Sean McVay determined to fix Rams kicking issues

It was about 12 hours after his workforce blew quite a few alternatives in an extra time loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and Rams coach Sean McVay was still kicking himself.

And lamenting his workforce’s troubled kicking recreation.

“That has been a killer for us,” McVay said Friday during a videoconference with reporters, “and it’s cost us two games.”

The Rams are 3-2, with defeats by the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles and the 49ers due in half to woeful execution on field-goal and extra-point makes an attempt.

The Eagles beat the Rams by blocking two field-goal makes an attempt in the fourth quarter, including a potential successful kick that they returned for a landing on the ultimate play.

On Thursday evening, Rams kicker Joshua Karty missed a long field-goal attempt, and the 49ers blocked an extra-point attempt. That’s 4 factors misplaced in a 26-23 defeat. Karty, who has been masterful at dropping hard-to-handle knuckleball kickoffs into the touchdown zone, also misplaced a kick that gave the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.

Karty, however, doesn’t seem to be McVay’s most urgent kick-related concern.

The kicking unit as a entire has performed a major function in both defeats, which also featured poor execution by the Rams at instances in other areas.

“I can’t remember feeling much more disgusted waking up after a tough loss, than I have after the two that we’ve had,” McVay said.

So how do the Rams fix their kicking issues?

“Oh man,” McVay said. “I wish it was just one thing but when you watch the protection — we’ve got to fix it. And it’s not one thing in particular.

“There’s different locations and spots and people that have not executed the way that we’re capable of.”

After the Rams defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, McVay thought the Rams had addressed their issues.

“Clearly, I was not right on that,” McVay said, “so we’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to go back to work.”

The Rams are off for the weekend, and they’ll return on Monday to start preparations for a recreation against the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore. After that recreation, the Rams will stay in Baltimore to put together for their next recreation against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

“We’re a couple execution plays away from being a 5-0 team,” McVay said. “But the reality is we’re 3-2.”

McVay sounded assured that the Rams would rebound from the loss to the 49ers.

“This is going to galvanize us,” he said. “I promise you that.”

Etc.

McVay continued to lament his ultimate play call against the 49ers, which didn’t give quarterback Matthew Stafford a likelihood to make a play. Stafford had moved the Rams into place to win the sport, but on fourth and one at the 49ers’ 11-yard line, McVay called a working play. The 49ers stopped Kyren Williams for no gain, ending the sport. “I know it wasn’t the best decision to take the ball out his hands in crunch time on that fourth down,” McVay said. … Rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson, a second-round draft decide, caught his first go for a 21-yard gain. “We’ve got to be able to figure out a way to get him going,” McVay said, including, “he’s going to be a really good player for us.” … McVay indicated the Rams may make strikes to improve the cornerback group. “We’re going to look into those things,” he said.