Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay
(Opening statement)
“What a hard-fought win. Our team did an excellent job just finding a way to get it done. Can’t say enough about our players’ resilience, their ability to just stick together, stay connected. It didn’t start off great at all for us offensively, and that was a result of some of the situations I put us in. But, the guys settled in. We made some plays at the end of the half. I thought it was huge to be able to have our special teams pin them down deep, resulting in a safety to get us on the board from the start. Then, really, when you just look at really playing complementary football – offense, defense, special teams – all three phases, having to come through and make plays that were instrumental for the outcome. Really just proud of our team today. Coaches did an excellent job. Hats off to (Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy) Coach McCarthy, and his staff and their players. That’s an excellent team right there and that was a really hard-fought win. We’ve got a lot of things we can learn from it, but well certainly take it and it was great by our players today.”
(On if there’s anything he can attribute to slow start on offense)
“I don’t want to take anything away from the Packers. I thought they did a good job. I think there were some situations, in terms of just the rhythm, the tempo, I didn’t enable us to get into. We had some incompletions on some first downs, or some inefficient runs as a result of getting into some looks that we really didn’t want to do. That starts with me and really then it leads to the second down-and-longs, and then you’re in those third-and-longer situations where they can tee off. (Packers Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Mike) Pettine has a great package where he can provide a variety of different looks and we struggled with that a little bit. They did a nice job. I thought the defense, just being able to keep it a one possession game as a result of just us seeming like we were just punting and going – we get a first down, but then we go three-and-out right after that. The guys did a good job making some corrections in the second half. (WR) Josh Reynolds, what a great job he did stepping up in a big way with two touchdowns. (LB) Ramik Wilson forcing the fumble and being able to get that recovery and then (RB) Todd (Gurley II) being able to close it out. Great job by the offensive line and then having the presence situationally and understand, ‘I could score right there, but I’m going to get down and know that the next play we end up taking a knee and running the clock out.’ That’s the situational awareness we talk about, unselfishness. When one of your best players embodies, that it’s good things. (DT) Aaron (Donald) shows up in a big way again today. Just a lot of really great individual contributions to a team win that you can’t say enough about our guys today.”
(On it being the second game QB Jared Goff has lead the team back to a win from a 10-point deficient and if it’s a signature victory for him)
“I think it just continues to demonstrate that he’s got an even keel demeanor, a great poise about himself that no moment’s too big. Really, he just continues to play that next snap. You know how much confidence that we have in (QB) Jared (Goff) and he’s doing an excellent job. Signature win, I think it was a great win for our team today and he did a great job leading our offense. His demeanor does help. I’m a little bit more wired than Jared, but he can help me even out a little bit. Just a great job. He had a great command of the game, especially in the second half where I think the game slowed down a little bit for him. That’s a tough defense, really impressed just with some of the different looks Coach Pettine and his staff presented and then their players’ ability to execute. Felt (Packers OLB) Clay Matthews all day. They moved (Packers CB) Tramon Williams into the nickel spot and did a couple different things then what we had seen in the first six games. Safeties were very active, they did a nice job with their interior front as well.”
(On the pressures and how much of that became an issue of adjusting or just more efficiency of the execution)
“Yes, I think that was it. It was really more a matter of let’s be efficient on the early downs and not get ourselves into the second-and-long and third-and-longs. Then I thought you could see we got some good tempo going, where you got some second-and-manageables. Got them in a couple man coverage principles where Todd ends up coming out the backdoor on a great job by the line picking it up, being able to protect and then Todd coming out the backdoor. Then we ended up converting on the two-point conversion on that drive. I thought we got going a little bit there. (WR) Robert (Woods) and (WR) Brandin (Cooks) both had big catches. Obviously, Josh Reynolds with the two touchdowns. The one on the third down and the one from the one (yard-line). It was just tough and Josh stepped up in a big way today. A lot of guys made a lot of big time plays. The offensive line continues just to demonstrate that grit that we love and defense just flew around. (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers is unbelievable and some of the different things, (Packers WR) Davante Adams is a great player. They’ve got a lot of great players and it was tough, man. You could feel it, that was a high caliber back and forth game. There was Packers fans – there was a lot of Packers fans here today, too. There was a lot of cheers when the Packers scored, I was a little surprised about that (laughs).”
(On having won a lot of lopsided games and how important is it for the team to have a tight comeback game)
“This league is so tough. Every week presents a new challenge and something we can learn from – and that’s whether you win or lose. That’s what the beauty of this game is. There’s a lot of things that I know, starting with myself, that I can learn from and try to be better moving forward. I just think the toughness, the mental toughness, being your best regardless of the circumstances that our team has demonstrated. We’ve had a lot of tough wins. You look at, at Seattle, having to come from behind in a back and forth game, what the Denver game entailed. So I think this team has demonstrated through eight games, while we have a long way to go, there is a variety of ways we can win. But ultimately, our team is winning games because all three phases are doing an excellent job contributing to the outcome that we’ve gotten so far.”
