San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and several others spoke with reporters after Thursday's 12-6 Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Here is what they said.
Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Opening comments:
"Alright guys, injuries from the game: [LB] Dee Winters had a neck, didn't return, [S] Ji'Ayir Brown, groin, didn't return, and [LB Dre] Greenlaw just with his Achilles and knees, just fatigue a little bit and soreness, so he didn't return."
How would you describe the offensive struggles from the game tonight?
"Not good enough. I thought we played good enough to win, obviously, on defense and special teams, but we just definitely didn't play good enough on offense. I thought the main thing, didn't get the run game going, which was huge. I thought that was a difference in the two offenses. They got the run game going better than we did and we had a couple opportunities there in the pass game that, I think, could have led to 14 points. Didn't have a lot of them, but we definitely had a couple and didn't make those and that's what it led to."
Is that more of lack of execution in your opinion on the Niners side or phenomenal defense on the LA Rams side in your opinion?
"I always give credit to them. I thought they played well. I thought we struggled blocking them in the run game, but I definitely thought we left a lot out there also."
Talk about the two plays that could have been big. Obviously, the one to WR Deebo Samuel Sr. over the middle. He's a guy who said that he needs more opportunities. What do you think when you see that happen? He drops that path.
"Yeah, that was a big one, third down and with Deebo's skillset, I would've been shocked if he didn't score on the play. Everyone knows the answer to that, Deebo too, he needs to catch that ball. And then we were just off on that post down the field of [WR] Ricky [Pearsall] right there, two plays before the interception that could have been a big one too."
With Greenlaw, it did look like he came out with leg issues. Is there a concern that he tore the Achilles again?
"No, no. He was unbelievable tonight. And I think we played, I think we took him off, I'm not exactly sure, but I think we took him off the first two series to start the third quarter. I believe he went in two plays and just couldn't get it going again and felt a little tightness and stuff. So, we had to be safe with him."
What happened with LB De'Vondre Campbell Sr.? He didn't play and he went into the locker room at some point?
"He said he didn't want to play today."
Said he didn't want to play today?
"Yep."
He told the coaching staff?
"He did when I asked him why he didn't want to go in."
During the game or before?
"No, that was in third quarter."
What happened on the interception? What'd you see on that play?
"I saw them bailing. The guy squatted a little bit and then when [WR] Jauan [Jennings] went on his exit angle, they bumped him a little bit, which slowed him down and could never catch back up with him and the bailing corner got him."
Do you think the weather affected the passing game and QB Brock Purdy in particular?
"I think it affected both quarterbacks a little bit. But that, it wasn't just because of the weather."
How do you think he played?
"I don't think our offense did very good, obviously. I think Brock made some good plays, missed a couple plays, but no one on offense did good enough."
Has that ever happened to you, where a player said they didn't want to play in a game?
"No."
He got demoted for this game, right? I mean, he was not going to play?
"No, he was going to go in when Dre came out."
What was the difference in the defense in the second half? You guys, defense was pretty much dominant in the first half. Second half, did the Rams do anything differently? Did you guys get tired at all or what do you think changed the second half?
"No, I just, thought they converted a couple big plays, especially getting that chunk play to [Los Angeles Rams WR] Puka [Nacua] on that post. You get a couple chunk plays and that usually leads to field goals. I thought they ran the ball pretty good, but I still thought the defense keeping them out of the end zone and everything and holding them, 0-3 there in the redzone still gave us every opportunity to win. But we needed to score a couple touchdowns when we had the opportunity, and we didn't."
From what you could see, what was that long pass? Was CB Charvarius Ward expecting help?
"Yeah, it was a zone dog, so we do have a middle third player, but they ran something where they moved him to the left and Puka ran a good route and made a hell of a play."
On Sunday, you said that, everyone said that you needed to pretty much win out and that every game was a playoff game. What did you just say to the team now?
"They say mathematically we still have a chance. I'm not too concerned with that right now. I'm pretty disappointed with how we played tonight, especially offensively. I thought our guys were ready to play. I thought the guys played hard, we just didn't play good enough on offense. We're going to get away for three days and come back. And I know mathematically, I still believe we have a chance, but I want to come back and play better football and challenge the character of our team."
Will you release De'Vondre Campbell?
"We'll figure out something, but I don't know that right now."
Did he give you any reason why he didn't want play today?
"No."
When you talked to De'Vondre Campbell, to hear a player say, "I don't want to play today," does that create dissension? Especially knowing that at this point in the season, with the type of season that this has started out to be, you kind of need as much camaraderie as possible to be successful. Does that create dissension amongst the team or did it not really affect anyone? Did no one really notice?
