WEBVTT - Rams' Win for Los Angeles, Darnold's Disaster and McCarthy Moves on From Cowboys 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.200 From the thirty nine of LA Third Down and eight 0:00:03.880 --> 0:00:07.560 Rams on defense protecting a touchdown, leave Donald against the rush. 0:00:07.720 --> 0:00:08.280 What's coming? 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:15.400 Please hit scoop, scoop up, Jennifers, tell the right sideline 0:00:15.400 --> 0:00:16.920 with lockers turn. 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:19.480 Five tunning time. 0:00:21.120 --> 0:00:25.320 The defensive rookie of the year with a scoop stretch 0:00:25.480 --> 0:00:30.560 store on wild Card weekend and it's a Callum winnerspoon 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:32.520 to Jarrett Loose. 0:00:34.200 --> 0:00:39.000 Are our friends JB Log and MJB with the great 0:00:39.159 --> 0:00:42.959 call of the great Jared Verse. No one was catching him. 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:45.880 I mean, what was his forty time? My god gets 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:49.239 into the end zone for a scoop and score on 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:53.600 a night when the Rams defense had Sam Donald seeing ghosts. 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:58.440 The Rams win twenty seven to nine to cap wild 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:04.240 Card Weekend in a crazy game in Glendale, Arizona. I'm 0:01:04.280 --> 0:01:07.759 here back in Los Angeles. It's not as smoky as 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.120 it was a couple of nights ago, Nick shook, And 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:13.920 for that we have a lot of thanks to give 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:17.560 and a lot of Rams fans around the Southland, around 0:01:17.640 --> 0:01:20.480 Los Angeles, and the ones who got up early this 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:23.200 morning to take all those buses that were going from 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:27.280 Sofi to bring them to Glendale are happy tonight because 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:31.080 it was over after that touchdown. It was a party 0:01:31.160 --> 0:01:32.520 for this Rams defense. 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:35.319 What a night, Yeah, one to night, indeed one night 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:40.800 for less sneed it drafted Jared Verse, Braden Fisk making 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:43.240 a play, that defensive front that he rebuilt after the 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.319 departure of Aaron Donald coming through in a defense that 0:01:46.440 --> 0:01:50.360 just played phenomenally and absolutely shut down the explosive Vikings 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:52.880 and really made quite a statement with this win. That 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:55.960 Verse fumble recovery in return for a touchdown, It made 0:01:55.960 --> 0:01:58.040 it what seventeen to three. It felt like the final 0:01:58.080 --> 0:02:00.240 blow right then and there, like they were never going 0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:02.040 to recover from that. That was how good of a 0:02:02.080 --> 0:02:04.280 game they played defensively, and what a resounding win for 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:04.920 these Rams. 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.240 Yeah, it was another rough one for Sam Donald and 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:13.960 we'll get into that, but the defensive performance was amazing 0:02:14.040 --> 0:02:17.480 and the way the Rams offense came out to start 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:21.799 this game and set the tone with a touchdown drive 0:02:22.639 --> 0:02:25.600 just like they did against the Vikings the first time 0:02:25.760 --> 0:02:29.960 route in so far, and then get another score to 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:32.520 go up two scores, ten to nothing in the blink 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:36.919 of an eye. And Sam Donald wasn't really ready for it, 0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:39.119 wasn't ready for that moment, and before we get into 0:02:39.160 --> 0:02:42.880 the whys of it all, I do think about everything 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:46.160 that's happened this week here and we've chronicled it on 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:51.080 NFL Daily some and I think about this Rams team, who, 0:02:52.360 --> 0:02:56.720 one year after the pandemic, when people are just getting 0:02:56.880 --> 0:02:59.959 back to normal and you're just getting used to sofis 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:04.119 even being a thing that fans can go to, they 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.799 win a Super Bowl title and kind of stamp themselves, 0:03:08.680 --> 0:03:11.160 you know, this city's football team in a way that 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.519 I don't think they had been since they had returned 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.040 from Saint Louis. And fast forward to now, but both 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:19.960 them and the Chargers are in the playoffs this year, 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.640 but they get affected, their practice gets affected. Last week 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.280 they go to Glendale and it's this season where they 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:30.079 were one and four and they make it to the playoffs, 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.320 and you don't know how many more years Stafford and 0:03:32.400 --> 0:03:35.040 McVay are going to have together. And this is actually 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:38.600 their first win since that Super Bowl title. And I 0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:41.160 do think about NFL seasons. Not everyone can win the 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.080 Super Bowl, and it's going to be disappointing whenever this 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:47.640 Rams season ends for them unless they win it. And 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:51.000 yet sometimes I do think one win can make it 0:03:51.040 --> 0:03:53.680 all worth it. And maybe that can be a regular 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.480 