(On if Goff is feeling OK physically after taking some hard shots)
“Yes, I think he took some shots. It was a physical game, but I think he’s going to be good. I think no different than any other week where physical football game, playing the quarterback position, sat in there, kept his eyes down the field, took some shots after he delivered the football. Had a couple times where they ended up getting to us with some good pressures. So, I’m sure he’ll be sore tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything that’s going to prevent him from being able to go this week.”
(On Gurley going down like he did on the last play of the game and if it was something that was discussed or if he just did that knowingly)
“That’s something that we talk about, but Todd probably would of done that on his own. But when we send it in we say, ‘Alright, this is a situation where if we get the first down we’re going down, we don’t want to score.’ But smart players find a way to just make happen when it comes down to it. When that situation presented itself, great job by the offensive line and some of our perimeter skill players to be able to get us out on the edge on a toss-crack play and then him having the presence to get down. I’m sure some of his fantasy owners won’t be happy but that was a great job by Todd for the win.”
(On CB Sam Shields and how he played against his former team)
“Unbelievable. I don’t know if you guys read that article that he wrote in The Players’ Tribune, but you talk about a guy that you can’t help but root for. Some of the things that he had to go through to get back to this point, you just love that. That’s what special about (CB) Sam (Shields). Hearing some of the things, especially the way he feels about this team, the way that the teammates and the way that he’s really endeared himself to his teammates, become part of this group, this family that we got going right now. It was awesome for Sam. Giving him a game ball, he certainly deserved that. Made a couple plays that were instrumental for the outcome, but what a stud he is. In talking about how much he loves football, that feeling you get in that locker room, be able to share that feeling of accomplishment with your teammates. That’s what’s so special about this game and it’s great to have Sam on our side.”
(On if the crowd noise had an affect on anything they did on offense)
”It didn’t, but it got a little bit louder than what you anticipate when you’re in a home atmosphere. It’s a credit to Green Bay. Great franchise, great organization. They traveled well and there was a lot of people that were excited. But it was an awesome atmosphere in the Coliseum. You talk about, going back to the last time we were here, the Minnesota (Vikings) Thursday night game and then this one right here. It’s been a great atmosphere and environment in the Coliseum and something we love being back at home. It was great to be able to get a win in front of our fans.”
(On how instrumental the safety was before the half as well as the two overturned catch calls)
”Yeah, incredible. The defense, that’s something that’s been consistent. You look at their ability and (Defensive Coordinator) Wade’s (Phillips) staff and our players to be able to adjust and adapt. Then, I thought it was also very critical for us to be able to sustain some drives on offense, keeping our defense off the field. Some big third-down stops. Got them in some second-and-longs, some third-and-longs and really, it was an outstanding job by those guys in the second half without a doubt.”
(On what it means to be the only 8-0 team in the league)
”I think what it means is that everybody puts so much work into those three and a half hours or however long the game ends up being. To be able to share in that accomplishment, you’re just so excited for the players, for our coaches, just to be a part of it. When you see your guys having success, doing the little things the right way that ends up leading to the outcome that we want, you get excited about it. I probably was a little excited. I don’t really remember it, but I do remember seeing him get that first down, do a great job getting down. Just the feeling of that shared accomplishment is what’s special. It’s eight games and that’s really a credit to our players, but there’s a long, long way to go. We’ve got a great football team that we’ve got to get ready for on the road in the New Orleans Saints who – excellent in three phases. (Saints Head Coach) Sean Payton does a great job. Obviously, (QB) Drew (Brees) doing an excellent job again this year. They’ve got a lot of weapons. We’ll look at this film, clean it up and then can’t wait to get ready for the Saints this week.”
QB Jared Goff
#LARams LIVE: Jared Goff Postgame Press Conference vs. Packers https://t.co/0lNhqyhNvK
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 29, 2018
(On plugging in multiple receivers on offense and not skipping a beat)
”It’s been great to see really, (WR) Josh (Reynolds) step up, (WR) KhaDarel (Hodge) at times when he gets in there and then (WR) Nick Williams as well in the absence of (WR) Cooper (Kupp). Josh had a great day, two touchdowns. I told him, he doesn’t always start, but when he does he tends to catch two touchdowns and today he did as well.”
(On if his heart rate went up today at all)
”The fumble at the end. That was exciting. Very exciting. I said this in the locker room, that was probably my favorite one of the year. We say that, we have been fortunate enough to win a bunch of them. Today was a hard-fought from the get go. Really hard fought and we needed all 22 (players) and special teams and we got it. We got it done.”