"People noticed, but when someone says that, you move on. You don't deal with that anymore."
First play was to Deebo. He was targeted seven times. Was there intent to get the ball to Deebo? I know there always is, but even more in this game?
"No, same as usual. That could have gone to three different people, depends on the coverages and stuff. And they walled the inside slant, it goes to the outside slant and thought [Los Angeles Rams CB] Akhello [Witherspoon] made a good play on it."
They played a fair amount of press man, it seemed like. Why do you think that's been a challenge for the offense to beat this season?
"I don't think they did a ton. They mixed it up. They were mixing up zone and man, which is what they do every week. I don't think we got more of it than what they usually do. Sometimes we did it, but not enough."
With De'Vondre opting to not go into the game, what do you need to do to ensure that you don't lose the rest of the locker room?
"I haven't lost anybody. That's somebody who doesn't want to play football. That's pretty simple. I think our team, and myself, we know how we feel about that, so I don't think we need to talk about him anymore."
Is the interception Brock threw, what was your evaluation of the decision there? Obviously, the outcome was what it was, but what would he, what was his read through on that point?
"We were hoping for man coverage. It was single safety, and you can't tell whether it's off man or bump. So the guy stuttered a little, I mean, Jauan ran a stutter-go and the guy buckled his feet a little bit and so Brock threw it up and tried to give Jauan a chance, and as Jauan was exiting, he ran into him a little bit, which slowed Jauan down and then there was only the corner there. So it was an unfortunate play."
Early on, Purdy had a few passes that were, in the first half you guys were playing well, but he had a few passes that were overthrown, some that were underthrown. Do you think that was more of a weather thing or just, Purdy just struggled today?
"I think a little bit of both. I think you saw the other quarterback on the other side go through the exact same things in the first half. I thought Brock made some really good throws in the first half too. From a throwing standpoint, I thought, in those circumstances, I thought we were throwing the ball better in the first half than we were running the ball. I think we got, I know we got that explosive to Kittle. I think we had a third down to Jauan, I believe. And a couple drops in there too. I think it was a little bit of everybody."
Last five games, I think, Deebo had like 120 total yards, just over a stretch of his career. Can you put your finger on just why he wasn't effective here in this last stretch?
"No, he would've improved those stats catching that one ball, but stats are stats and he had a hell of a kickoff return there at the end. Gave us a chance at the Hail Mary, but no, I'm not explaining stats."
With the linebacker core, you were down Winters, obviously no Campbell, no Greenlaw. LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles played a lot. It looked like he cramped up even at some point. You needed a lot out of him today?
"Yeah, with Dre going down and one linebacker quitting, and then losing Dee with his neck, put more on Flann and I thought he stepped up and played well. Obviously when I see the tape, I'll know for sure, but I thought everyone on defense played very well today. That was really good offense with some good players and they kept them out of the end zone all day."
DL Nick Bosa came out okay?
"Yeah."
LB Fred Warner come out for at least one play. Was that his ankle acting up on him?
"I don't remember. They didn't tell me on it, because I think he went back in the next play. So I'm not sure what, he got dinged or something there on that play, but he was in the next play, so he was fine."
49ers QB Brock Purdy
What happened on the interception?
"We had a double move on with [WR Jauan Jennings] J.J. on the outside. I thought we had the right look with the corner off and thought we were going to get him and just in that moment trying to be aggressive and give J.J. a shot and when I let the ball go, couldn't see the whole release of him at the top of his route. But looking back on it, second-and-11, just be smart, try to check the ball down when I can't see where he is at. So, just got to learn from it."
How hard is that one to swallow just given the situation and the stakes at that moment?
"It's everything, like our season and our guys, trying to fight to get in this thing and fighting for each other, playing for each other. That's what comes with playing quarterback and being in this position, you're trusted with the ball in your hands and to make the right decisions in the right moment. That's something that we're going to have to learn from for sure moving forward."
On Sunday, everyone said you had to win out and that every game was a playoff game. What are you feeling right now?
"Obviously this one hurt and I'm just trying to comprehend it really still. Don't really know what the whole picture looks like, but we have a lot of guys in the locker room that are going to continue to fight, including myself, for this organization and for our fan base and for each other more than anything to finish out the season in the right way and focus on one game at a time and see where we're at the end of it."
Did you notice that LB De'Vondre Campbell Sr. said during the game he didn't want to play? Head coach Kyle Shanahan told us that. How disappointing is that if you didn't know or if you did know that happened?