season win, but usually it's a playoff win. And even 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.440 if the road ends in Philadelphia, I really do think 0:03:59.480 --> 0:04:03.080 this is a win in that Rams fans will treasure 0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:06.240 and remember forever, and Stafford will as well when they're 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:08.360 thinking about it in twenty years, even if they don't 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.680 go on that, Hey, we got another one a few 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:12.960 years after that Super Bowl and it was that week 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:15.680 and when we faced a lot of challenges, and we 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:17.920 faced challenges that season, and it kind of showed what 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.159 they were all about as this next generation of like 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:22.400 Rams young players. 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:24.440 You know, go on, Yeah, they're gonna be sitting around 0:04:24.520 --> 0:04:26.480 the Thanksgiving table or just the dinner table, or maybe 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:28.880 a reunion of old teammates years from now, and think 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:30.440 back to you remember that time we had to go 0:04:30.520 --> 0:04:33.360 out to Glendale because you know, there were wildfires around 0:04:33.400 --> 0:04:35.240 and we couldn't practice and we couldn't play in our 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:37.000 home stadium when we had earned the right to host 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.360 a playoff game. Remember how the Cardinals organization bent over 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:42.440 backward to make sure that it felt as close to 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.320 home as it could be. They got the same color 0:04:44.440 --> 0:04:46.599 paint to paint the field that we would use and 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:48.800 everything else. Remember all those fans who came out to 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:50.920 Arizona to support us, and then we went out and 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:53.359 played inspired football. That was the thing that really stood 0:04:53.400 --> 0:04:56.200 out to me from the opening drive. The Rams played 0:04:56.200 --> 0:04:59.119 with the purpose that exceeded the playoffs. This was about 0:04:59.160 --> 0:05:01.479 more than just when a playoff game that was a 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.080 home game away from home. This is about playing for 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:06.880 the entire city, in the entire Los Angeles area, and 0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:10.320 they represented them so well. And there's no way, considering 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:12.359 all that has happened that people won't look back on 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:14.360 this five, ten, fifteen, twenty years from now. I mean 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:16.480 I still hear about the games from the eighties in 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:19.039 Cleveland with the Browns, right, nothing like this. It was 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:19.839 nothing like this. 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:21.840 This is gonna be we Well, those are pretty great. 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:23.520 Those are pretty great times. 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:24.880 Too, and a mid tragedy. 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.120 No, Yes, Rams fans are hopeful that they don't go 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:31.560 in such a dry spell that those kind of games 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:34.560 stand out as much. But yeah, this one won't be forgotten. 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:36.800 And I'm glad you mentioned the energy. That's really a 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:39.800 smart way to think about it. Because the Vikings are 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.560 coming off a disappointing loss. They had to play last 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:45.960 week Sunday Night football. Rams got to rest their starters, 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.760 and the Rams came out and just yanked this thing 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:53.440 from them right away. First drive of the game, Vikings blitzed. 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:56.240 Guess guess what their blitz percentage was on the first 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:56.920 drive of the game. 0:05:57.160 --> 0:05:58.039 It was one hundred percent. 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.680 It was one hundred percent every single play. Hey, And 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:02.880 you know how many times they pressured Matthew Stafford one 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.640 one time and I just thought Stafford and McVeigh the combination. 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:09.640 It's like they knew what was coming, and he got 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:12.119 rid of the ball so quickly. Puko with a huge 0:06:12.160 --> 0:06:15.720 gainer on the first play. Basically every play was successful. 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:19.560 Tyler Higbee had a bunch of them and it was easy. 0:06:19.640 --> 0:06:22.360 And then you think about the first defensive drive, first 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.320 play on defense Byron Young, tackle for loss, next play 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:30.640 Byron Young sack I believe him and Kobe Turner. And 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:32.840 then the third down play actually stands out to me 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:35.120 where Donald just dumps it off to pick up like 0:06:35.200 --> 0:06:37.880 seven or eight yards on a third and fifteen and 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:42.080 literally five guys tackled the ball carrier at the same time, 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.560 and you're like, oh man, this team is swarming and 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:48.120 the second half. The offense didn't need to do much, 0:06:48.120 --> 0:06:50.080 and they didn't do much, but it didn't matter because 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:51.640 the defense kept it going the whole time. 