(On if there was any worry when they were down 10 points)
”No, why would we be worried? It’s a long game. It’s a long game. I think to your point though, we do tend to score a lot of points and when we don’t, we can’t freak out and understand that there are four quarters and we’ve got a lot of time.”
(On if he was excited to get an opportunity to lead the offense down the field when Green Bay took the lead late in the fourth quarter)
”Yeah, we were fortunate enough to get two opportunities. The first one there with about eight minutes left we didn’t convert on. Had a couple of bad plays there. We were lucky enough to get the ball back and get that punt and then get in good field position and (K) Greg (Zuerlein) - automatic. Right down the middle.”
(On his attitude and approach to that last offensive drive)
”Just the same way. I think, like I said, the first one, you want to score on that one and then you’re kind of disappointed you didn’t. But, understanding there’s a lot of time left. It wasn’t the last drive of the game and still had some time. Defense came up huge and made a big stop, got us the ball back. Like I said, Greg is automatic from that distance.”
(On how much it helps that all three units can make a play at any given point)
”We rely on each other. Today, we really leaned heavy on the defense and they came up huge for us. I think – (DT) Aaron (Donald) again is just playing at an insanely high level right now. Just being able to lean on all those guys at every position over there and lean on special teams. Then the flip side, they’re leaning on us at times. That’s the way you want your team to be built and up to this point we’ve been that way.”
(On if he gets excited when he sees a punt get downed at the 1-yard line with the potential for the defense to record a safety)
”Yeah, no doubt. I think with the internal push we get up front, when (P) Johnny (Hekker) puts it down anywhere really inside the five (-yard line), we know we’ve got a chance for that. Today, I don’t know who really made the tackle there, but someone slipped through and made a good play.”
(On what it was like playing in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum atmosphere today and if it was different than what he’d normally expect for a home game)
”Yeah, we kind of expected that a little bit. They travel well. I think today it’s a record for most sporting events (in Los Angeles) or something like that. So, we knew there was going to be a little bit of that and kind of expected it, but I thought the atmosphere was incredible on both sides, for their fans or our fans. It was a lot of fun and it was loud really the whole game. So, it was a fun one.”
(On if Todd Gurley II’s awareness to get down in bounds on the final drive was something they discussed)
”We talked about it right prior. Had I not told him, he might have done it on his own anyways. He’s a smart player, but (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) told me to remind everyone, ‘We don’t want to score. Just get down if we get a chance to score.’ (RB) Todd (Gurley II) is a smart player and made that play.”
(On if he was bracing for Gurley to get down on that play)
”I saw when he kind of slowed down. He knew what he was doing. I was just hoping he didn’t get out of bounds. Again, he’s a smart player – a lot smarter I think than he wants people to think. He did a great job.”
(On if being the only remaining undefeated team has become a thing with the team)
”I don’t think so. No, it’s half way through and we’ve been fortunate enough to get to this point and be 8-0 up to this point. But, no I don’t think so. I think we’re focused on one game at a time.”
(On if McVay was any more wired than usual on the sideline today)
”Yeah, I think so. I think some of the touchdowns, you get him fired up a bit and he tends to get excited. We love it. We feed off that. He feeds off our energy, we feed off his.”
(On how much of his temperament during the game is naturally the way he is and how much is something he works on)
”I don’t know what it comes from, just trying to be the calming presence and understanding that anything other than that is not going to help us win. There are times where that calming can help us win and help us relax. I try to stay that way, sometimes I don’t. I do my best to stay that way, but we have a lot of guys who are like that, not just myself. But up front, the O-line is so mature and so grounded and understand that we get down early, we get down 10 points, it’s not the end of the world. We’re used to scoring so many points and getting up early and not freaking out and not making it a bigger deal than it is and just trying to grind one play at a time.”
(On what it feels like to beat Packers QB Aaron Rodgers after watching him play growing up)
”I don’t think of it that way. We beat the Packers today. It was fun competing with him on the same field. Hell of a player, a guy I’m a fan of. It was a fun one.”
(On if Rodgers said anything to him after the game)
”Nothing that no one else has said.”
(On what the team can improve on and what he individually can improve on going into the second half of the season)
”Yeah, same kind of stuff we talk about. Just continue to finish drives and try to start a little bit faster. I think we’ve kind of put an emphasis on that the last few weeks and today would have been an example where we could’ve done that better. Just try to continue to get better and start faster and continue to feed off each other. I think that’s the biggest thing is understanding that there’s going to be times where we don’t play up to where we want to play all the time. Our defense is going to play well and then it’s going to happen on the flip side, I’m sure, and just try to continue to feed off each other.”
