Rams can’t let Eagles beat them twice when high-scoring Colts come to town
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If ever a loss could beat a team twice, the Rams’ 33-26 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday certainly has all the ingredients. The stunning collapse had everything, from red-zone inefficiency and self-inflicted gaffes to two blocked field goals, the latter as time expired to erase a chance of salvaging the win.
In spite of the staggering nature of the loss, Rams coach Sean McVay believes his team has what it takes to move past it when the surprising Indianapolis Colts come to town.
“I like the resolve and I like the look in guys’ eyes right after the game and today as we’re looking at it for us to be able to move forward the right way against a great Indianapolis team coming in here on Sunday,” McVay said.
The Rams (2-1) are trying to focus on what they did well to build a 19-point lead early in the third quarter, including keeping Philadelphia’s multifaceted rushing offense largely in check. That will be a key to containing the Colts (3-0), who have the NFL’s top rusher in Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor has 338 yards rushing to start the season, including 102 yards and all three of his touchdowns on the ground in a 41-20 thumping of the Tennessee Titans last week.
“He’s so great. I mean, you never know when he’s going to break a tackle,” Indianapolis receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “There was two separate runs (last Sunday) where he broke like five tackles. Like, I’ve never seen it before.”
Strength versus strength
The Rams have the best pass rush in the league, with third-year outside linebacker Byron Young accounting for four of the defense’s 12 sacks. The Colts have the best pass protection in football, allowing two sacks.
McVay credited Indianapolis’ play-to-play consistency for that success, noting his group must have success on early downs in order to be able to pressure Daniel Jones.
“I think they’ve had like two second-and-11-pluses the whole year,” McVay said. “They have punted once. They’re being really efficient. They’re being efficient in both phases, both the run and the pass.”
California son
Pittman will make a rare trip back to his home state on Sunday, with an opportunity to move into fifth on the Colts career receptions list. He needs seven catches to pass tight end Dallas Clark, who had 427.
Pittman was born in Bakersfield, California, and starred at Southern California in college before being drafted ahead of his fellow Colts playmaker Taylor, as both were second-round picks in 2020. Pittman went 34th overall and Taylor was taken at No. 41.
“That’s probably the biggest flex that I have like in the whole NFL — like, they drafted me before J.T. and now he’s the best player in football,” Pittman said.
Prime Puka
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua leads the NFL in receptions (29) and receiving yards (333) after putting together his second game of the season with at least 10 catches and 100 yards against the Eagles. To quarterback Matthew Stafford, those numbers hardly capture the importance Nacua has as a blocker.
“He’s a tone-setter when it comes to that,” Stafford said. “What we ask him to do without the football is as impressive if not more impressive to me than what he does when the ball is in the air.”
Franchise reboot
Jones is reviving his career after six erratic seasons with the New York Giants. He has completed 71.6% of his passes for 816 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, while adding three more scores as a runner.
As for that new “Indiana Jones” nickname?
“I mean, I don’t have a strong opinion on it either way,” he said Wednesday.
___
AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
By DAN GREENSPAN
Associated Press