"Yeah, I had no idea. Obviously, I'm trying to focus on the offense and where we're at. I didn't know until after the game to be honest that De'Vondre was not playing. I don't really know what to say to that."
Coach said the offense left a lot out there. Just when you think about the game you had tonight, how would you kind of evaluate how you played and what would you say factored in? Would you say it was the weather? Would you say it was more so a dominant defense? How would you kind of explain it?
"I think we had ops for sure across the board. The weather was the weather in the first half, but even with that, I still think there was some ops for us to convert on third down and move the chains. And then in the second half as well, there were drives out there where it's like we could've stayed on the field. For myself, I had to be better for this team and didn't play my best tonight. Got to watch the film and see what happened and where my mindset was at with each play. But I just feel like I had a lot of plays left out there that I could have made for our team. I thought the defense and special teams played so good. And that's what's hurting me is I just feel like I failed the team. I could have been better for our offense and we could have put up more points. But, Rams are a good team overall, but more than anything for the way that we play on offense and our standard I could have been better for sure."
It was your voice, one of the three that really sparked something in the team ahead of the Bears matchup. This could be demoralizing, obviously the way it worked out, the way De'Vondre did what he did. Mathematically you guys still have a chance. How do you get back on track?
"Just coming back in the next day and going to work and doing what we've done and trusting in this whole process, not just being so result oriented. It's all about the process of your work, believing in each other, fighting for each other every day at practice and in meetings. This is not the easiest job in the world and that's why there's only so many people that can do it. I know that we have the right guys in this building to handle this kind of situation in the right way. So, I think it's really just that."
WR Deebo Samuel Sr. got some touches early. Were you guys making a concerted effort to get him going early or is that just the way it came down?
"I think that's just how it went down. We thought the Rams were going to be able to give us some looks for Deebo to make some slash plays and stuff, but more than anything, Deebo was just playing his position and the ball just went his way in certain plays. Obviously we wish we would've connected on a couple more and wish I would've been a little bit more accurate on some of those throws. But more than anything I was just going through the reads and progressions and trying to take what the defense gave me."
He's expressed his frustration with this season. How much a part do you feel like responsible or sharing with this, wanting to see Deebo have a bigger season than he's had?
"I'm not really sure to be honest. I think I go through my reads and progressions of how Kyle coaches us. For sure there's some plays and missed throws that I could be better at. But like I said before, I love Deebo and I go into every game wanting the best for all of my teammates on the field. Sitting back here after what Deebo said, I feel his frustration. I know he is a playmaker. If I were him, I'd for sure want to be getting more touches and making plays and stuff and I get that. But for me, I'm just trying to do my job well for this team and at the same time I love him and I want the best for him."
49ers DL Nick Bosa
What kind of spark did LB Dre Greenlaw give you guys in that first half and how did he look?
"It was great to see him. I love having him. He's probably my favorite teammate to ever play with, college and pros. He's an absolute dog and he was showing it. To come after a year of not playing and look like that, it's pretty impressive."
You guys mathematically, Head Coach Kyle Shanahan mentioned this, and it is the truth, you guys still do have a chance to make it into the playoffs. Does it feel like that in the locker room?
"We're going to find out who wants to be here the next few weeks. Obviously, it's slim and that's not really the focus. The focus is to win games and to put our best out there."
If they started talking about shutting down guys, would you be bothered by that?
"I don't know. I think if you're healthy you should play, and I think momentum created in the next few games could be really big for the offseason."
49ers LB Dre Greenlaw
How did it feel when you first came back?
"It felt good. It felt good to be out there with my brothers running around and having fun, man. It felt good."
What was that moment like running out of the tunnel?
"You know, [LB] Fred [Warner], he's one of the guys that he's been there for me throughout every step of my career. He knows how much I want to be out there. He knows how much it meant to me. I know how bad he wanted me out there too, so anytime we can suit up and go out there and play, that's what we want. That's what we love."
What happened in the third quarter there where you came out?
"This knee kind of felt a little weird, so I just wanted to protect myself a little bit. The knee kind of didn't feel right and everything kind of got a little tight. Got to make sure I use precaution on it."
What have you missed about the game?
"I missed, I guess, letting my anger and frustration out. I like going to hit people sometimes [laugh] and that lets a lot of frustration out. Just makes me feel better, I don't know. I miss everything about it. The fans going out there in Levi's, playing next to Fred, and that feeling of playing next to him everything about it."
