Rams take the Matthew Stafford show on the road

INDIANAPOLIS — Search Rams history, and it would beryllium hard to find a much encouraging debut than Matthew Stafford’s explosive passing show successful a 34-14 triumph implicit the Chicago Bears past weekend.

But 1 debut does compare: Sean McVay’s archetypal regular-season crippled arsenic Rams coach, a 46-9 triumph implicit the Indianapolis Colts successful 2017.

What happened adjacent for that 2017 squad provides a acquisition McVay can’t hide arsenic helium prepared the Rams for this season’s 2nd game, against, coincidentally, the Colts. The Rams charged into Week 2 successful 2017 and mislaid to Washington, 27-20. Jared Goff threw a precocious interception to snuff retired a rally.

“Go backmost to ’17, we didn’t amusement up and play well, and I didn’t bash a bully capable occupation for america successful the 2nd crippled aft we had a bully opener against the Colts,” McVay said this week.

This time, the Rams (1-0) volition effort to amusement up to look the Colts (0-1) astatine Lucas Oil Stadium connected Sunday astatine 10 a.m. PDT, and corroborate the large archetypal content they made against the Bears.

No 1 doubts Stafford was for existent erstwhile helium passed for 321 yards, touchdowns covering 67, 56 and 2 yards, and nary interceptions, earning NFC Player of the Week honors.

But successful general, play openers tin beryllium hard to evaluate.

How bully oregon atrocious was the squad the Rams beat? (Keep an oculus connected the Bears’ crippled against the Cincinnati Bengals connected Sunday.) How overmuch did fortuitous bounces assistance the Rams? (A deflected walk that turned into an interception, followed by a fumble recovery, kept the Bears disconnected the scoreboard early.) How overmuch of the tactical constituent of astonishment volition beryllium mislaid aft the archetypal game? (You tin lone daze the satellite erstwhile with a heavy walk to Van Jefferson.)

Then there’s the question of whether immoderate benignant of comedown is inevitable successful a roadworthy crippled wedged betwixt the Rams’ affectional triumph successful the archetypal regular-season crippled with fans astatine SoFi Stadium and adjacent Sunday’s measuring-stick location crippled against Tom Brady and the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp remembers the ups and downs of the archetypal 2 weeks of 2017, which marked his Rams debut arsenic good arsenic McVay’s.

“That’s football, isn’t it? You’ve got ebbs and flows passim the game, passim practice, passim the season,” Kupp said Monday. “It’s astir dealing with those things, making definite you enactment the course, recognize what our process is, and knowing that immoderate the effect is, bully oregon bad, we person a process we’ve acceptable retired and pursuing that.”

In 2017, the Rams handled that aboriginal ebb beauteous well, beating the San Francisco 49ers successful Week 3, winning 10 of their adjacent 13 regular-season games and making the playoffs for the archetypal clip successful 13 years.

McVay said helium doesn’t expect to person to woody with a Week 2 letdown this time.

“I person full spot successful the team, I person spot successful the enactment connected the team, this coaching staff,” helium said. “And I deliberation we’re each self-aware capable to cognize that you person to produce. You bask (beating the Bears), but it’s clip to determination on.”

If the Rams request a reminder that they can’t spend slip-ups, they tin find it successful the standings, which showed the 4 NFC West teams each 1-0.

They tin besides flash backmost connected their ain imperfections against the Bears. Stafford wasn’t immune.

“There were conscionable immoderate plays successful the crippled that I privation I was a small amended on, privation I was possibly a small spot calmer successful the pouch and kept progressing and getting to a antithetic (receiver). There were a mates that didn’t get completed that I deliberation I could have,” said Stafford, who completed 20 of 26 passes.

Stafford volition beryllium going against a Colts defence that gave up 254 yards and 4 touchdown passes to Russell Wilson without signaling an interception but did person 3 sacks successful a 28-16 nonaccomplishment to the Seattle Seahawks past Sunday.

Colts backmost Carson Wentz (251 yards, 2 touchdowns, nary interceptions, 3 sacks, 23 yards connected 4 carries against the Seahawks) could beryllium harder to grip farther removed from his ft country successful aboriginal August.

The Rams thoroughly contained Wentz successful Week 2 past play erstwhile helium was with the Philadelphia Eagles, but present he’s with a squad that went 11-5 and made the playoffs.

Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris hopes the Rams tin upset the Colts’ ball-control offense, led by moving backmost Jonathan Taylor.

“If we tin find a mode to get these guys off-schedule successful bid to spell retired determination and dictate terms, I similar our chances,” Morris said.

With a victory, the Rams could enactment down them a weakness from 2020, erstwhile immoderate of their champion wins were followed by immoderate of their worst losses.

McVay thinks his 2021 squad is different.

“The past happening I’m disquieted astir is our squad having immoderate benignant of lull. I think, if anything, the urgency has picked up, knowing that guys are blessed astir the win,” helium said. “I don’t deliberation I person to interest astir complacency mounting successful with this group.”