Rich Reacts to the Rams’ “Crucial” Comeback Win over the Eagles to Improve to 2-2

Rich had this one filed under 1-3 before it was over. The Rams had other plans.

His reasoning was sound. When you look at the Rams' losses, even during last year's remarkable season, they featured a Matthew Stafford turnover and special teams implosions. Both were happening in Philadelphia. "Add Philadelphia to the mix and you'd be like, 'Oh, that's got a Rams loss written all over it,'" Rich said. Weird stuff kept happening, points kept getting gifted to the other side, and it was going down.

Then Sean McVay gathered the offense on the sideline during the third quarter. Rich did not think it looked like a riot act, but McVay was "definitely delivering a message." And from there, the Rams got it done on both sides of the ball.

That is worth remembering given where this roster is. Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett have yet to play a snap together. Puka Nacua missed a couple of games, and he showed up again. Stafford made the throws when it counted, and Kyren Williams delivered what Rich called a remarkable run to put them up for the win.

McVay was honest afterward about how close it came to slipping away. "We tried to do a lot of things that were not in alignment with what is winning football," he said. "But you can't win it until the fourth quarter and our guys came alive when they did. A lot of gutsy efforts. And I have a headache from hell right now. But I am really proud of this group. I think a lot of teams would have folded in those situations. But our defense kept giving us a reason to believe."

Rich seized on that last line. The defense kept giving them reasons to believe, and if the Rams do fulfill the prophecy, Chris noted they are still the Super Bowl favorites, this is the game people will point to. "It was dead to rights over," Rich said, and then came a massive comeback where the defense did its job, kept getting the ball back, and the offense marched down the field for the win.

None of that means the box score was clean. Stafford threw 51 passes, and Rich said plainly that is still too many. Stafford finished with no touchdowns and two interceptions. "That is the recipe for losing in Philadelphia," Rich said, and so were the special teams miscues again: a missed field goal and then kicking the ball out. "That look on McVay's face said it all."

Kyren carried them. He ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead run, and added 10 catches for 67 yards. Puka chipped in another rushing touchdown.

The standings are why Rich called it crucial. The Rams avoid a 1-3 start and sit at 2-2, and that matters because the Niners improved to 4-0 with a gutsy win against the Denver Broncos. After Week 5 comes what Rich called a "so-called softening of the schedule": two games against Arizona sandwiched around a visit to Vegas, a home date with the Chargers, and then a trip to Washington, which Rich assumes will feature a healthier Jayden Daniels.

Rich also anticipated the counterargument. "Listen, you could sit here and go, 'Okay, Rams just took care of a diminished Eagles team.'" His response was history. The Rams, he said, could not go to Philadelphia and win for the last 20-some years. This time they did.

The final word from the table was the right way to treat a win like this one. "Take it as you get it."