SoFi Stadium gives Rams an edge, from the sound of it

Back erstwhile operation of SoFi Stadium was starting, Rams proprietor Stan Kroenke spoke of precocious hopes for however his shot team’s caller location would look – and sound.

“In 2 years we’ll beryllium successful a caller stadium, and I deliberation we tin person a existent home-field vantage similar a batch of the teams do,” Kroenke told USA Today successful a uncommon interrogation successful January 2018 aft the Rams mislaid a first-round playoff crippled astatine the Coliseum.

The COVID-19 pandemic prohibition connected crowds made it 3 years earlier that prediction was tested.

Now the reply is successful aft the Rams bushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-24, connected Sunday, with the assemblage of 73,205 disrupting the Bucs’ discourtesy successful cardinal moments.

Take some teams’ connection for it.

“It’s a precise large stadium, 1 of the louder ones we’ve been in,” Bucs backmost Tom Brady said aft the game. “We’ve got to bash a amended occupation of handling it.”

“The vigor is conscionable truthful electric,” Rams information Taylor Rapp said Monday. “It’s decidedly a home-field vantage for us.”

In the Rams’ archetypal crippled with fans connected Sept. 12, a 34-14 triumph implicit the Chicago Bears, sound drowning retired backmost Andy Dalton’s signals contributed to a mendacious commencement astatine the L.A. 3-yard enactment connected the archetypal series, mounting up an interception connected the adjacent play. More sound forced the Bears to telephone clip retired connected a 3rd down from the L.A. 14 successful the 3rd quarter.

Sunday, astatine slightest 1 of Brady’s timeouts seemed to beryllium caused by assemblage noise. The Bucs jumped connected third-and-1 to spoil their archetypal series, and again connected consecutive possessions successful the 2nd half. A mendacious commencement by wide receiver Scotty Miller earlier a third-down play precocious successful the 3rd 4th helped to termination a thrust and support the Rams successful control.

“We knew it was going to beryllium loud,” Bucs manager Bruce Arians said. “But still, if you’re a wide receiver, there’s ne'er an excuse to beryllium offsides.”

Among existent Rams, lone close tackle Rob Havenstein, antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald and punter Johnny Hekker joined the squad earlier the determination from St. Louis. They had 5 years to expect the opening of SoFi Stadium successful 2020. Plus 1 much twelvemonth earlier it opened to fans.

“Starting from St. Louis, it was evidently truly chill to get to that point,” Havenstein said aft the season-opening triumph against the Bears. “When they announced the caller stadium, it was like, ‘Eh, there’s a bully probability that we’re not going to marque it there.’ (But) we did. That’s a bully thing.”

Players and coaches wondered what it would beryllium similar with afloat stands.

Rapp said it reminds him of 1 of the NFL’s loudest venues.

“It’s a small similar Lumen Field successful Seattle, wherever it’s built consecutive up, truthful each the dependable gets trapped in,” Rapp said.

“There was a fewer times retired there, 3rd downs with our defence connected the tract yesterday, the spot got rockin’,” choky extremity Tyler Higbee said Monday. “It got beauteous loud. I was getting juiced connected the sideline. I’m throwing my hands successful the air, trying to instrumentality it up 1 much notch.”

The Chargers heard thing akin successful their lone crippled truthful acold with fans astatine SoFi Stadium, a nonaccomplishment to the Dallas Cowboys.

“That squad travels well, traditionally,” Chargers manager Brandon Staley said. “But I didn’t perceive (Cowboys fans) precise much. I heard our fans, and I was arrogant of the vigor successful that stadium for us.”

The Rams are 3-0 wide and 2-0 astatine location going into different crippled astatine SoFi Stadium, against the Arizona Cardinals (also 3-0) connected Sunday. Fans volition person precocious expectations for the Rams. And the Rams present person precocious expectations for their fans.

“I’ve talked with Mr. Kroenke for the past fewer years, arsenic he’s had this imaginativeness for this (stadium) task unfolding,” Rams manager Sean McVay said Monday. “He talked astir wanting to marque definite that we had a existent home-field advantage.

“And successful the Bears crippled and yesterday, it truly came to life.”

HOLLINS ON IR

Rams extracurricular linebacker Justin Hollins, who had been starting and playing well, volition request country aft partially tearing a pectoral musculus successful the 4th fourth of the Bucs game, McVay said.

Hollins volition spell connected injured reserve, designated to instrumentality aboriginal successful the play if possible.

In enactment to regenerate him are Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who had a genu wounded but is eligible to travel disconnected IR this week, and Terrell Lewis, who had his astir impactful crippled arsenic a Ram against the Bucs (ask Rob Gronkowski’s ribs).

“Justin Hollins had done specified a large occupation solidifying that spot other Leonard Floyd implicit these archetypal fewer weeks,” McVay said. “To spot Terrell beryllium capable to bash what helium did was truly encouraging. You can’t person capable players that tin use unit to the backmost and acceptable edges and marque the plays that helium did.

“He’s going to beryllium a large factor, and you tin look for him to play a batch much snaps moving forward.”

NOTES

The Rams began the week favored implicit the Cardinals by six points. In NFC title betting, the Buccaneers (at likelihood of astir 5-2) remained favorites to repeat, with the Rams (4-1) present a wide second. In betting connected who volition triumph the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) were inactive favored somewhat contempt losing to the Chargers, followed by the Bucs (6-1) and Rams (8-1). That’s according to Covers.com.