(On if RB Malcolm Brown being out opens the door for RB Lance Dunbar’s return)
“It does and that’s something that we’ll be able to use the week to get a feel. Obviously, we’ve got (RB) Justin (Davis), we have a lot of confidence in him as well. Then you look at the way that (WR) Tavon (Austin) has been able to kind of be that moveable piece, which is a very valuable part of our offense. So, it certainly does open up that possibility – whether that ends up being Lance or Justin will be determined later on in the week and we’ve got the luxury of using these practice reps and just getting a feel for how those guys feel as the week progresses to make that decision.”

(On if he has to coach the idea of not being complacent with a 6-2 team)
“The nice thing is you really don’t. We certainly revisit it and emphasis it. But, we’ve got the right guys in that locker room to make sure that they drive that and they drive that home when we’re not around as coaches. Certainly everybody enjoys some of the things that are going on right now and I think they appreciate how we get to that place to be able to have some of the results we’ve had the last couple games we’ve played against Arizona and New York. You don’t just show up and win football games and I think our guys respect and understand that and how competitive it is and what we need to do to be at our best to compete and try to come away with the result that we want on Sundays.” 

(On how much the defense feeds off the offense and vice versa with this team)
“I think a lot. I think you talk about one of the things that’s really good about us right now is we’re a team. It doesn’t feel like there’s separate offense, defense, special teams, but it’s guys pulling for each other. You watch when good plays are made. You watch when (WR) Pharoh Cooper pops a big return – guys get excited for each other, whether it’s touchdowns, whether it’s turnovers on defense and I think you see that energy show up. We talk about our tape is our résumé – I think that consistently shows up. The nice thing is, we have the ability, we feel like, to play well in all three phases. The challenge is, can you put it together? And when we don’t do that, which phase is going to be the one that kind of lifts the team to try to come away with the result that we want. But, guys are connected and they’re committed to each other and they’re doing the right things right now.”

(On if the style of coaching changes when he is in his position with success as opposed to earlier in the season)
“I don’t think so. I think the only thing that changes is the comfort level with the people that you’re working with. You continue to have a better understanding of everybody’s personality, how you can connect and help them reach their highest potential. But, what you don’t want to do is try to change your approach and I think we’re always focused on whether we win or lose, you look at the tape, you figure out what you can improve on, you look at it hard, you’re critical of yourself. You say, what are the things that we’ve done a nice job of? Let’s make sure we don’t lose sight of that and then you move forward and you have to get ready for the next ball game. Whether you win or lose, I think that’s important to be consistent and we talk about that all the time – that that’s the truest measurement of performance and I think we want to be very consistent with our approach. That doesn’t mean that if something isn’t working you don’t look at yourself and be ready to adjust and adapt, but I think with what the guys are doing right now, where they’re at, we want to be consistent in that approach and our preparation and we want to see it lead to continuous good performances like we’ve had the last couple games.”

(On if he is surprised with the amount of points his team has scored thus far)
“I don’t think you ever really think about it like that. One of the things that we do is we take one game at a time, one day at a time. I think we’re pleased with the progress that we made – we’ll see if we can continue that. It’s a good challenge against a Houston Texans defense. I think when you look at the scoring too, that isn’t exclusive to offense. We’ve had a couple special teams touchdowns, we’ve had a couple defensive touchdowns, they got a safety, they’ve got some turnovers in some favorable field position, so those are team stats. Our offense has done a nice job. We can still continue to do a good job in the red zone. If you talk about specific areas of improvement, the last few third-and-1s we’ve had – our last four were 0-for going back to the Seattle game and in the red zone we’ve got to continue to improve. We’re 4-for-5 last week, but the one that we didn’t convert on we get a holding when we try to run a kind of flip play to (TE) Gerald Everett, that sets you back and you can’t afford to beat yourself. So, the guys have done a good job of understanding that each week and each play is its own entity – there’s been some good things certainly right now, but we want to see if we can continue that on against a tough Houston Texans defense this Sunday.”