49ers S Talanoa Hufanga
How frustrating is it to hold these guys no touchdowns and still lose the game?
"It's frustrating, but at the end of the day we had opportunities. I had opportunities. I had no excuse to drop a pick. I have a club on, it doesn't matter. Earlier in the week, I said I was going to use it to my benefit and I have to make those plays. It could have been a game-changing play where we got a touchdown off of it. Scoring on defense is one way to really look at things in a bright light, so I have to get back in and lock in. The season's not over. We still have games left to play and if we don't show up, there's no reason to be here if we're not going to do that. So I'm going to show up every day."
CB Charvarius Ward said there was some miscommunication on defense in the second half. Do you feel like that cost you guys, and what happened?
"Definitely, yeah. For us, we have to be better. Regardless of what the offense is doing, defense is its own battle and we have to step up and be better. I have to lead better and the back end is my room. I have to make sure we're all in the same spot and we're all on the same page."
You said so many good things happened against the Rams over the years. It seems so strange that they're the team now that has you guys in this state.
"Yeah, I can't really say too much in terms of whether you want to call it luck or whatever. I know when I line up against them next time, I'll be ready."
The communication issues seemed to be in the second half more. What changed between the first and second half?
"I think just the adjustments that were made. I think the Rams came out and adjusted well. I want to say we didn't adjust on defense, but what was working in the first half was working. We just gave up a few missed plays that ended up hurting us, for sure. Like I said, I'll take all accountability for that. I have to be better in the back end and I have to lead our guys to make sure that we come out with a win."
49ers WR Jauan Jennings
What was different about this game versus week three? You were pretty successful on week three.
"I didn't catch the ball as much as I did that third week."
Did you feel like the balls were coming out as normal from QB Brock Purdy?
"I think we did our job. The defense gave us a chance to win the game at the end, and we just didn't."
How unbelievable is it that the game ended up the way it did, so low scoring like this?
"Not as bad as Seattle on the walk off but it's still a loss. Every loss is a loss and a win is a win."
49ers TE George Kittle
Why was it so hard for the offense to find a rhythm and produce tonight?
"I don't know any of the statistics. I know that we were averaging like three yards a play at halftime. I don't know what it was after that. They came out with some funky looks once in a while, but I just thought as skill positions, whether it was tight end, quarterback, running back, fullback, wide receiver, I just thought we could have stepped up our game and played better and we didn't. Our defense gave us an unlimited amount of opportunities to go out there and score points, put us in decent field position. We ultimately ended up losing the field position battle, put our defense in bad positions and they did a good job of wearing us down. Especially when you lose multiple players on defense, it's hard to continually play at the level that they were playing at the entire game. I have to watch the tape, I have to see it. Ultimately we had opportunities to make plays and we didn't."
WR Deebo Samuel Sr. obviously expressed his frustration earlier during the week. He had that ball over the middle that could have been a touchdown. Do you sense that maybe he's putting pressure on himself? What do you think is happening there?
"I don't really see Deebo drop passes like that. I think he's one of the best in the world when it comes to being open across the middle of the field and taking a ball to the house. Deebo, he's so excited to make a play. You guys saw his tweet. It was frustration. I think it's not anxiety, he's just so giddy and ready to play football. I've never seen him drop a pass like that before. As I said, it didn't need to come down to that. I know whatever Deebo said to you guys, I bet you he's hurting. Deebo is still a very talented player and I need him to continue to play at a high level for the rest of the season."
George, you are one of the leaders on the team and this isn't familiar territory. You guys haven't gotten used to losing. What do you want to see from this team as far as effort and energy down the stretch, if indeed you guys are not going to the playoffs?
"I'm just going to quote, my safety [Talanoa] Hufanga. He broke the team down after the game and he said that his mindset and his attitude will be 100% effort on every single day, every practice, every single rep. That he will fight until the wheels fall off because he has been fighting his wheels off to get back on the football field this year. He has only gotten so many reps and he's played really, really good football for us. He said that he's just going to bring it and he expects everybody around him to also bring in fiery energy, bring the passion. No matter what the circumstances are. No matter what percentage matter, what odds have to happen for us to continue playing later this year. We just have to focus on this one game, take these three days, get away and show up on Monday with great intent and great effort."
49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr.
How much did weather impact you guys in that first half?
"We got here expecting rain, that's why a lot of guys wore studs. It didn't really impact us too much. We like to run the ball, so this is what we do, but it kind of limited what we could do in the passing game a little bit."
Were the Rams doing anything in particular that was stopping the runs at all?
