Rams-Colts: What Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey said after the game

The Los Angeles Rams were able to open the 2021 season at 2-0, with a 27-24 victory against the Indianapolis Colts. Here’s what Head Coach Sean McVay and the Rams had to say following the game.

McVay on injuries to Darrell Henderson and Justin Lawler

Sean McVay: “Darrell got his ribs, not sure exactly the extent of that and Justin Lawler broke his hand.”

The Rams may have gotten the victory against the Indianapolis Colts, but they did not leave unscathed. We must now patiently wait for further updates on Henderson and Lawler, as LA will need as many healthy bodies available for their game next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McVay on Kenny Young getting ejected

McVay: “A lot of teams would fold in those circumstances but, there was so much going on. Shawn Smith did a great job kind of clarifying. Kenny made contact with the official. We’ll learn from that. I know Kenny will learn from it but we can’t have that.”

Young was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, after inadvertently making contact with an official’s hat. While the Rams have played great defense in the red zone, this is something that can’t happen going forward. The Colts eventually scored a touchdown on the possession.

Matthew Stafford at his best in crunch time

McVay: “He had a look in his (eyes) I mean there was no (flinching). You talk about nobody flinching. He just stayed the course. He relishes those moments and he was at his best when his best was required. That’s the epitome of competitive greatness displayed by him and a lot of our guys today.”

Stafford and the Rams offense shook off some shaky moments and rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter. After suffering two consecutive three-and-outs and a miscue on special teams that put a touchdown on the board for the Colts, the Rams scored 10 unanswered points to seal the win.

Sony Michel on stepping in following Henderson’s injury

“Whenever coach kind of just tells me go in, I’m always right behind him. Once he tells me go in, I go in and just try to do my job as best as I can, and that’s all I can really do.”

Michel came in to close the game after Henderson went down with a rib injury. He finished the game with 46 yards on 10 carries.

Michel on Stafford’s leadership standing out against the Colts

“His leadership. Just like any great quarterback, their leadership stands out when tough times hit. When adversity comes around he’s there. He’s cheering the guys on. He’s making sure were still locked in…That’s one thing he did great tonight.”

The former University of Georgia Bulldog praised his fellow alumni, acknowledging Stafford as a great leader. The team captain led the Rams on five scoring drives, including two touchdowns passes to his new BFF, Cooper Kupp.

Troy Reeder on his first interception

“First NFL pick. It was cool, happened in a pretty big moment in the game. Everybody covered up all the options pretty well, ball kind of just snuck through there, got my hands on it.”

Reeder made the play to keep the Colts out of the end zone, with the Rams back against the wall. He didn’t give himself enough credit, as he read the play and reacted quickly, lunging for the early interception on Indy’s third drive of the game. He later added that it was a scouted look, and was something the defense was prepared for.

Read: Winners and Losers from the Rams’ 27-24 victory

Reeder on Jalen Ramsey closing the game

“That was awesome. Especially when it’s arguably your best player, making a huge play in a huge game on the road, a hostile environment and you need guys like that to step up. It seems like with us, you always see those guys play big in the big moments.”

Ramsey all but sealed the win with an interception on backup quarterback Jacob Eason. While Ramsey didn’t stuff the stat box like he did against the Chicago Bears, an interception to end the Colts’ best chance at winning the game will do just fine.

Stafford expects better efficiency from the offense

Matthew Stafford: “We were explosive today on offense, we just weren’t as efficient as I think we can be and want to be. Starts with me. There were some opportunities to hit some guys, didn’t hit them, we didn’t connect on a few plays that I think would have changed the game a little bit.”

Credit the Colts for making some plays. This was the second week the Colts played against this offensive system so they were fairly well prepared. It’s good that Stafford knows there were plays left on the field that could have and should have blown this game open.

Stafford on Michel helping close the game out

Stafford: “It was great. There’s no flinch in that guy. He’s obviously new to our team. He’ done nothing but work hard and try to soak up this offense as best he can. He’s a guy that’s played in a lot of big football games. He understands what it’s all about. He understands how to be a pro.”

Stafford returned Michel’s praise from earlier, adding that the Rams “didn’t miss a beat” after Henderson left the game due to injury.

Kupp having faith the Rams can pull out fourth quarter victories

Cooper Kupp: “It’s not something (when) we’re in the huddle, it’s not something we’re really thinking about…It’s more his (Stafford) demeanor, how he has control of the offense and really just the understanding and the belief we have in each other.”

With Stafford having 38 career game-winning drives (39 if today meets the criteria for the specific statistic), the Rams should have confidence that any game is there’s for the taking if it’s close in the fourth quarter, especially with McVay now being 38-0 after having a lead at halftime.

Ramsey admits the defense needs to improve between the 20 yard lines

Jalen Ramsey: “We played well in the red zone today. I’m being self-critical, but we got to step it up to maybe not let them get in the red zone and put us in those tough situations, which we’ll do.”

I couldn’t agree more. While it’s nice that the Rams have been stout in the red zone, the fact that teams have been getting there so consistently to open the 2021 campaign is very concerning, especially with Brady coming to town next week.

Ramsey on the Rams playing with confidence on both sides of the ball

Ramsey: “We just never let our confidence waiver. We always had each other’s back and, like I spoke about earlier, we had all the confidence in the offense as well.”

I’m not sure most of the Rams defensive players would have been able to honestly say they had confidence in the offense last year, as Ramsey openly stated DeShaun Watson would end up in Los Angeles while Jared Goff was still on the roster. If the Rams are able to beat the Bucs next week, the team’s confidence will go through the roof.