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:55.080 Yeah, it was a phenomenal defensive game plan from the beginning. 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:58.880 You know, there was a comparison between Manon's own coverage 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.920 and Darnaldon struggled significantly against man coverage. He didn't know 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:04.320 where to go. The picture was complicated to him. He 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:06.920 was hesitant, and they feasted on it. And what really 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:08.520 stood out to me in the way that they got 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.400 after him was the number of different guys that got involved. 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:15.000 Eight different rams contributed to either at least a half sack, 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:17.560 if not more. Over the course of this game, a 0:07:17.640 --> 0:07:20.640 number of different guys getting pressures, and two of those 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:23.400 sacks came from defensive backs. The one on the strip 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:25.960 sack that led to the Jared Verse fumble recovery in 0:07:26.000 --> 0:07:28.880 return for a touchdown, that was a Kello Witherspoon coming 0:07:28.880 --> 0:07:31.120 off the edge and he just realized, oh wait, Darnold's 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:34.400 holding onto the ball. I'm here, forget my assignment. Maybe 0:07:34.400 --> 0:07:36.600 this tight end leaking out. I'm going after him, and 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:39.440 he capitalized. They were playing with their hair on Fire. 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:43.600 They were playing with intent that again exceeded the limitations 0:07:43.640 --> 0:07:46.200 or the expectations of a playoff football game. That's just 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:48.080 what was so impressive about this game. 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:51.920 Yeah, let's listen to that first touchdown to Kyron Williams 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:53.000 from Stafford from a. 0:07:52.960 --> 0:07:55.760 Loaded set with the coup of the only receiver they'll 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:58.280 play fait boot out to the left side, Matthew flicked 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:00.040 his hip. Fire's middle play. 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:02.920 Tail back Carmen. 0:08:02.640 --> 0:08:11.960 Williams, touchdown Laane seven plays, seventy yards. The Rams strike 0:08:12.080 --> 0:08:14.480 first on this wild card Monday. 0:08:15.280 --> 0:08:17.480 Yeah, that was such a great play call because the 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:20.320 initial read as he's rolling out is taken away. But 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:24.000 they have Kyra and Williams, who's become a great player 0:08:24.040 --> 0:08:28.040 in the passing game open and Stafford still looking yanky. 0:08:28.080 --> 0:08:30.240 He can still flip those hips and he was sharp 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:32.160 as hell in the first half. He was fine in 0:08:32.200 --> 0:08:35.280 the second. They just they played pretty conservative. But he 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.480 ends up nineteen for twenty seven two hundred and what 0:08:38.559 --> 0:08:41.160 did he end up with nine yards and a couple 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.840 of touchdowns? You know, passer rating over one eleven. What 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:50.679 did you think in general? I guess of Stafford and 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.760 the offensive performance one section and you could talk about this. 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.680 To me, that stood out was the last two minute 0:08:57.760 --> 0:09:00.520 drive after they got the ball late in the first step. 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:03.080 We can say that it ended at seventeen three, and 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:05.560 yet it really felt over after that drive. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.640 Yeah, Stafford came into this game with only one passing 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:11.320 touchdown since week fifteen. That was after a run where 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:14.880 he posted a ten to zero touchdown interception ratio over 0:09:14.920 --> 0:09:16.840 the previously Believe it was the last three or four 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:19.160 games people were worried about him. He was averaging one 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:21.000 hundred and fifty three passing yards per game over those 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:23.600 last three games. Coming into Monday night, he looked like 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:26.680 the guy we expected to see two years ago, not 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:28.120 the guy that we expect to see after the last 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:30.480 three weeks. He was sharp, he was dialed. He was 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.520 completely in sync with Sean mcvay's game plan. They executed 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:36.240 that nearly flawlessly, that opening drive. But you're right, that 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.080 last two minute drive was the one that really stood 0:09:38.120 --> 0:09:40.720 out to me too, because of how he played with 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.320 so much conviction. Even the touchdown pass that he throws, 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:46.440 he drops back, plants his foot boom bullet to his 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:48.040 tight end, tight end runs it in for a touchdown. 