THOUSAND OAKS — Rams head coach Sean McVay still wallows over that unforgettable Monday in late November of 2019. Don “Wink” Martindale’s Baltimore Ravens defense turned the Rams over twice, conceded just 22 yards to running back Todd Gurley, and kept the Rams out of the end zone for 60 minutes.
Margin-wise – the Rams lost, 45-6 – it remains the worst loss of the McVay era, one that drilled a respect for Martindale’s approach to defense into McVay.
“He does a great job of deploying his players,” McVay said on Wednesday, four days before he’ll face Martindale, who is now the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator. “He’s able to adjust and adapt to what he thinks they do best, and then he puts a lot of pressure on us situationally.”
Recently, McVay and the Rams have toiled with their approach to those crucial junctures where Martindale’s teams can make offenses uncomfortable. Specifically, mulling over the decision to keep the offense on the field on fourth downs, where, in the past, they would have been comfortable attempting field goals.
“I’m always concerned with things that we can improve upon, and so we got to look at it,” McVay said about the kicking game on Thursday after kicker Lucas Havrisik missed a 48-yard field goal attempt in a victory over the New Orleans Saints. “We got to be honest with ourselves in terms of the totality of what occurred. You know, there’s so many moving parts on every single snap and we’re interested in being solution-oriented.”
The Rams have sifted through both kickers and long-snappers this season, settling on Havrisik as of late and adding Alex Matheson to the practice squad. They lead the NFL in missed field goal attempts with 11.
Decision-making and executing on those fourth downs on the edge of field-goal range could be vital in a game Sunday in which the Rams can clinch a playoff spot with a win.
On Wednesday, McVay also provided updates on injuries. Cornerback Tre Tomlinson and offensive tackle Joe Noteboom missed practice. Noteboom is questionable, while Tomlinson is likely to miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury that has kept him out the last two weeks.
The Rams’ secondary will need to prepare for Tyrod Taylor, who was announced as the Giants’ starter Wednesday morning. He takes the place of Tommy Devito, who started Monday against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 33-25 loss.
“(Taylor) did some good things in the second half (against the Eagles),” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said on Wednesday. “He’s earned the right to start.”
This is the first time in the last two weeks that the Rams have had the opportunity to fully practice on Wednesday, and preparing for that sudden change at quarterback was a point of emphasis.
“We’ll be able to get more practice time in than we’ve been able to,” McVay said. “So we expect these guys to be firing on all cylinders.”