(On the Texans being without QB Deshaun Watson and DE J.J. Watt changing his game plan)
“It’s not a different game plan. I’ve got a whole lot of respect for (Texans Head) Coach (Bill) O’Brien – I know he’ll have those guys ready to go and when you do look at, certainly they’re missing some guys that are really excellent football players. But, they’ve got very good players behind them, quality football players that are starters in this league and there’s a reason why you see those guys compete at a high level. I think when you just look at their offense – two very dynamic receivers. (Texans WR) DeAndre Hopkins is special. He has the ability to beat you – you look at the screen against Seattle that he takes all the way, he’s making contested catches, he’s going by people, he can do everything. (Texans WR) Will Fuller is an excellent deep threat, he’s got seven touchdowns on 15 catches, they’ve got a versatile running game – you look at (Texans RB) Lamar Miller and what (Texans RB D'onta) Foreman does as a change of pace back. When (Texans QB Tom) Savage gets into a rhythm he’s very capable and Coach O’Brien will put them in a great spot just based on his ability to scheme things up. He’s been a part of some extremely successful offenses, they got guys that compete up front, can change up personnel grouping and then defensively – (Texans Defensive Coordinator) Mike Vrabel is presenting a variety of looks. (Texans OLB/DE Jadeveon) Clowney is obviously a very special player, but you look back at the Tennessee game, when their DBs get their hands on the ball, they make picks and they force those turnovers. We’ve got to be ready to go against a very tough opponent and certainly they are missing some special players, but they’ve got good guys that have filled in.”

(On how hopeful he will be that he doesn’t have to use the silent count at home)
“Very hopeful that we don’t have to use the silent count at home. Really, I think the only time that we had to do that this year was against Seattle at the end of the game kind of when we’re in that end of the game right around that 20 (yard line) area where we ran a couple plays to get to the end zone. I don’t think we did against Washington. But, we’ve got to just continue to focus on trying to deliver a good product to this city and hopefully the fans will come up and support us. We’ve got to see if we can continue to keep that road atmosphere where we’ve played well on the road, let’s see if we can play well at home and lock in and focus and concentrate and try to deliver these home fans a good performance.”

(On if he is superstitious about talking about the health of his team)
“No, we’re not superstitious. I think when you look around the league, you feel very fortunate to have such a good training staff that has put the guys in positions to try to prevent some of the things that are preventable. Then there is always going to be things that are going to occur that might be those freak-type accidents that just you don’t know what you can do to really avoid them. But, to I think our players credit, to (Director of Sports Medicine/Performance) Reggie Scott and his staff’s credit – they’ve got a very deliberate plan, very intentional where everything that we try to do is geared towards helping our players be healthy mentally, physically, so that they can be at their best on Sundays or whenever it is that we’re playing and the players have bought into that. But, you look at Malcolm’s injury, that’s an unfortunate loss for us. He’s a very important part of what we’ve been doing. I’m really pleased with him. I want to say that he’s sustained that at some point in the second half and continued to play through that, which demonstrates his toughness. So, guys will have to step up in his void. But, you don’t feel superstitious about it. You just feel fortunate that you’ve got good people that can kind of try to help put us in a good spot.”

(On QB Jared Goff being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week)
“Very proud. Very happy for Jared. I think it’s well deserved. I think that he continues to grow and that’s demonstrated by a variety of things in that game. He makes some great off-schedule plays, he clearly makes the big play down the field to (WR) Sammy (Watkins), but I just thought the overall command and control that he had in that game when you look at it in a road atmosphere, the cadence, different things – some of the blitz looks that (Giants Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Steve) Spagnuolo presents. I thought he handled and managed the game extremely well and I thought his understanding and knowledge of the game plan and what we were trying to get done was demonstrated by the way he played, very efficient. He did a really nice job taking care of the football. You look at the first touchdown that he makes and then the one to (WR) Cooper (Kupp) later off-schedule where that’s all him creating. Good protection buys time and then (TE Tyler) Higbee is his fourth option in that progression right there. So, I think there’s plays that start to demonstrate week-in and week-out why he’s making steps in the right direction, he’s very coachable and we’re very happy for Jared.”