"No, I don't think so."
On that drop, was your reaction the pinnacle of your frustration this season?
"I was more frustrated than anything that I even dropped the rock."
Were you happy with the game plan and how they were trying to get you involved tonight?
"Yeah, at the end of the day we didn't come out with the win so we just have to be better."
I saw TE George Kittle talking to you in the locker room. Was he just giving you words of encouragement?
"At the end of the day, George is George. He came over and said, 'Man, I've seen you make that play a million times. Don't let it eat you up.' But I feel like if I make that play, we win the game."
49ers CB Charvarius Ward
How was the energy with LB Dre Greenlaw being back on the field?
"It was great. It was amazing. He saw the first half. He was making all kinds of tackles. He was doing his thing. I don't know when he went out but I'm pretty sure when he went out, you could tell a little bit. They started moving the ball a little bit more."
Obviously, it's about the final score, but that is a team that scored 40 plus points last week and you kept them out of the end zone. You guys have to feel like defensively you did a pretty good job against that.
"We still lost, so it wasn't good enough. We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win. All that matters is the L or the W. We lost. That's all that matters."
Did you feel like defensively, I mean in the first half you guys were pretty dominant, but in
the second half, they did move the ball and got the three field goals. Was there something different in the second half?
"Yes, there was a bunch of miscommunication. I feel like we hurt ourselves. We hurt ourselves a lot especially on a couple of obvious plays. We hurt ourselves a lot."
49ers LB Fred Warner
On Sunday you were one of the many people who said you had to win out, you had every game as a playoff game. How do you respond to what just happened?
"Yeah, it sucks, because that was true. We did have to win out, we didn't do enough to win today. I don't know what that looks like going forward with the playoff hopes and everything, but regardless, you have everything to play for. Every time you go out there on Sunday, Thursdays, it doesn't matter. You got to go out there and fight every single time you go out there."
What was it like to have LB Dre Greenlaw back in there with you?
"It meant everything. We shared a moment before we went out and through the tunnel. Everything that he's gone through and his journey with rehab and thinking about that moment in the Super Bowl and being able to finally go out there and be with him again, it meant everything. He looked like Dre Greenlaw from the moment we started."
Rams have been a team that you guys have so many good things happen for you against them. Does it seem odd that they're the team now that has you in this state based on the two games you've played?
"Yeah, it's just two games, honestly. I know they had that one at the end of the year last year, but, that's how the division goes. Teams adapt and it was a hard fought battle all the way through. They scored 44 points last week against a really good Bills team and we held them to 12 points today. You know what I'm saying? I'm not putting that solely on the offense at all. We had opportunities to take the ball away. Their team took the ball away one time. We didn't. There's things to be proud of. There's things to look at and be like, if only we did X, Y, Z. So, they got the best of us today."
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
Opening Statement:
"This team has found a bunch of different ways to win football games. You come off a 44-42 game the other day and then you win 12-6. Our group did what they needed to do to be able to get it done. The defense just felt like they were coming up with stop after stop. What a pick by [Los Angeles Rams CB] Darious Williams. What a great job by [Rams DE] Kobie Turner getting a couple of sacks. Really proud of [Los Angeles Rams K] Joshua Karty to be able to go 4-for-4. We needed every single one of those. I thought as the game went on, we really struggled offensively. The weather was definitely a factor early on in terms of some of the things that limited what we could do. It was a lot more of an issue than I think probably what would've been recognized on the TV or even if you were just in the stadium.
"There were times when it did slow down and I thought [Los Angeles Rams QB] Matthew [Stafford] made the plays he needed to make. I though [Los Angeles Rams RB] Kyren [Williams] ran really tough. We were able to sustain some drives. It felt like we stayed a little bit more connected in the run game in the second half to be able to at least sustain possession and move the football, get some first downs, run some clock off. We know we'd love to be able to finish those with touchdowns in the red area. But the 49ers, they did a great job defensively. There's going to be some great things we can learn from, but we'll take the win. And like I said, I'm really proud of this football team."
Joshua Karty, what did he show you tonight?
"It's nothing I didn't expect. He's steady. He's consistent. He's unflappable. Even the long one, the 48-yarder, he knocked that thing true. It was firm and had great trajectory on it. And then the next three were excellent. They're a little bit closer range. He did a great job. I was really proud of him."
Kyren Williams had 29 carries in the Buffalo game and four days later, he had 29 carries. Can you put that in perspective?
