Sean McVay praises o-line in victory, fears Achilles injury for Joe Noteboom

McVay preaches complementary football in Los Angeles Rams 24-10 win over Carolina Panthers

The Los Angeles Rams put an end to their two-game losing streak, defeating the Carolina Panthers 24-10 at SoFi Stadium. It was a get right game, with the defense keeping Carolina out of the end zone for the entire contest and the L.A. offense shaking off some of those fourth quarter issues that have troubled them all year. After the game, head coach Sean McVay addressed the media before the Rams welcome a much needed Week 7 bye.

Allen Robinson has his best game as a Ram

“I think he just made the plays. He got some opportunities. There were some chances based on some of those coverages. I thought really his play action catch over the middle to start that one drive was really what got us going a little bit…Another big red zone scoring touchdown for him on a fade. I thought the one down the right sideline on the third down where he went up and got it, those are the things that we’ve seen and we’ve got to continue to just give him those types of opportunities.”

It was great to get Robinson going with a couple of full-extension catches, including his touchdown which started with a beautiful release off the line of scrimmage.

He also made his presence felt on screens and in the run game with some solid blocking on the perimeter. Robinson caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, possibly a sign of things to come.

Joe Noteboom goes down, o-line steps up

“It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? I feel sick for Joe Noteboom. But what a stud A.J. Jackson was to pivot from right guard to left tackle. He was outstanding all day. Oday Aboushi, I mean I just met this guy a couple of weeks ago and he’s playing the whole game, doing a great job…I was proud of them. I was happy for those guys.”

When it rains, it pours. Left tackle Joe Noteboom was carted off early in the second quarter. McVay acknowledged he fears it may be an Achilles injury. The Rams cannot buy a break on the offensive line.

In what’s become a normal occurrence, Matthew Stafford was pressured and hit early and often in this one, but the Rams ended up yielding only one sack on the day. McVay was so please with the unit he gave game balls to the o-line.

The bye is coming at the perfect time, hopefully allowing L.A. to get the group healthy for a crucial Week 8 battle against the San Francisco 49ers. Continuity on the o-line will be key for that game, as crowd noise will likely be an issue with the 49ers fan base all but guaranteed to pack SoFi Stadium.

Return of the jet sweep and misdirection

“I think it depends on if some of the looks dictate it, but today was one of those days where the guys did a great job. Those were really just an extension of the run game. It’s not really like a specialty that’s a part of it. There’s a lot of things that we’ve done as you guys have seen over the last couple of years. To be able to give it to any one of our receivers, as you guys saw it’s something that makes people honor that. You have to legitimately be accountable for that.”

McVay called plenty of jet motion in this one, handing it off a handful of times to wide receivers. L.A. started early, with TuTu Atwell gaining nine yards on his first carry. Ben Skowronek scored his first career touchdown on a 17-yard jet sweep.

Brandon Powell almost got in the end zone on a screen off of jet motion. The Rams even sealed the win with a 4-yard jet sweep by non-other than Cooper Kupp. It was the type game plan reminiscent of the Jared Goff days. Hopefully, this blast from the past will continue to be a part of the philosophical DNA going forward.

No Cam Akers, no problem

“I’ll probably be able to have a better answer for you on that tomorrow when we end up connecting. There’s nothing changed since I talked to you guys on Friday as it relates to that situation.”

Speaking of philosophical changes, the Rams played without Cam Akers who has likely played his last game with the franchise.

General manager Les Snead confirmed that Los Angeles is actively shopping the third-year pro. Without Akers in the lineup, L.A. had their best running output of the season, racking up 114 yards on the ground via seven different ball carriers. At this point, it’s all but certain Akers has played his last snap as a Ram. At least it opens up that jersey number if anyone else wants it…