(On how big of a difference K Greg Zuerlein has been)
“Unbelievable. It’s extremely comforting knowing that your kicker and not to mention how automatic (LS) Jake (McQuaide) and (P) Johnny (Hekker) are as well. That procedure, that operation is not to be taken for granted. I remember working with a special teams coach that now is in Pittsburgh, (Steelers Special Teams Coordinator) Danny Smith and he was always laughing, everybody is saying, ‘Oh, this is a chip shot.’ Well, there are no chip shots. There’s a lot of things that go into making those field goals or those PATs and that group, that unit has consistently delivered. It’s a huge weapon for us. I want to say that Greg has 99 points on the year, which is 19 ahead of the next scorer in the league. Those guys have been excellent. I feel very fortunate and it makes you feel a lot of comfort just knowing that you feel like in certain areas of the field we’ve got points locked up, let’s make sure that we take care of it, while still being smart and understand that we want to try to come away with touchdowns.”

Rams QB Jared Goff – Media Availability – November 8, 2017 
(On how surprised he is being named Player of the Week and all of the progress that the team has made)
“Obviously extremely honored. We talk about it all the time though, anytime these individual awards most of the time has to do with your team and this one for sure does. I didn’t get hit all day and that’s a testament to the O-line. We threw a bunch of screens for a bunch of yards. It’s not me doing the work – it’s those guys, but it’s a big honor and I’m very honored to be named that for sure.”

(On what Head Coach Sean McVay has done for him individually and for this team as a whole that’s made such a big difference from last year)
“We’ve worked really hard this offseason. We’ve obviously changed a lot of things offensively and worked really hard. We got really good players, and players that care about each other and are really unselfish, and really just care about winning on every facet of the game: offense, defense, special teams. I think we’ve got a very unselfish team and guys that care about each other.”

(On if it’s hard to avoid what is written and said about how good this team is right now)
“I don’t think it’s hard. No, I don’t think so. I think in this league, it’s so week-to-week. You’re good one week and then you’re bad another week. We were the worst team ever last year and now everyone loves us. So no, it doesn’t make any difference to us. We’re 6-2 at the halfway point and happy about a lot of things we’ve done so far, but a lot of work to do. Eight games ahead of us, starting with the Houston Texans this weekend.”

(On how much he has learned from Coach McVay)
“A lot. He’s taught me a lot and continues to try to keep learning. I think we’ve worked really well together and try to bounce things off each other. Most of the time I’m asking him the questions and he’s been great.”

(On if McVay is constantly tinkering and adding stuff and if he does that more than other coaches might)
“I don’t know. He’s our head coach and yeah, I think he does a great job of finding good plays to put us in. He’s obviously a talented coach and great play caller and has done a great job so far this year.”

(On if he ever gets a laugh about the tinkering that he does always adjusting)
“Sure. Yeah, we’ll have some plays in there where we’re like, ‘What are we doing this for?’ And sure enough, we see it and are like, ‘Oh, it’s going to work.’ That happens weekly.”

(On if he’s surprised at all by the pace in which they are scoring)
“No. I think any time you go out and you execute the game plan and like I’ve said a million times, we have good players on offense and on defense and on special teams. But offensively, we have good players. We have guys that care about each other and right now we’ve done a good job of meshing and playing well. Again, with that being said, there’s so much ahead of us and we can’t do anything but focus on the Houston Texans this weekend and doing our best this week in practice to prepare for them and get ready to go out there to the Coliseum this weekend.”

(On what exactly the team’s offensive identity is)
“A team that executes, offensively executes and executes the game plan. And is very detailed and again, unselfish.”