"Glad that he's got a few days of rest. I think the type of game that it ended up becoming, we would like more opportunities to get [Rams RB] Blake [Corum] going a little bit. But Kyren is the guy we have so much trust in. You get into some of those situations in the latter parts of the game where it's a one-possession game. He's the guy that's done a great job for us. I love some of the responses he's had after a few weeks back. He's taken great care of the football. I think he runs really hard and tough. He's a guy that brings such an energy to our football team and I think guys thrive off that. I love Kyren Williams and he sure had a bunch of energy after the game. For him to be able to have 58 carries over the last four days is really impressive. We'll look forward to getting him healthy, rested and recovered. He's been a stud and I've been really proud of him."
What does today tell you about the defense that they're able to bounce back from Sunday?
"They're resilient. They always have the ability to respond. This is a young group that has demonstrated the ability to do that. That's one of the things that has served this team well. It serves us well that there's different ways we can win a football game now. We'd like to be able to put it all together. To be able to do that, that's a real strength and that's something we're going to take as a positive. We're going to always use all these games as learning opportunities. We're going to get ourselves recharged and refreshed, try to have a great week and see if we can put a complete game together. For us to win seven of nine after the Bye with the way we started, I think this group is getting better. There were some things we can certainly clean up. I do think the conditions were a factor. That's a team that has as much respect for me than anybody. They're so well coached, got great personnel and were fighting for a lot of things tonight. They made it a really tough, difficult game for us. And our guys came out on top."
Where does the resiliency come from? Not only to battle back to win four on the season, but to find those different ways to win?
"It's the players and our coaching staff. Those guys have been steady. They've consistently brought the energy poured into them, but our players are resilient. They love football. They love preparing. They love the process. We challenged our guys a few weeks back to say, 'Hey, no matter what happens, let's make sure there's no regrets after the Philly game. There's 'x' amount of days left that we're guaranteed. There's 'x' amount of games, 'x' amount of practices. Let's make sure we bring everything that we've got every single day. And when we look back on this, no matter what happens, there's no regrets.' Our guys have done that since then. It just so happens it's coincided with some good results. I want to continue to see those guys have the same sort of approach, and to have this upward trajectory. It's nice to be able to play meaningful games in December."
Do you guys control your own playoff destiny? What's your message to your team? In 10 days, you've got the New York Jets.
"It's the same. I just know we've got the next game and we're going to do our best to be able to prepare to get ready, put together the right plans, put our players in the right spots and ultimately, let's see if we can have it culminate in a great opportunity in that three-hour window and see what it looks like. Our guys have been really steady and consistent. We can only be one day at a time, one game at a time. That's what we'll continue to do. I'll let you guys handle all that stuff and we'll focus on trying to get ready for the Jets."
What was the weather like down there?
"There were moments throughout the game, mostly in the first half, where it was raining and coming down hard. You're not able to change out the balls, it's wet and it does limit your ability to get it and be able to throw it and control it. A lot of the different plays you'd want to activate in some different settings are kind of crossed off the play sheet for the given time. It did have a little different feel to it in the second half, but it was definitely an issue, particularly in the first half."
With the conditions early on, when did you guys have to shift to know that we're going to have to really focus on time of possession to win the game?
"It really felt that way throughout the game. You could see the defenses were doing a good job being able to control it. They had that one big play to [San Francisco 49ers TE George] Kittle. I thought our defense settled in on the second drive and forced the field goal. It was a good job by [San Francisco 49ers K Jake] Moody to be able to get that long kick, but it felt like that was kind of the flow of the game throughout. It did feel like offensively, our guys were able to get into a little bit of a rhythm in the second half. We just didn't finish drives in the red zone, but got a couple of explosives. We were able to get down in tight position. The holding call where it comes back, when you're down on the 4-yard-line, that was a challenging one. That moves us back, takes us out of possible four-down range where you're going for it. We'll have some great opportunities to be able to learn from it. It felt like really throughout the course of the game, that was kind of the flow of it."
A few plays before [Los Angeles Rams CB] Darious Williams' interception, [Los Angeles Rams CB] Akhello Witherspoon had a deep pass breakup. How did you see those two guys prepare for tonight and step up for you?