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.120 Made it look easy because this is a guy who's 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:52.680 been there before and he still trusts his physical tools 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:54.480 and when the play design is working for him and 0:09:54.480 --> 0:09:56.240 he understands where to go, Like even on that Kiraen 0:09:56.280 --> 0:09:58.600 Williams throw the flow is to the left, and yet 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:00.319 he finds a way to throw it back toward the 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:02.760 inside where Hiren finds the soft spot in the zone 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.079 to score the touchdown. They were just completely in sync 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.320 throughout that entire first half, and I thought that reminded 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.120 me that, Hey, a lot of people are ready to 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:13.479 close the curtain on the Matt stafford era in Los Angeles. 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:15.839 Not so fast. Okay, it's still ball, and he played 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:16.760 really well in this first half. 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:19.000 I know it would be really hard to replace him, 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:23.920 and we'll see because he has these highs and sometimes 0:10:24.760 --> 0:10:27.280 the game does come down to the quarterbacks. And the 0:10:27.320 --> 0:10:29.880 difference tonight was so stark, and I think the end 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.800 of the first half sequence really spells that out. Koc 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.800 decides to go for it on fourth and two at 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:41.640 the fifty with a couple minutes left to go. Actually 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:44.679 it was one thirty two left to go in the 0:10:44.679 --> 0:10:47.440 first half. Now earlier in the first half, he decided 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.440 to take a field goal on a fourth and two 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:53.000 inside the red zone. I didn't hate that decision at 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:57.240 the time, because it just didn't feel like that Vikings 0:10:57.240 --> 0:11:00.840 were executing well enough to have confidence that they're going 0:11:00.920 --> 0:11:03.319 to make the fourth and two, that Donald would take 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.000 a sack or something. But he decides to roll the 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:08.640 dice a little bit at the fifty, kind of call 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:12.360 his shot right there where if we don't pick this up, 0:11:12.400 --> 0:11:15.200 we're gonna go down three scores. But let's show some 0:11:15.320 --> 0:11:20.600 confidence in Donald. And what does he do. He holds 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:24.400 onto the ball for like six seconds and he takes 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:28.959 an eleven yard sack and then Stafford gets the ball. 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:32.040 It takes a few plays to get going, but he 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:36.840 hits Pooka on a play that probably ended with what 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:39.520 about thirty five seconds to go, And I'm thinking they're 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:41.720 going to take a time out there, and they don't, 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:44.440 and they decide not to. And it was really a 0:11:44.520 --> 0:11:46.880 veteran move. First of all, they had enough time to 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.720 run a handful of plays left. But more than anything, 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:53.040 with the way Flores runs defense, they're a good hurry 0:11:53.160 --> 0:11:56.240 up offense and they can mix in tempo really well, 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:58.800 and they did that tonight. Especially earlier in the game, 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.719 and they hurry up up on the ball and they 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:05.199 snap it quick like before ESPN gets out of their replay, basically, 0:12:05.440 --> 0:12:08.280 and he's got a wide open Davis Allen that their 0:12:08.360 --> 0:12:10.480 rookie tight or second year tight end over the middle. 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.680 Shout out to Jordan Rodrieg cashing inner Davis Allen stock 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:16.440 at the last moment. Good job by her, he gets 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:21.080 the touchdo it. And that's veteran game management versus Sam Darnold, 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:23.720 who who had no game management tonight. 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:26.600 Yeah, and I actually thought that signs of this being 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:29.439 a potential outcome showed up in that Lions game. I 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:31.440 don't think that Lions game was an anomaly, and just 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:34.400 like a one off, you could kind of find clues 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:36.080 that this could be an issue for them. My biggest 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.480 issue with them in that game was the fact that 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:40.640 when they had a down and distant situation where you 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.160 needed to get five to eight yards, you treat a 0:12:43.200 --> 0:12:45.560 third and relatively long with two plays because you know 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:47.200 you're going to go for it on fourth down. They're 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.040 not running anything short for him, and that has been 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:51.559 my big issue with their offense for a lot of 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:53.480 this season. Is now Sam has stepped up in a 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:55.720 lot of these moments and ripped a pass down the scene, 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.240 you know, through three defenders for a big first down 0:12:58.280 --> 0:13:00.840 in some of these games they've won. Last week, I 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:03.160 saw him not able to do that because they're playing 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:06.040 better defenses, because the pressure is on. And the same 0:13:06.040 --> 0:13:08.240 thing was true again in that scenario which leads to them. 0:13:08.280 --> 0:13:10.000 It's fourth and June. You take such a long sack, 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.319 you give the Rams great field position and they capitalize. 