LOS ANGELES — There was no way to beat around the bush.
The season opener in Australia was an immediate, brutal blemish for the Rams (0-1), a team with clear-cut Super Bowl aspirations.
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A star-studded roster, a group that was featured Sunday night on national television on ‘60 Minutes’ in a segment that unabashedly praised their potential NFL-best allure, unceremoniously wilted three nights earlier with a 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in front of 100,021 at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Short memories, beware.
“Everybody’s freaking out,” wide receiver Davante Adams said of the league-wide response to their defeat. “Which I understand. We didn’t put together the greatest showing out there. … You’re a fool if you think that’s what its going to look like every single week.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay is hoping for a “Men In Black”-style mindwipe as the team turns its attention to the remaining 16 games on its regular-season schedule.
“You say, ‘all right, hey, I don’t remember what happened,’” McVay said. “That was so long ago. We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. … Not because it wasn’t a great atmosphere, that’ll get taken out of context. Bottom line is, I like the way that I feel of our preparation, eyes moving forward: chest out, chin up, eyes forward, and let’s go, let’s go move about it.”
It’s not worth spending emotional energy dissecting a defeat that was so uncharacteristic – along with a quarterbacking effort that was unlike what reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford has consistently shown – McVay said Thursday afternoon.
“Let’s move forward,” McVay said. “There’s nobody that I believe in more than (Stafford) in terms of leading and playing the quarterback position. And he’ll be the first to tell you, as would I, that everybody is looking inward on, ‘Alright, where can we be better to help for the collective and what we’re trying to hunt up?’ And that’s where our sole focus and concentration is.”
Next on the docket is a Monday night home game against the New York Giants.
McVay and Stafford alike see their next test, against a team that started its season strong with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys, as an opportunity to flip a switch back toward the Rams’ norm.
The Rams’ offense never got into a rhythm in the opener, McVay said, then found themselves playing from behind. He said they’re looking for consistency across the board on offense.
Stafford, who completed just 15 of 25 passes for 155 yards with an interception last week, can’t land on a moment in his career when washing away a bitter defeat became second nature, but he noted Thursday that his mindset always looks toward what’s next, rather than behind.
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“I feel like I’ve played this position for a long time,” Stafford said. “You kind of get trained, whether it’s a game or a play, good, bad, and different, move on to the next. Don’t think too much about it, don’t harp too much about it, just be honest with yourself, play in and play out, game in and game out. How can I be better? Where can I be better? And try to do that, and that’s served me well.”
Where the Rams could be better is by adding defensive lineman Aaron Donald, who practiced in full Thursday ahead of a potential season debut after ending his two-year retirement on Aug. 30. McVay said Donald is “chomping at the bit” to play, but he wouldn’t commit to him playing on Monday quite yet.
“What we are hopeful is, is that we’ll have some good work today and tomorrow, and then hopefully he’s feeling good enough,” McVay said. “And if he says he’s ready to go, then we’ll be excited to see him rock.”
Donald, 35, could add his three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year acumen to a pass rush that lost Myles Garrett to the injured reserve after he underwent knee surgery on Monday following his zero-tackle performance – part of a fairly craven effort for the Rams’ front seven – against the 49ers.
McVay said Garrett’s knee surgery went well and that after being on crutches on Wednesday, he was already walking on Thursday.
“He’s like Wolverine,” McVay said, adding that he’s reluctant to place a timeline on Garrett’s recovery. He will, at a minimum, miss the next four games, and McVay said they won’t rush him back. “Healing fast.”
EXTRA POINTS
Safety Kamren Kinchens (hamstring) did not participate in practice on Thursday after suffering an injury during the opener.
Three Rams – linebacker Nate Landman (shoulder), linebacker Omar Speights (hip) and safety Kam Curl (ankle) were all limited on Thursday.
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