"I thought Akhello was awesome. I felt that from very early on. They tried a little play action, double slant. He ends up breaking that up and was able to come over the top. [Los Angeles Rams S] Kamren Kinchens had a big one when they tried to activate [San Francisco 49ers WR] Deebo [Samuel] down the middle of the field. But [Los Angeles Rams Assistant Head Coach] Aubrey [Pleasant] does a great job with those guys and in a short week, getting them ready for such a challenging opponent. I thought they really answered the bell. Even [Los Angeles Rams S] Kam Curl. I'm thinking about down the sideline to [San Francisco 49ers TE George] Kittle. He gets his eyes back and Q [Los Angeles Rams S Quentin Lake] did the same type of thing. It was a great team effort, all those guys making plays. But Akhello was outstanding, really proud of him and that's a cool deal to be able to come back here and play the way he did."
What was your thinking on the read option for [Los Angeles Rams QB] Matthew Stafford down near the goal line and after scoring 44 against the Bills and not scoring a touchdown?
"Our goal is to try to come away with the result. I'm really proud of the way we played team football. You could feel that was kind of game it was going to be. Now would we love to be able to finish some of those drives in the red area? No doubt. But that defense is playing really well. I thought they did a good job. They limited some things. There were some decisions when I look back that I didn't like that I made in real time. The read option. I didn't think that was as bad as you made it sound like. The thought process was they're not expecting it. That didn't work out for us, but sometimes it's a way of being able to gain back a hat, when you're able to read somebody instead of having to block them. They did a great job being able to string it out. Ultimately, it got the hold, but I thought he showed some toughness and some grit right there. It looked like a potential face mask on that one, too. It was a great job by our guys. I was really proud of them. There are different ways you can win football games and have no style points. We'll take it. I'm proud of this group."
Rams QB Matthew Stafford
I'm sure the weather was a factor in some of the adjustments in the second half, but what did you notice about those adjustments after halftime that led to basically double the advantage in time of possession?
You had a couple quarterback sneaks and you picked up a long third down with your legs. You didn't slide to get the first down. How's your body feeling? In those kind of "have to have it" moments, do you just want the ball in your hand?
"In terms of the body, we'll figure that out later. I'm not worried about it. We have 10 days. It's December. Our season is on the line every single week we go out there. It was going be tough to throw the football in the long run. They also clouded their concepts and did a nice job of covering that up. At that point, it was time to go. I wasn't exactly sure where I was, but I wasn't going to be sliding a half yard short, backed up and making Sean say, 'Hey, are we going to go for this or punt right here?' We needed that. On the couple of the sneaks, they were good. The first one was good. The second one, I think [LB] Fred [Warner] knew it was coming, so I tried to give him a little something to go the other way. I asked him if I got him, but he didn't say much. Then, there was the zone read. I love that call. I thought Fred did a great job of reading out of the stack on that one. Unfortunately, we got the holding penalty. At any point, if we get down that close, I'm doing anything I can to try and score. If it's me surprising everybody in the stadium while I'm still holding on to it, trying to get in, I'm all for it."
Does December football feel different?
"Yes, absolutely. This is what it's all about. It's what you work so hard for. I just think back on all the OTAs, all the August training camp days, all the early season injuries, struggles and things you have to overcome to try to give yourself a chance to have an opportunity to play meaningful football. In this month in my career, I've had quite a few Decembers that you were just trying to play good football to play good football. We have an opportunity to keep our season alive every single time we go out there and play. That's a whole lot of fun. I think our team has shown we can win football games any way you want in a four day span. We have to continue to get better. By no means was it a great performance by us as an offense tonight, but that was some good team football."
Coach McVay was talking about learning how to win in different ways. What does a game like this tell you about this team?
"It's what it takes this time of year. You can't sit there and go, 'Hey, we're going to go out there every single week and go 80% on third down, score 44 points and light up the scoreboard.' You might have a bad weather game, who knows. Next week might be another weather game or whatever it is. You have to find ways to win the football game. You have to be tough mentally and physically, and we are that. We need to continue to try to execute as good as we possibly can to make these games more advantageous for us. At the same time, they all count for one at this point and any way you can get them, we'll take them."
Coach McVay said after the Philadelphia Eagles game that there was 39 days left. What did you take away from that conversation?
"He is exactly right. It goes back to what I was just saying. You spend all this time this year, your entire life for a lot of these guys, myself included, just working for moments like this. Sometimes you kick off September 1st and you go, 'Man, there's a lot of football to be played.' It's daunting to look at the whole chunk. He broke it down for us and did a hell of a job going, 'Hey, there's this many days left.' It's a great way to galvanize the group. I thought it was an awesome message. He does such a great job in front of our team at all times, but that was one that definitely resonated with the group. Guys are rallying behind it and continuing to do whatever we can to try and win games."
How is the connection between you and Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua right now?
