If there were a few blips on the radar for the Los Angeles Rams during the Monday night win over the New York Giants, they would have to be associated with the fumbles by Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Both were caused by incredibly timed punchouts by New York safety Jevon Holland; Williams' fumble was lost, but Corum was able to jump back on the ball when it came out.
Despite their fumbles, Rams head coach Sean McVay stuck by both players. On the next offensive play after their fumbles, McVay gave the ball to both, and they combined for 189 total yards and one touchdown in the game, repaying the head coach for instilling trust in them. McVay was asked about the importance of maintaining the trust, despite the mistakes and errors made during
the game.
“I think the players would be better equipped to answer that, but the enemy has a say," said McVay. "It was a great punchout right there. Kyren always responds. All I've seen from him is that this guy is everything that we want to be about with the Rams, mentally and physically tough. This guy's a stud. When you have the ball in his hands as much as he does, sometimes you have some learning ops and it's exactly what he'll apply. I thought he did a great job securing it later on. We had another one that we put on the ground that Blake will be able to learn from.
"The one thing that I'll say is I love the responses of them. It's not about the trust that I had. It's about, hey, let's do the next right thing. Those guys did. I love this group and that's what this game's about.”
McVay's trust in Williams and Corum comes from their resiliency, something that is infectious with the whole team. McVay mentioned Terrance Ferguson, and while the tight end didn't fumble, he did miss on some opportunities from Matthew Stafford throughout the game. Still, McVay has full trust in him.
Ferguson stayed focused, ending his night on a high as he recorded six receptions for 54 yards and the game's final touchdown. Stafford spoke about his trust in his teammates, saying he also makes mistakes and that the Rams need everyone if they want to win. He also credits McVay for instilling genuine belief within the locker room.
"For us to be our best, we need everybody," said Stafford. "It’s a full team effort. Nobody’s perfect. We all have plays that we want back. I put one in harm's way today, as well. I just want the best for those guys. I'm hard on some of those guys sometimes and it's only because I believe in them and I want the best for them. They all know that.
"I think Sean does a heck of a job of believing in those guys as well, which is a really cool feeling for those guys to be believing because it's authentic and it's true. We need everybody. We trust everybody. They're out there for a reason because they've earned the opportunity to be out there and they're going to help us at some point down the road.”
The Rams did put their trust in the whole team, as eight different players recorded at least one catch, including Ferguson, Williams, and Corum. Williams and Corum did more than enough on the ground for the passing game to flourish, and on a night when they didn't have Puka Nacua, the team's effort was the difference in their complete victory.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford not concerned about fumbles by Rams' RBs
