Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Rams’ 27-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, which dropped them to 3-7 and extended their losing streak to four games, the longest skid under Coach Sean McVay:
STAFFORD BEING EVALUATED
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is still being evaluated to see whether he’ll be placed in the concussion protocol, McVay told reporters Monday afternoon.
Stafford left in the third quarter after being sacked by the Saints and entered the blue medical tent before being ruled out for the rest of the game.
“When we went into the tent, got his symptoms, he checked out feeling pretty good, but we wanted to be over precautious,” McVay said. “Where he’s at right now, as it relates to his status, still in evaluation to see if we’re going to put him in the protocol.”
With pending results, McVay didn’t provide straightforward answers on Stafford’s playing status for the rest of the season. If Stafford returns to the concussion protocol, the team might need to decide whether it’s in his best interest to be shut down for the final seven games of the regular season.
McVay revealed Monday that Stafford did sustain a concussion in Week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, something he declined to say during Stafford’s two-week stint in the concussion protocol. Stafford missed the Week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals and he wasn’t cleared by the medical team until two days before facing the Saints.
“We want to be really careful with that,” McVay said about possibly sitting Stafford for the remainder of the season. “Wait until I get all the necessary information, but my tone and tune hasn’t changed in the least bit that it’s going to be about the person first and foremost. So, if there are things from this, then obviously we’re going to be totally in alignment with all those things as far as the medical advice and Matthew and Kelly (Stafford’s wife) and all that kind of stuff.
“We’ll wait and see exactly what the actual diagnosis is and I’ll be able to have further updates for you then.”
McVay said the team is considering adding another quarterback with backup John Wolford nursing a neck injury and Stafford possibly unavailable for Sunday’s road game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Bryce Perkins didn’t have a backup when he entered the game for Stafford with less than six minutes left in the third quarter.
“Write your own story, it’s your opportunity,” Rams running back Cam Akers said he told Perkins when he entered the huddle. “He was ready. I didn’t have to do that.”
The Rams’ emergency quarterback used to be star receiver Cooper Kupp, who was placed on injured reserve last week with an ankle injury. With the Rams (3-7) out of the playoff picture, there’s probably a strong possibility that Kupp does not return this season, and the same can be said about Stafford if he sustained a second concussion in a matter of weeks.
“One-two punch right to the gut,” McVay said about possibly losing his two best offensive players in back-to-back weeks. “When those guys aren’t on the field, you’re never replacing two players like that.
“I’m not going to be reckless. We’re going to be really smart with Matthew.”
KEEP BUILDING
The postseason is probably no longer an option for the defending Super Bowl champions, but they can still build on their rushing attack, which had a productive outing against the Saints.
The Rams recorded a season-high 148 rushing yards in New Orleans after entering the game with a league-worst average of 68.1 ground yards per game.
“We were more productive in the running game,” Akers said of the uptick in running plays called against the Saints. “We want to stick with it, be consistent with it and build on it.”
The Rams had 30 run plays compared to 28 passing plays. Akers recorded a team-high 61 rushing yards on 14 carries and rookie Kyren Williams contributed 36 rushing yards on seven carries.
Veteran running back Darrell Henderson only recorded two carries for 9 yards because his knee was bothering him during the pregame warm-ups, according to McVay.
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“He (Henderson) said he felt fine today (Monday),” McVay said.
OTHER INJURY UPDATES
McVay said left tackle Ty Nsekhe suffered an ankle sprain against the Saints, but McVay didn’t rule him out for this week.
Defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson sustained a knee injury Sunday, and according to McVay: “It doesn’t look good.”
NEXT UP
The Chiefs opened as 14-point betting favorites at home against the banged-up Rams. The Chiefs rallied for a last-minute victory against the Chargers during “Sunday Night Football.”
“It’s a challenge no matter what type of situation or scenario that we’ve been in over the last handful of years because of the caliber of the team,” McVay said about the Chiefs. “They’re a great football team.”