In football, it’s often all too easy to find someone to blame.
For the Rams, that person became kicker Harrison Mevis.
They let a victory slip away after he missed a field goal on their first drive, followed by another potential game-winner being blocked in a nail-biting 37-34 overtime defeat to the Bills.
The immediate response was to shift the blame onto Mevis and the entire special teams unit. Rams coach Sean McVay even admitted he felt awful afterward, upset to see another game escape them.
“It cost us the game tonight,” McVay remarked about the kicking unit right after the match.
But reflecting on the loss for a day led McVay to reconsider his initial thoughts.
“He wasn’t the sole reason we lost,” McVay stated regarding Mevis after the kicker’s release the following morning. “Football is a team sport. The kicking unit missed an opportunity to win, yet that alone wasn’t the only reason we failed to secure the game.”
Matthew Stafford, the experienced quarterback and current NFL MVP, understands this too. It’s easy to point fingers at Mevis, but what’s tougher is to self-reflect and identify personal shortcomings.
On Thursday, Stafford gave an insightful take that should serve as a reality check for an offense filled with talent yet frustratingly inconsistent. They have the ability to score but often miss chances to decisively finish games.
The issue isn’t necessarily how the Rams conclude their games or how they perform when urgency hits; they’ve shown greatness when the pressure’s on, especially in critical two-minute drill situations. It’s more about the missed opportunities long before they reach those climactic moments.
“There are chances everywhere during games to grab momentum, build a lead, or creep back into it. It’s not solely about that one possession at the end,” Stafford explained.
In their recent three games, the Rams have become adept at responding under pressure. Now they need to learn to harness that urgency earlier in the game, before they find themselves in tight spots.
The Rams’ offense doesn’t wait for a crisis to spring into action.
Stafford, at 38, still operates with a precision that’s impressive, especially in high-stakes moments. Every throw seems calculated, and he makes the most of every opportunity provided by defensive mistakes.
Against the Bills, he orchestrated a late drive, securing a touchdown that forced overtime. He repeated this dramatic act just a week prior in Philadelphia, clinching a surprising victory.
But here’s the pivotal question: Why do they only seem to play at this level when they’re backed against the wall?
What if the Rams approached every drive in the second and third quarters with the same determination they display when trailing late? What if they could expand a seven-point lead to 14, rather than allowing their competitors back into the game?
The best teams don’t just scrape by in close contests. They seize the moment when an opponent is vulnerable and capitalize.
Stafford maintains, however, that their mindset doesn’t waver, regardless of the scoreboard or the clock.
“We aim to score every time we get the ball,” he asserted. “We’re not thinking, ‘Oh, we’ll just punt and get it next time.’ We’re going for it hard each time.”
The effort shouldn’t be questioned. Yet, effort alone doesn’t equate to execution, and the Rams have spent a bit too much time on Sundays proving this truth.
McVay echoed this thought on Thursday, pointing out that there were a total of 178 plays before the missed field goal against Buffalo.
Eighty-seven were offensive plays, sixty-four were defensive, and twenty-seven involved special teams.
A football game is a series of opportunities, not just isolated moments.
“We missed a chance to win it on that particular play, but that in itself isn’t why we lost,” McVay noted.
A blocked kick may have affected the final score, but it was earlier failures that kept the game hanging in suspense instead of leading to a more decisive outcome.
Stafford also recognized that their late-game efficacy isn’t a result of some transformative adjustment made at halftime.
“We just executed a bit better in the second half,” he stated plainly.
There you have it—the disparity between a comfortable win and a nail-biter isn’t some groundbreaking strategy. It boils down to execution.
The irony is that both Stafford and McVay know what works.
The offense can strike quickly, pursue plays downfield, and put points on the board when the need arises. The challenge lies in making those instances habitual rather than treating them like last-minute rescues.
“We should be asking ourselves, ‘What are the chances to come out and execute when it matters?’” said wide receiver Puka Nacua. “We need to consistently do that. The two-minute offense flows well, but we really need to capture that rhythm more often.”
Eventually, there won’t be a miraculous recovery, and a final drive may falter. In Denver, the Rams had one last shot to win, but had they capitalized earlier, say extending a 16-point first-quarter lead to 23, maybe they wouldn’t have been fighting for the game in the final moments.