(On the challenge of getting fans to come to games last year and the excitement of this year’s team mobilizing fans to come to games)
“I think so. Anytime, I think in LA, the one thing I’ve learned is, this is a city that likes people that win. When you win, they come and we have been winning, so hopefully they’ll come.”

(On what he sees from the Texans defense)
“They’re very talented, very talented. I think the first thing that you see is (Texans OLB) Jadeveon Clowney, is a guy who can wreck the game. A guy who’s really extremely talented and we have to be aware of and then across the board, they’re very good from linebackers to ‘DBs.’ They’re athletic and they move around really well and make plays on the ball really well. So, we’ll be aware of that for sure and look to continue to execute our game plan for sure.” 

(On being named NFC Offensive Player of the Week)
“It’s a good honor, but it’s a team thing. I think I mentioned it, I didn’t get hit at all on Sunday and we had a couple screens go a long way. It makes my job easy when you have such good players around you.”

(On if he feels fortunate about the team’s health overall)
“Yeah, obviously it’s been good so far. Our trainers and our strength staff have done a tremendous job of setting a plan up every week, a detailed plan and keeping us to it. Players have done a good job taking care of themselves, I think. Yeah, it’s been good so far.”

(On if the pass to WR Sammy Watkins in the Giants game was the longest pass he’s thrown)
“I think so. I was thinking about that. I think it was the longest I’ve thrown in a game in my life, in the air. I think so. I can’t go back to high school. I can think of maybe a couple in high school and college, but yeah that was one of them.”

(On if he knew how far he threw the pass until he saw it on tape)
“No, I didn’t until I saw it. No.”

(On how big it is for the offense to be efficient and get as many yards per play as they’re currently getting)

“It’s huge. It’s a testament to having good players across the board and guys that are continually staying detailed and executing the game plan. The screen ‘Rob’ (WR Robert Woods) took (52)-yards isn’t a (52)-yard touchdown unless he’s doing the exact right thing on the way he catches the ball and gets off. Then ‘Big Whit’ (T Andrew Whitworth) and (G) Rodger (Saffold) coming out and kicking out the way they did and then Sammy blocking down field the way he did. All those little things make that a (52)-yard touchdown. That goes into that yards per play or whatever, all those little details that I think our guys are super keen on."

TRANSCRIPT: Sean McVay Press Conference 11/6
(On if he is surprised with the position that the team is in at this point in the season)
“I think our team has done a great job. Continue to come away impressed with the way that our players handle every single week, whether that be responding from good or bad things – can’t say enough about our coaching staff. We’ve got a lot of good people that are doing the right things, that are putting ourselves in a position to win these football games and have these outcomes. We talk about that one day at a time approach and respecting that process and that’s what we’ll do leading into the Texans game with (Texans Head) Coach (Bill) O’Brien and these guys coming into town and what’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

(On if he can see the thirst and hunger for more knowledge from his players and buying into this process)
“That’s exactly right and that’s something that we talk about day-in and day-out. I think the players are bought in, they believe in it and we talk about some of those things as a coaching staff. But then, when the players really believe it, they carry it over in terms of how they act in the locker room and then how that translates to the way they carry themselves in meetings, on the practice field and then hopefully our practice preparation equaling game reality – there’s been a lot of good examples of that. The thing that we are encouraged with right now is you look at the last two games we’ve played in, there’s been a good performance really we feel like we put all three phases together. If we continue to do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to compete and try to come away with some wins. But, we’re focusing on getting ready for the Houston Texans now, we feel good about the win yesterday, but it’s time to move on and get ready for a good football team.”

(On the advice that he gives his players about believing the hype)
“I think it’s just like what we’ve done. There has been a lot of things that have been said and really, when you look at it, what were teams’ records at the halfway point last year? You don’t remember unless you’re at the halfway point. It’s how you finish games and how you finish seasons and for us right now, it’s about finding a way to play a really good ninth game of the season for us because that’s what it is. If we do good things there and come away with the result that we want, then we’ll worry about what’s next after that and that’s the approach that our team has taken. Really, whether we come away with a win or a loss, the guys have responded the same and our approach doesn’t change. We want to be consistent and methodical with how we go about our weekly process and rhythm and I think the players have gotten comfortable with that, they’re bought into what we’re doing and it’s showing up on the tape and we want to see that continue.”

