“(Raiders head coach Klint) Kubiak’s done a great job. They’re really well coached in all three phases. They’ve been productive in all three phases. They made some big free agent signings on the defensive side of the ball. They got a bunch of different playmakers.” – McVay
McVay isn’t too concerned about any narratives aside from the upcoming opponent, one he deems a “really good team.” In addition to praising Las Vegas’ productivity in all three phases, McVay has been impressed with how quarterback Kirk Cousins has played so far this season. “Kirk is really doing a nice job distributing the football, getting a bunch of different people involved,” McVay said.
Despite the amount turmoil caused by injuries, McVay feels as though his team has turned the page. Preparations for Week 7 against the Raiders, starting with practice on Wednesday, has “our full focus and concentration, … and that’s the exact sense that I’ve gotten from our guys.”
“We obviously know what it takes to win football games. We have enough guys on this roster that know what it takes to win, and that starts today, right? We can’t sit there and look big picture and go, okay, ‘we have X amount of games left. These guys are doing that.’ That’s not the mindset at all around here. It’s, how can we be as good as we can day in and day out? How can we go compete every single day so that Sunday when we turn the tape on, we’re proud of how we competed, how we played, how we went about our business, and live with the results.” – Stafford
Each year presents its unique challenges for every football team — whether that be the team’s record, amount of injuries or any other factor. For Stafford, the mindset with the current record and injuries includes living in the moment, a similar sentiment to his head coach. Living in the moment also includes not comparing this year to previous seasons when the Rams were able to dig themselves out of a early-season hole. “Every year is different. Every game is different. You can’t sit there and go, because we did X, we’re going to do Y,” Stafford said.
No matter the position, there’s a universal next-man-up mentality throughout the locker room. Although Stafford himself isn’t dealing with an injury, he recognizes that when players like wide receiver Davante Adams and defensive end Kobie Turner are out for multiple weeks, he also has to step up in various ways. That won’t look like going “outside of the framework of what I feel comfortable with when it comes to leadership,” but he will put an emphasis on his role becoming “somebody that can try and help steady the ship for us, and make sure that I’m doing my part to do everything I can to help us win football games.”