Late in the Sunday afternoon game, there was some communication difficulty between Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and head coach Sean McVay.
The Los Angeles Rams’ attempt to pull off a late comeback in their overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday was met with an odd series of events.
The Rams drove to the Ravens’ 18-yard line with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, and they could have scored the game-winning touchdown there. Despite the play clock being stopped, Los Angeles oddly called a timeout to prevent it from running out after an incomplete pass on third down. After forcing overtime with a game-tying field goal from Lucas Havrisik, the Ravens prevailed 37-31 thanks to a punt return.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford and Rams coach Sean McVay provided slightly different accounts of the sequence after the game. McVay blamed a malfunctioning headset for the misunderstanding.
“There were some issues with the headsets today where with 16 seconds left, you don’t want to have to use that timeout, but he couldn’t hear me,” McVay told reporters. “You’re going to have to go backwards, so then that limits some of your options.”
Stafford, however, thought the error was more the result of a miscommunication on his part than a technical one.
“I didn’t hear him good enough,” Stafford told reporters. “It’s my fault. I just got to hear it a little bit better. Same play actually got us kind of twice today, just hearing it through there.”
With no turnovers and a stellar statistical performance, Stafford completed 23 of 41 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns, easily ranking among the season’s best. It’s difficult, though, to appreciate that performance following such a devastating defeat.
But after a game like this, the Rams are certain of their ability to bounce back.
“We’re going to respond,” McVay said. “And it’s OK to hurt right now. That was a gut-wrenching loss. Guys put a lot out there, but we’re not going to let the Ravens beat us twice. I can promise you that.”