(On if there is a part of the game that he identifies that needs improvement)
“When you look at the last couple games, there’s always going to be things when you break down an entire game of things that you can clean up, whether that be the fundamentals, techniques, some of the assignments and how we play basic adjustments whether that be on offense, defense or special teams. But, I think we feel good about what we’ve done the last couple weeks – there’s always room for improvements. There’s a handful of plays in all three phases that we feel like we could have made. There’s a lot of good things that we are doing right now, but it goes back to we really talk about our football philosophy with our players and the number one thing that we talk about is it’s always about the ball. By going plus-three in the turnover margin yesterday, that was a big indicator of giving yourself to win the football game and now we’re at plus-three for the season. If we can continue taking care of the football offensively, getting it back defensively and then special teams making sure that when you get the blocked punt or when they’re returning the ball that we have 100 percent ball security there. Those are the things that we talk about, we emphasis moving forward and those don’t really change. You can always find room for improvement. I think there are a lot of good things right now, but you’re never content and we’re big believers in you never stay the same, you either get better or you get worse and we preach that daily improvement every day and I think our players are doing that right now.”

(On the reaction of the coaches and the players after big plays)

“I think everybody is happy for each other – that is the biggest thing that is good right now about the team. When you look at those big plays, whether it’s (WR) Pharoh Cooper making a big punt return and how excited (WR) Tavon Austingets or (LB) Cory Littleton blocks a punt and you watch the way that (LB) Alec Ogletree and (P Johnny) Hekker and all those guys run on to the field to celebrate. We’ve got a connected team right now. We want to continue to stay connected, guys are pulling for each other – it certainly isn’t a separate offense, defense, special teams – it’s a team that’s connecting. We’re committed to each other and we want to continue with that theme moving forward and I think that’s going to serve us well because inevitably at some point you do face some adversity. Whether that is leaning on one phase or another and we can look back to instances of that throughout the course of the year and these eight games that we’ve played, but when we play all three phases like we have the last couple of weeks, you’re going to give yourself a chance to play efficient football. Our team’s got a lot of confidence right now, but we know that it’s a week-to-week business and if you’re not ready to go next Sunday at one o’clock when we play the Texans, you get humbled very quickly in this league. I think our players respect and acknowledge that.”

(On how he identified LB Cory Littleton as a player that could be utilized in blocking punts)

“Well, Cory has been a guy that’s been a big time contributor for the special teams unit for the last couple years and I credit ‘Bones’ (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) to that. ‘Bones’ is a special leader, special, special teams coach where he’s got a great feel for the game, he knows how to attack protections in the punt pro game and I think Cory is excellent. He has put him in some good spots. You look back at the Jacksonville game and then you look at what we did yesterday – he and (LB) Samson (Ebukam) are kind of just running a little stunt together and you just look how quick he got lateral, vertical immediately and then to lay out where if he doesn’t get the contact, he’s still going to clear himself of the punter so that you don’t come away with a penalty. So, he’s playing really good football right now. When he’s played defense, he’s been extremely efficient and Cory Littleton, he continues to show up week-in and week-out. He’s very important to our special teams and I think he’s a big reason why they’re playing at such a high level right now.”