"It's good. Obviously, we had the big one down the field today and a couple intermediate ones. It was tough to throw the football in some instances, but he did a nice job and played physical football as he always does. It was a group effort for sure."
This is now five games in a row with no turnovers. How important is that efficiency even if you're not throwing touchdown passes in the way you're used to?
"Obviously, I put two in harm's way today that I wish I wouldn't have. One of them felt like I saw the coverage really good and I just didn't see the top shelf there. I wasn't expecting with [Los Angeles Rams WR] Tutu [Atwell] running down the middle of the field that we would get clamped down on like we did. It was a great play, but try to throw it to the guy that has a club on his hand. There's the difference in the game, right? D-Will [Los Angeles Rams DB Darious Williams] gets the pick for us, and we go down and get some points. That's a huge one. I have to do as good a job as I possibly can on staying aggressive, but also taking care of the football. I definitely have some things I can look at and work on from this football game. I'm always going to be aggressive and try to make plays for our team, but it was a big one, so don't ask me about six next week."
Rams OL Kevin Dotson
When it's raining like that, do you feel like a little kid? What's the feeling playing out there?
"It definitely brings you back. You already know what type of game it's going to be – no more passing, it's just going to be a fight and a brawl. This is like the best circumstance for that to happen to go against the 49ers and just straight mano a mano. That's all you can ask for as an offensive line."
When you got that late interception by Los Angeles Rams CB Darious Williams and then too, as an offensive lineman, what did that mean to you to ball control on your final drive?
"It just let us know that we had full control of the game and that if we finished for one more second we can make anything happen. We trust [Los Angeles Rams RB] Kyren [Williams], we trust any running back that's back there, and we know our coaches are going to have a good plan for us. We trust it fully; we follow it blindly. We don't care. We're going to get some yards."
I know the mantra here is to go 1-0 every week but describe the confidence of having won seven of your last nine?
"It builds, it compounds every week. Leaders are emerging. People are talking more and being more communicative. More people are starting to buy into that we are who we say we are. At the beginning of the year, we knew we were good. We had a few falls, little lulls in our excitement, but I can feel us ramping it back up. I feel like we're coming up at the perfect time to make that run."
Rams K Joshua Karty
What's the challenge when it's pouring rain like that and you're trying to make the kick?
Karty: "You can ask this guy right here more than me. I would say water affects the snapper and holder a lot more than me. When it rains, the ball gets slippery and so it's harder, is that right [Los Angeles Rams LS] Alex [Ward]?"
Ward: "You don't get as much of a flick off the ball, so you can't trust your rotation. You have to slow down a little bit."
Karty: "For me, as long as my plant foot is holding, which it was, it would take a lot of rain for me to be slipping around. Then, I don't change anything. If there were snow, then I would change something."
Talk about your rookie season.
"Oh, it's great. I've learned a lot this year and had some ups and some downs. There was a stretch in there where it was pretty rough and there was only one way out of it. That's to just keep putting in the work, keep kicking. I've learned it's a long season, 17 weeks, one game doesn't define you whether it's good or whether it's bad."
What are you going to do with your off weekend following this win?
"Take the weekend off for sure. Next weekend, this game doesn't matter anymore. It's a fresh slate, I start over basically, and help the team win that game too."
Rams TE Colby Parkinson
How does it feel now that you guys have won seven of your last nine games?
"You can just feel the momentum. You can feel the team coming together each and every week a little bit more, and we're peaking at the right time. It's exactly what we want."
When it's raining like that, do you have flashbacks of being an 8-year-old?
"Yeah, it feels like you're just out there playing ball with your buddies."
Having played at Stanford, did you feel comfortable in these conditions?
"Yeah, I played in the Pac-12 championship game here in the stadium in 2017, so that was my first experience at Levi's, which was fun. It's always good to come back."
Rams CB Darious Williams
What did you see on the play where you intercepted San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy?
"Something we've kind of seen on film. He likes to run curl pumps, but I think the biggest thing is we just didn't really know when it was going to come. I was able to be patient on it. I didn't think he was going to throw it but he threw it up and I was ready to make a play."
What does it say about the defense after giving up 42 points last week to come out tonight with this kind of performance allowing 6 points?
"We just keep our head down. We just keep going. That's all it's about, right? We don't get too high, don't get too low, and no matter where you are, just keep your head down and keep going."
Head Coach Sean McVay said after the Eagles that there were 39 days left guaranteed in the season. What did you take away from that message?
"Every day counts and every game matters. Every game counts, especially where we are, and we can control our own destiny."
