GLENDALE, Ariz. — There was no time for players and fans to send Rams coach Sean McVay get-well-soon cards.
A day after deciding not to travel with the team for fear of spreading stomach-flu symptoms, McVay arrived Sunday morning.
McVay fist-bumped players during warmups at State Farm Stadium, his trademark gelled hair spikes in full effect. And he looked none the worse for the wear while roaming the sideline sockless and calling plays against the Arizona Cardinals.
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Gary Klein breaks down what went right for the Rams in a 45-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
McVay and his players were feeling good after the Rams routed the Cardinals, 45-17.
Matthew Stafford passed for three touchdowns, Puka Nacua caught two touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his career, and Blake Corum rushed for a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams bounced back from a loss to the Carolina Panthers and improved to 10-3, reclaiming the top spot in the NFC.
It was a good tonic for McVay, who said he became ill after it ran through his family, from his young son to his wife before it finally hit him Friday night. McVay was not at the team walkthrough in Woodland Hills on Saturday, and the Rams did not have a team meeting Saturday night in Arizona.
“I’m feeling better,” McVay, with a scratchy voice, said after the game, adding that he attempted to take precautions to avoid spreading the bug to others.
“Just wanted to be smart,” he said.
But McVay apparently could not help celebrating with players, fist-bumping and handing out game balls in the locker room.
“You realize how out of norm it is for me — I’m a big hugger,” he said. “And so hopefully I’ll feel better and get back to being normal with these guys, because I don’t like this.”
On the field there wasn’t a lot for McVay not to enjoy in a victory that, combined with the Chicago Bears’ loss to the Green Bay Packers, once again elevated the Rams to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Rams coach Sean McVay, center, celebrates with linebacker Troy Reeder in the final seconds of a 45-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
(Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
Stafford bounced back from a three-turnover game against the Panthers and regained the MVP-caliber form that earned him NFC offensive player of the month for November. Stafford completed 22 of 31 passes for 281 yards, increasing his league-leading touchdown-pass total to 35 before Jimmy Garoppolo replaced him early in the fourth quarter.
Chants of “M-V-P!” boomed from the locker room.
That was “fun,” Stafford said, adding that teammates were responsible for his success. Stafford also praised offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and the entire staff for helping fill some of the void left by McVay’s absence during the week.
“It was cool, with our head guy down just a little bit, watching everybody kind of rally and do their part, and do it a little bit better,” Stafford said.
Nacua was among those who stepped up their game. Nacua, who had taken a lower-profile role behind Davante Adams, broke out with seven catches for 167 yards, including touchdowns of 28 and 31 yards, and moved into a tie with Arizona’s Trey McBride for the league lead in receptions (93).
“Normally you don’t come in with too many touchdown celebrations,” Nacua said, laughing, “so I’m going to have to start coming with a little bit more in my pocket.”
The passing attack benefited from Corum’s and Kyren Williams’ rushing performances. Corum scored on a two-yard run in the first quarter and on a 48-yard run early in the fourth to cement the rout. Williams gained 84 yards in 13 carries.
“I needed to break a long run sooner than later,” Corum said, adding, “Man, it was great.”
Linebacker Nate Landman intercepted a pass and Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Kam Curl had sacks for a defense that gave up an opening-drive touchdown but thereafter clamped down as the Rams built a 35-point lead.
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, center, celebrates with fans as he leaves the field at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
In the aftermath of the loss to the Panthers, “the urgency ticked up a little bit more,” Turner said. “That’s something that we’re going to look to continue to carry throughout the rest of the season.”
It was an important victory for a Rams team regarded as a Super Bowl contender as it heads into the toughest stretch of its schedule.
Next Sunday the Rams play Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions (8-5) at SoFi Stadium. Four days later they will play the Seahawks (10-3) in a key NFC West game in Seattle.
“A good step in the right direction,” McVay said of Sunday’s victory. “And now we’ve got to continue to build on this.”
In a healthy way.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