(On how he viewed and broke down the WR Sammy Watkins touchdown on film today)
“It was a big-time play and similar to how we felt after yesterday – great protection up front, kind of selling a little play-action deal where it looks like your boot and Sammy is kind of running a double move where he’s selling the corner and then breaking it back to the post and then we’ve got (WR) Cooper Kupp running on a crossing route. So, kind of a three-level throw. You can see that (Giants S Landon) Collins got himself caught where he was kind of holding a disguise and (QB) Jared (Goff) let it go with great anticipation and then Sammy, you see the elite speed down the field. What a great catch and throw. I think especially in the elements; it was a big-time play. To go for a long touchdown, I think it was great for those guys to be able to connect on that play, it certainly gave our team a big spark – we were all happy with it. But, those two players individually, a great throw, a great catch and route especially in the circumstances where it had just started to rain again and it was really wet. That was phenomenal by those guys and we were really pleased. It definitely gave us a spark.”

(On what was going through his mind when the ball was sailing through the air)

“I thought it was a heck of a throw where that thing got out there and it was carrying really well and you could see it was going to have to be a phenomenal, fingertip-type catch. When he pulled it in, I think I was probably as excited as anybody, like you’re saying. It was great for those guys to be able to make that play and very happy for Sammy and Jared and really our team as a whole because of what that provided for our unit.”

(On Watkins being excited about his teammates success while dealing with limited targets because of coverage)
“It was really – it was fun to watch yesterday when you look at the third-and-33 that (WR) Robert Woods takes, which was a great individual effort by him and he had some great blocks out front. But if you look at the opposite side of the formation, Sammy was the single receiver there. He throws down the guy that’s lined up over the top of him and then he does enough to shield (Giants CB) Eli Apple on the backside which is really kind of the last guy that was there to potentially be able to make that play. Watching the way he’s competed without the ball and then he’s running good routes, he dictates and determines where guys are aware of him. There’s certain coverages that you have a feel of certain guys that are going to match him and he’s really done an excellent job of being a big contributor, even though sometimes you only see the one catch for the touchdown yesterday. But he’s making a lot of things happen without the ball in his hands and it sounds cliché, but it’s true. You go back to the Arizona game – he has a big-time block on (Cardinals OLB) Chandler Jones on a third down conversion to (RB) Todd (Gurley). He was the one that was the lead blocker on the touchdown to Cooper Kupp on the screen, so he’s continued to respond exactly the right way that we want. I know he certainly, like any other receiver, wants to get more touches, but couldn’t be more happy and pleased with where he’s at and what he’s done for our football team right now.”

(On how he would grade himself at the halfway point of the season)
“I think you know me well enough now to know that anytime that you talk about that, it’s about our team. I think we’re pleased with where we’re at. I think anytime that you go into games, the goal is to try to win football games. But I think what we are pleased with is that the guys are bought into some of those things that we talk about with the process, with that weekly approach. Everybody brings up the culture and things like that and what we really feel like our culture is, is how we do things around here. I think you guys can see the types of people – the types of players we have in that locker room. We’re starting to do things the right way consistently because of them and because of the way that they carry the torch when we’re not around as a coaching staff and different things like that. You’ve got great leaders that you continue to empower. They believe in each other, they continue to connect and we’re a mentally tough team right now. That’s what we’re very pleased with is that we’ve seen some adversity. I think when you look back, these seasons are all journeys and we’ve had eight games on this journey so far. A lot of great experiences to draw on and then some ones that we’d like to forget, or get an opportunity to learn from. I think both the Washington and the Seattle games have provided an excellent opportunity for us to respond from that adversity. Certainly, it’s not perfect. You look at some of the things with the game management just for me individually. I can continue to improve and that’s just getting a better overall feel for the dynamic of that. A simple example, even yesterday with the two-minute, just managing, ‘Alright, do you take a knee there to try to run out the clock?’ And things like that. That was something that I could’ve done a better job of on having some foresight on exactly the time that’s going to be runoff and how you handle that in the right way. So, I think every game provides a great opportunity to learn from. We are 6-2 right now, where we’ve got a chance to achieve some goals, but right now it’s about seeing if we can get to 7-2 and I’m just pleased to be a part of it with this team – with this coaching staff and certainly feel very fortunate to have the guys around me that are in this position.”