(On what sort of adjustments the offense made when Green Bay was getting pressure on him early on and how much the calming presence of the O-line helps in a situation like that)
”It was slightly unusual for some guys to get through there early on. That doesn’t happen to us really ever. I just think, like I said, their calming presence and how smart they are, I never was worried or thinking about it or anything. They’re so good up front and do such a good job that once we settled in, I had all the faith in the world in them. Very thankful for all five of them. They did a great job today.”
(On how much tempo helped mitigate the Green Bay pass rush)
”Huge. I think any time we can get into that point in the game where we can push the tempo and move the ball on people, it’s a huge weapon for us.”
(On if he’s feeling okay physically after today’s game)
”Yeah, I’m good. You okay?”
(On if he views Gurley as a player who gets stronger as the game progresses like those traditional bell cow running backs)
”No doubt. I think just like our whole team, we make adjustments at halftime and get better as the game goes on, but he’s no different. He’s, in my opinion, the best back in the league and I’m very lucky to have him. He did get better today as the game went on and good backs do that.”
WR Robert Woods
(On it being a hard-fought win)
“Yeah, we knew there was going to be some good matchups. We know (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers coming in. We know they have a good pass defense. But it’s the NFL, we know we’re going to have some tough matchups. All that matters is the score at the end of the game and just battling and winning.”
(On what changes they made at halftime)
“Biggest thing was get the ground game going. I think we came in with 20 rushing yards and just try to be balanced and attack them. I think we opened up in the run game. Then of course, in the pass game. (QB) Jared (Goff) able to find open targets, open receivers and get (WR) Josh Reynolds going.”
(On not having a lot of windows to throw early in the first half and if the Packers played good tight coverage on them)
“I think they played pretty well. They had a good plan – tight windows, get after the quarterback, give him some pressure, make him get it out of his hands, make the windows quicker, make him get rid of the ball quicker. Like you said, make those windows tighter.”
(On going offensively in the third quarter and feeling a rhythm)
“Our juice. We like to feel that tempo. We like to feel that work when we’re pushing the defense. We like to feel like we’re wearing on them. I think that drive was that. It was a complete drive. We moved the ball down the field, finished with in the end zone. You felt the energy in the crowd. You felt the energy on the team, on the offense and that really got us going. Once we took the lead, got this offense rolling, we’re hard to stop.”
RB Todd Gurley
(On if it was predetermined to let himself get tackled and not go into the end zone during his final rushing play of the game)
“Yeah, we go over this stuff every week. We know what to do in what situations. That’s what makes us the team that we are – unselfish players, situational masters – that’s what it’s all about, just having that edge. It’s not all about talent or whatever. You know you can always beat somebody by just knowing the situations of the game. We don’t want to give 12 (Packers QB Aaron Rodgers) the back the ball.”
(On how important it was to get the comeback win)
“It was good. It was good. It kind of reminded us of the last home game against Minnesota (Vikings). Going back and forth, back and forth. (LB) Ramik (Wilson) makes a great play at the end of the game. That’s why you love this team. Just find a way. Call it luck, whatever you call it, but he went out there, made a great play. Then, we finished it on offense.”
(On if there is a confidence on the bench that somebody can step up and make a play)
“Oh yeah, for sure. (DT) Aaron (Donald) had that big sack in the fourth quarter. Just guys are going to make plays. That’s why we’re the team that we are. That’s why we have the players that we have. Big time guys make big time plays in big situations. That’s what we were able to do today to finish the game and get this win.”
DT Aaron Donald
(On if he was concerned about Packers QB Aaron Rodgers getting the ball back at the end of the game)
“We weren’t. We knew we were going to go out there and try to make another stop if we needed to, but our offense closed it out. We came out with a win and we’re 8-0. We’re feeling good.”
(On getting to Rodgers a couple times in big situations)
“We’re out there doing our job. He was holding on to the ball a little bit and they were doing a great job in the backend with the coverage and gave us opportunities to sack him and get quarterback hits and pressures on him. Anytime you play a quarterback like that that’s what you need.”
(On if it was nice to get to Rodgers because he had never sacked him before)
“Anytime you get a sack, it’s going to be good, definitely when it’s needed. We’re just feeling good, we got the win. We’ll watch the film, build off the good things and fix the things we did wrong. But we feel good to be 8-0.”
LB Ramik Wilson
(On if he was expecting the Packers to take the ball out of the end zone at the end of the game)
“Of course. We saw on film (Packers WR) Ty Montgomery always taking the ball out, so we had to make him pay for it.”
(On if he knew that play sealed the victory)
“Yeah, I was just ready to celebrate with my teammates and secure the win.”
(On what point he realized he could get up with the ball after recovering fumble)
“It was awhile, I was down there for a while. Teammates were cheering. It was a big play and helped secure the win.”
(On if he punched the ball out)
“It was one of the biggest collisions I’ve been in so we both felt it and he fumbled.”