CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After the Los Angeles Rams beat the Buccaneers in Week 12 to change into the No. 1 seed within the NFC and the Tremendous Bowl favourite, coach Sean McVay made it clear that till the common season was over, the workforce’s place within the standings wasn’t important.
Only one week later, the Rams fell to 9-3 and out of the No. 1 spot after a 31-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Chicago Bears (9-3) are actually atop the NFC as a result of they maintain the tiebreaker over the Rams with a greater file within the convention.
It was, as Rams outdoors linebacker Byron Younger stated after the sport, a “humbling expertise.”
“I simply really feel like this a wake-up name,” Younger stated. “One thing that you just simply acquired to be taught from. I undoubtedly assume it is one thing that we wanted, however I do not have a look at as a nasty factor. I simply have a look at it that it’s motivation. It’s one thing I am glad that it occurred. We’d like this.”
With the Rams favored by 9 1/2 factors, it was the second-largest upset within the NFL this season, based on ESPN Analysis.
“I do not assume we got here in as excessive as we must always have,” outdoors linebacker Jared Verse stated. “I believe we did not do the issues that we fairly must do. Too many individuals considered this sport as a kind of video games the place you may simply type of leap out of your gaps, do what you must do. That is not what it’s. … It would not matter in case you’re going up towards the Panthers, the Eagles, the highest workforce, the worst workforce. It would not matter. You have to be higher than that.”
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who got here into the sport because the MVP favourite, turned the ball over 3 times. Stafford, who had not thrown an interception since Week 3, threw two in three move makes an attempt within the first quarter. He had a number of interceptions and a misplaced fumble for the primary time since Week 17 of the 2021 season, based on ESPN Analysis.
“Clearly we’re not going to win an entire lot of video games once I flip it over 3 times,” Stafford stated. “[It] hasn’t been a problem and do not count on it to be shifting ahead.”
After the sport, McVay stated the Rams nonetheless gave themselves an opportunity to get again into the sport. Trailing by three factors with 2:34 left to play, Los Angeles had the ball on the Carolina 22. After taking a delay of sport, Stafford fumbled whereas being sacked.
The Rams’ offense didn’t get the ball again for the remainder of the sport.
“With this workforce, I am all the time optimistic that even by means of some adversities all through the sport that we’ll climate the storm and determine it out,” vast receiver Davante Adams stated. “… We have had video games the place on offense we did not play nice, and the protection picks it up. … No person saved the day as we speak and that is why we ended up falling quick.”