(On if he ever converted a third-and-33)
“I don’t think so. The last time we were in a third-and-33. I think was in the Dallas game when we had the long snap over our head in the first preseason game and (QB) Sean Mannion…I think it was around our third-and-40 so that might be the longest one I’ve ever been a part of in terms of a team. But, it was a great job. You look at Robert (Woods), everybody wants to talk about him as a possession receiver. That’s where you could see his 200-meter-speed as he was able to cut across the grain and finish. That was a strong finish by Robert. (T Andrew) Whitworth and (G Rodger) Saffold get out front and make big-time blocks at the point of attack and then on the back side like we mentioned with Sammy. So, with things like that, that was a big spark for our team and then you watch the way that those guys got so excited for each other. The celebration and how fired up Todd was for them and then even Jared coming in there late and then tripping late. I don’t know if you guys saw that on the celebration, but those guys were having fun and those are always the fun things to see as a coach.”

(On if there is anything that he can do to prepare for conditions like the ones in New Jersey on Sunday here in Southern California)
“The thing that you really would do is explore it – playing with a wet ball. Done that before, it was something that we had talked about. Jared seemed like he handled it really well yesterday, but I think that’s more about asking your players what their feel is and especially the quarterback and the center, just because of the way that their controlling the ball every single snap. But you’ve definitely always got to have kind of a wet-ball plan and understand how that changes and dictates some of the things that you may or may not do, because of the handling of the ball and how things you can kind of set yourself at risk. To be honest that play to Tavon that we ran, I wanted to run that on the first play right when we got down in the redzone after Todd broke that long run. But it was still a little bit misty at that point and you were just a little bit reluctant to call that at the time. Let him get in the flow of the game and then also get comfortable handling that wet ball. So, it definitely does affect your decision making but I thought the players handled it really well yesterday.”

(On TE Gerald Everett’s versatility)
“He’s a great athlete. When you have great athletes like that and he’s continuing to learn how to play the position. You look at all the success that he had in college, but he wasn’t often lined up in that kind of true tradition tight end alignment where you’re attached to the line of scrimmage. But, he can detach from the core like you mentioned. He makes a big play on the third down yesterday, runs the jet sweep. You look at what he did in Jacksonville a couple weeks ago on the shovel pass. So, he’s a guy that we’ll continue to try to move around and find ways to get the ball in his hands. And then he’s also going to continue to grow as a tight end. Playing in-line, contributing in the run game, whether that be a movable piece kind of as a lead blocker, as that H-back or even just playing in-line. But, he’s got a bright future. He’s a joy to be around and it was good for Gerald to be able to make some of those big plays yesterday.”

(On WR Tavon Austin looking healthier and how much that will impact the offense going forward)

“Tavon is a dynamic weapon without a doubt and he provides a great spark. He’s got such a great energy about himself, even just the way that he bounces around. He kind of brings people with him. You can’t help but get excited and think, ‘Okay, something good is about to happen’ every time he touches the ball just because of how explosive and how quick he is. It was a great run that he had where he’s motioning in the back field and goes for plus-20 and gets us down inside the redzone and inside the 5-yard line. But, he brings a spark to our team and it was exciting watching him compete without the ball. You look at some of the blocks that he made at the end for (RB) Malcolm Brown. You look at the third down conversion he made in the offset gun. That was a great run he made, where he kept the clock moving, kept the ball in our hands. Tavon’s doing a lot of things for us and the game played out a little bit different than maybe we anticipated where there was a couple things that we might’ve done with him. But, he’s a guy that can play receiver, he can play that running back spot and when you have guys like that and then even just talking with (Rams Reporter) Myles (Simmons) the question before about it – Gerald Everett. Those guys that can do a lot of different things, give you some versatility offensively and they’re fun to kind of try to think of ways to get them involved for our coaching staff and get those guys going.”
Goff Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
Goff Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. A career day for Jared Goff earned him an accolade, as the second-year quarterback has been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time.