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.760 And that was a big concerning sign for me with 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:17.640 them in this going into this game, and unfortunately for 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:20.360 the Vikings, it proved to carry over and be true again. 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:23.360 Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I think 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:26.679 it's more that Darnold doesn't take the options or make 0:13:26.679 --> 0:13:28.440 the quick deal. Yeah, that could be very true too 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.199 to get to the check down. But I think you're 0:13:30.200 --> 0:13:33.840 absolutely right that they don't build in enough for him. 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:36.600 Jordan Rodrigu, who I just mentioned, is that the game 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:38.720 and said the exact same thing that they need to 0:13:38.760 --> 0:13:42.840 build in more short stuff for Sam and it's not there. 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:46.520 But the sacks that he took, and he took nine 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:48.520 of them, took me a long time to get to 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:53.280 this added up to the most sackyards in a game 0:13:53.520 --> 0:13:58.400 eighty two in the history of the NFL playoffs. Oh, 0:13:59.480 --> 0:14:02.040 it's the most sack yardage in any game in the 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:07.079 NFL for a decade. Cam Newton took more sack yardage 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:09.439 in a game in a November game a decade ago. 0:14:09.840 --> 0:14:12.720 But the most sackyards ever here are the sack yards 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:14.320 because like a lot of times, you take like a 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:22.080 three four yard sack, you get up ten seven, twelve, eight, seven, eleven, thirteen, 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:28.640 eight nine to close out the game there, and those 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:32.400 are massive sacks. One of those double digit sack numbers 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:35.840 came in the second half when they had a third 0:14:35.880 --> 0:14:39.840 and eight in field goal range in theory, but really 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.040 they needed to just get touchdowns. They were down I 0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:46.000 think three scores at the time went nineteen points or something, 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.440 and he took I think that thirteen yard sack, and 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:52.040 they decided to punt on fourth and twenty one, which 0:14:52.040 --> 0:14:54.280 to me was a surrender punt. I know, you don't 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.520 want to punt there, but the game is over if 0:14:56.560 --> 0:15:00.760 you punt it. So the fourth quarter was very strange 0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:04.680 to me. But I think koc was so exasperated by 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.920 Donald taking the sack there after he held it for 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:11.640 like six seconds. The Rams only had five quick pressures 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.920 all night. None of their defenders had more than one 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:18.360 quick pressure. So more of these sacks than not were 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:22.400 on the delayed blitzes, which they did a great job doing. 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:27.040 That confused them and Donald just holding onto the ball 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:30.240 and freezing a little bit. Let's listen to Kevin O'Connell 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:31.840 talking about Donald after the game. 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:33.880 The other phase of it for Sam is acknowledging the 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.080 things that made him a winning quarterback this year and 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:39.320 the consistency at the times he had it throughout the 0:15:39.400 --> 0:15:41.840 year and what that meant for our team. Because I 0:15:41.920 --> 0:15:44.680 think that can stay with him moving forward, is as 0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:48.160 he goes back to work, proud of him, proud of 0:15:50.000 --> 0:15:52.120 you know, really everybody in that locker room, but Sam 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:54.240 and the journey him and I went on this year 0:15:54.960 --> 0:15:57.360 will always, you know, be a you know something that's 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:58.920 a special place in my heart. For sure. 0:15:59.040 --> 0:16:00.720 That's a good way to say spin it, but that's 0:16:00.760 --> 0:16:03.800 a wistful tone at the end of what's a disappointing 0:16:03.800 --> 0:16:05.720 finish in a season that had so much promise, and 0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:07.360 you talk about that third and eight. I just went 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:08.960 and looked at the tape real quick because I thought 0:16:08.960 --> 0:16:10.560 about this in real time when it happened. He's so 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:12.560 locked on a Jalen Naylor to going across the field 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.320 looking for the deep play. Again, he's got CJ. Ham 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:17.800 open about six yards away from the line to gain 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:19.440 with a little bit of room to run when he 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:22.280 breaks the pocket, like, just dump it off once it's 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.280 right there for you take the gain, you can get 0:16:24.280 --> 0:16:26.880 a fourth and short. But again, that typified the entire 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:30.200 night for him hunting the big play. Hesitant pays the price. 