Sean McVay reveals what's held the Rams back from a 5-0 start

Matt Sullivan

Sean McVay reveals what's held the Rams back from a 5-0 start image

The Los Angeles Rams are 3-2 and look like a strong contender to be back in the playoffs later this year. But, while the team is in solid shape for a playoff run, their current record could, and should, look a lot better than it does.

After their brutal Thursday Night Football loss to the San Francisco 49ers, in which the 49ers were playing without their starting quarterback, No. 1 and 2 wide receivers, and their top tight end, Rams head coach Sean McVay was asked about the upset loss, and specifically, a phase of the game that's hurt the Rams this season.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared McVay's response to the team's kicking woes, from kickoffs to field goals and extra points. McVay was confident the kicking game would turn around, despite the massive issue leading to both of their losses this season.

Sean McVay believes in the kicking game despite it being the reason for both losses this year

"I think you lean in," McVay said. "I don't want to get too granular with you guys for different reasons that it hasn't gone down, but there's going to be an intentional approach, all hands on deck, which that's always been the case. We'll lean in more than we have. I just refuse to believe that this isn't something that we can't fix. We're going to continue to fight, scratch, and claw to be able to give the techniques, the fundamentals, and get the right people in the right spots. Then, ultimately, understand what is going to be required for us to execute at a high clip in a phase that is supremely important. It's cost us through the first five weeks."

The kicking woes have led to both of the Rams' losses this season. Their most recent game against the division rival 49ers should've been a win, but they missed an extra point, and in overtime, they kicked the ball out of bounds to allow the 49ers to start on the 40-yard line.

But the kicking disaster against the Philadelphia Eagles is the most brutal of their losses. Joshua Karty had two field goals blocked, either of which would've won them the game. The first didn't do too much damage, but the second was as bad as it gets.

Karty's kick was blocked with time expiring, and Jordan Davis rumbled back the other way for a touchdown, cementing a brutal loss for the Rams.

However, in the face of all of these kicking problems, McVay is confident in the team's ability to bounce back from these mistakes. While this unwavering belief is a good start, changes do need to be made to the kicking game before long.

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If the Rams continue to have kicks blocked from Karty, and Karty continues to struggle with placing kickoffs correctly, there might be more games decided by the Rams' kicking game this season. 

They've already lost two games due to poor kicking, whether it was blocks or misses; the Rams have seen their kicking game be a net-negative this season.

For McVay, who is a conservative head coach, this is a huge issue. As seen in the Eagles game, the Rams need their field goal unit to be a lot better, while in the 49ers game, the kickoff unit can't make such a mistake again.

Part of what makes the Rams' kicking issues so apparent is that they've come in the biggest moments. If the Rams saw their three field goal blocks come in blowout wins, it would be a concern, but not the reason for their losses.

The Rams should be 5-0 if it weren't for poor special teams play. The NFL has seen special teams become more of a factor in games this season, thanks to the dynamic kickoff and new rules regarding K-balls for kickers.

As other teams succeed with their kicking game, the Rams have struggled. McVay is confident in the special teams unit going forward, but the team needs to figure things out before the kicking issues lead to a back-breaking loss down the line.

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Matt Sullivan

Matt Sullivan is a freelance writer for The Sporting News, predominantly covering MLB. Matt is a native of Pennsylvania and has worked with Athlon Sports, Last Word on Sports, and other outlets.