Goff finished Sunday’s 51-17 victory 14-of-22 passing for a career high 311 yards and a career high four touchdowns. The young signal-caller averaged 14.1 yards per attempt and 22.2 yards per completion en route to a 146.8 passer rating.

Additionally, according to NFL next gen stats, Goff completed the league's longest pass through the air this season, as his throw to wideout Sammy Watkins on their 67-yard touchdown traveled 61.8 yards.

“I thought he managed the game extremely well. I thought he made some excellent off-schedule plays,” head coach Sean McVay said after Sunday’s game. “I thought the touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins was extremely encouraging because it was a great deep ball throw, it was a little wet at the time so the ball can come out of your hand funny. And Sammy made an excellent catch down the field. Really pleased with those guys and their ability to connect on that type of play.”

On the whole, Goff has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 2,030 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He currently leads the league with 8.3 yards per attempt and 13.8 yards per completion, with a passer rating of 97.9.

Goff is now the fifth Ram to win a NFC Player of the Week award in 2017. Running back Todd Gurley, kicker Greg Zuerlein, cornerback Trumaine Johnson, and kick returner Pharoh Cooper have also been named NFC Player of the Week in the first nine weeks of the season. Additionally, Gurley and Zuerlein have been awarded NFC Offensive Player of the Month.
Watch & Listen: Between the Horns — Episode 31
Watch & Listen: Between the Horns — Episode 31
In this week’s Between the Horns, Rams insider Myles Simmons and Super Bowl champ D’Marco Farr chat about Los Angeles’ big 51-17 victory over the Giants, quarterback Jared Goff winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and much more in previewing Sunday’s matchup with the Texans.

You can watch the podcast in the video above, stream it via SoundCloud in the embedded link below, or subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts or TuneIn.
How to Watch: Rams vs. Texans
How to Watch: Rams vs. Texans

The Rams will return to the Coliseum on Sunday after three-straight games on the road. In Week 10, Los Angeles will take on the Houston Texans. The game will be broadcast live on CBS with kickoff set for 1:05 p.m. In the L.A. market, the contest will be simulcast on both KCBS2 and KCAL9. Check below for all the information you need to watch Sunday’s game: 
BROADCAST INFO
  • TELEVISION: The game will be available live on CBS with play-by-play provided by Ian Eagle with color analysis from Dan Fouts. Evan Washburn will be the sideline reporter. The contest will also be simulcast locally on both KCBS2 and KCAL 9.
  • RADIO: Sunday’s contest will be broadcast nationally on Westwood One Radio with play-by-play provided by Kevin Lee and Brady Poppinga. The game will also be available on ESPN LA English Radio on ESPN 710 AM and 100.3 The Sound FM (Play-by-play provided by: J.B. Long, Maurice Jones-Drew and D’Marco Farr). Plus, tune into 1330 AM for ESPN Deportes' live Spanish broadcast of the game with Troy Santiago and Ricardo Lopez on the call.

  • ONLINE: The game will not be available live via NFL Game Pass*. However, fans will still be able to watch replays of every game and so much more! Click here to sign up for your FREE 7-day trial and start getting unprecedented access to every game, all year long.

*For domestic subscribers NFL Game Pass does not include live regular season, playoff, or Super Bowl game broadcasts, as well as some preseason games broadcasts. Access to these games is available within NFL Game Pass on an on-demand basis in the NFL Game Pass archives. International subscribers are able to watch both preseason and regular season games as they happen with certain restrictions. Audio feeds may be subject to availability. 2009-2011 games are temporarily unavailable. For a full description of features, requirement, limitations, and other information, visit our FAQ at NFL.com/help/GamePass..
Diary Of A Ram Fan. A satirical look at more than 75 years of Football's Rams history, combined with discussions of American Exceptionalism and almost 50 years of personal experience in the life of a Rams Fan. The history parallels and intertwines life to form a humorous, yet serious look at American HistoryWorld History, an American Football team, and Political Science.