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:37.120 Yeah, they had three point three I think adjusted yards 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:41.320 for dropback, which is one of the lowest totals in 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:44.920 any playoff game for years. I actually did a stat 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:46.960 This is going to be a next Greg's stats. I 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:48.120 don't know if this is official. 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:50.720 Can you count as ngs? That's still okay. 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:56.200 So he officially went nine for seventeen I believe, for 0:16:56.520 --> 0:17:00.280 eighty four yards when under pressure when he did throw 0:17:00.280 --> 0:17:02.320 the ball. So that's an average about a little under 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:04.240 five yards per throw, which is which is not good. 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.439 We had an interception in there, a couple close ones, 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:09.320 but then he took those nine sacks for all the 0:17:09.359 --> 0:17:12.439 passing yard you know, all the negative yards. So eighty 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:16.840 four minus eighty two. That's that's a total of two yards. 0:17:17.480 --> 0:17:20.879 Divide that by the total plays there, his passes in 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:25.879 his sacks, that's twenty six plays. They averaged point oh 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:30.000 seven yards per play when Sam Donald was pressured. That's 0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:33.040 pretty good. That's a pretty good debut of next Greg's stats. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:36.119 Point oh seven yards per play when Sam Donald was pressure. 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.760 They're not bringing him back. He's talking wistfully because Sam 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:41.119 Donald's done in that town. 0:17:41.480 --> 0:17:44.199 He goes, he's definitely gone. Hey, my middle name, by 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.200 the way, is Gregory. So we're gonna stick with the 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:46.960 next Greg starts. 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:49.800 Really, you never knew that? How did I not know that? 0:17:50.200 --> 0:17:51.440 Now you learn something new. 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:53.919 Ngs are my initials, so we'll just stick with it. 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:56.960 Yeah, Now I'm not Gregory. That's what the the third 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:59.560 G sixty percent G that closes that. 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:03.640 That's just stops at greg just like my name stops it. 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:07.240 It just stops it right there. And I'm I'm joking around, 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:11.480 and you know, I've been a darnold doubter until I 0:18:11.560 --> 0:18:13.360 you know, I had to be convinced that just by 0:18:13.400 --> 0:18:16.919 his excellent play, and he did play excellent for most 0:18:16.960 --> 0:18:21.320 of this season, But I do think the way these 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:25.119 two games played out in the biggest of spots for 0:18:25.240 --> 0:18:28.800 him to completely revert back and have two of the 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:34.399 worst games by any quarterback all season, you know it, 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.680 at least by like a competent quarterback. These were two 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:43.359 of the worst games and certainly in the biggest of 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:47.359 spots for them to be this bad in this spot, 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:51.200 They're not going to give him the franchise tag. I guess. 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:55.080 I just assume they would if he maintains his level 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:57.359 of play, and I think if he had even normal 0:18:57.480 --> 0:19:02.080 bad games, they still would thought about it. But I 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:05.200 don't think they're gonna do it now. I actually do 0:19:05.280 --> 0:19:08.800 think there's a chance he returns to Minnesota, if only 0:19:08.840 --> 0:19:14.040 because a two year, let's say, thirty million dollar contract 0:19:14.240 --> 0:19:18.840 from Minnesota to be a one B basically a backup 0:19:18.960 --> 0:19:23.320 plus until JJ is healthy, might be the best offer 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:25.400 he gets. I just don't know. Maybe he will get 0:19:25.400 --> 0:19:27.760 a better offer elsewhere, and maybe he's comfortable with that. 0:19:28.040 --> 0:19:30.960 He's going to have a really difficult decision. But he 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:32.200 cost himself a lot of money. 0:19:32.200 --> 0:19:35.679 Obviously. These last two games were damning evidence in the 0:19:35.720 --> 0:19:40.080 case against paying him, you know, paying him relatively significantly. 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.800 He's not getting a Daniel Jones contract, and even that contract, 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:45.879 as we know now, was bad. All right, So this 0:19:45.920 --> 0:19:48.840 is a guy in Sam Darnold who notoriously held over 0:19:48.920 --> 0:19:52.919 the ball a long time to significant success this season. Right, So, 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:55.879 he averaged three point zero eight seconds per drop back 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:58.800 this season. It was the third longest time to throw 0:19:58.880 --> 0:20:01.960 on average in the NFL, behind Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:04.840 two very different quarterbacks from him. Right. Yeah, you guess 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:07.359