I haven’t re-watched yet, but here’s a few things that I think were quite impressive about how Rams handled adversity in that game.
They kinda slipped by without great notice because of the excitement at the time, but after reflection are worthy of comment, I think.
In no particular order, here goes...
Robert Woods seamlessly moved over to play Kupp’s position after the injuries to Cooks and Kupp. The important thing here is that it was seamless, which enabled McVay/Goff to keep calling the same plays. Isn’t it impressive that Woods apparently knows all 3 WR positions? I mean, we’ve had WR’s that couldn’t even master ONE position here on this roster recently. No need to name names because there were a handful of them. Cough, cough...
Kudos to Reynolds and Hodge for positively responding when thrown into the fire without notice. Again, their preparedness enabled McVay/Goff to stay with their gameplan playbook. That’s no small thing. Many a WR from most teams would have required some dialing back and consequently would have made the D’s job easier. Speaks very well of both the respective players and their coaches.
Corey Littleton has grown into a beast. Damn, he’s everywhere! Blocking punts, batting passes, pass D, run D, good instincts, sure tackler. What a UDFA find by Snead! Pinch me!
Gotta mention both Goff and Gurley here. When things were going sideways with the injuries, ref calls, freak plays, crowd noise, headset issues, etc, these 2 captains kept their cool and just kept doing their respective things. That’s leadership, y’all. Not a tangible thing that one can see on replay, yet it’s the glue that kept the O focused when they were being mightily stressed. We are sooooo lucky to have both of these guys.
So many other players stepped up as well, but I think the above mentioned players deserve belated but warm recognition now that the adrenaline has dissipated. Great prep for the playoffs ahead, huh?
