01-10-2020, 08:44 AM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Rams would like to beat the Saints this time without help from the absence of a flag.Los Angeles‘ 26-23 overtime win over New Orleans in last season’s NFC championship game had wild momentum swings and exciting performances from two of the best offenses in NFL history — and two defenses who did a surprisingly solid job of slowing them.But the game is sure to go down in football annals mostly for the uncalled pass interference by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman against Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis late in the fourth quarter. Although the legal challenges were dropped this week Ndamukong Suh Jersey , many Saints fans still haven’t stopped complaining about the non-call that prompted the NFL to change its replay review rules in the offseason.Article continues below ...“That’s a New Orleans problem,” Rams cornerback Aqib Talib said. “That’s not an LA problem.”The Rams and their fans have a different overriding reflection they’re taking into the teams’ marquee early-season rematch at the Coliseum on Sunday.“I remember we won,” Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips said. “That’s what I remember.”Indeed, the Rams reached their first Super Bowl in 17 years after holding the Saints’ high-octane offense to 290 yards and allowing just 10 points after the first quarter. Phillips and his defense will try for a repeat of that excellence against Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, while the Saints’ defense must contend again with Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and the Rams’ quietly devastating corps of receivers.Their fans might be another matter, but the Saints (1-0) aren’t wasting time thinking about the Super Bowl that got away. Coach Sean Payton realizes his team got the ball first in overtime, but couldn’t finish.“It feels like it was a long time ago,” Payton said. “It’s part of our game. These are two different teams now. A lot of roster moves from last year to this year. We’re playing each other early in the season, so it doesn’t feel like that many games ago … but you’re looking at two different teams.”They might be different, but they’re both expected to be major contenders in the NFC again this year. The Rams’ home opener will allow one team to set a tone in the conference race.“There’s nothing that we’re taking from last year as motivation,” Goff said. “If they are, great. It’s just another game for us Brandin Cooks Jersey , and it’s our home opener after not being at home for a long time.”Here are more things to know about the rematch:HOLDING THE LINEThe Saints’ offensive line passed its first big test in Week 1, allowing one sack on a linebacker blitz and neutralizing 2018 AFC sacks leader J.J. Watt, holding him without a single significant defensive statistic. The only time Watt influenced the game was when Ryan Ramczyk, his main blocker, was flagged for holding early in the fourth quarter.Now the Saints must find a way to slow down 2018 NFL sacks leader Aaron Donald. “He’s got such a high motor,” Brees said. “He is full-go, all the time. He is so multiple in the things that he can do, the moves that he can give you, the inside, the outside, the rip, the jump. I don’t even have names for all the moves that he can do to get to the quarterback. You cannot block him with one guy. He’s just that good a player. He’s such an impact player. He can change the game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody like him.”GURLEY’S GAMEThe concerns about Gurley’s apparently balky knee looked fairly unfounded in the Rams’ opener at Carolina, where he rushed for 97 yards and looked dangerous. The Rams still expect to use backup Malcolm Brown extensively, but Gurley and an offensive line with two new starters appeared to be in solid form so far. Gurley participated in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday this week Aqib Talib Jersey , not taking a day off to rest.GUARDING MIKEThe Rams appeared to find a formula for covering Thomas, the Los Angeles native whose Twitter handle includes the phrase, “can’t guard Mike.” It took getting burned once to do it. In a 2018 regular- season meeting, Thomas went off for 12 catches for 211 yards, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown that he celebrated by pulling an old flip phone out of the goal post padding, as former Saints receiver Joe Horn had once done. In that game, Thomas was primarily covered by Marcus Peters. However, the Rams changed their strategy for defending Thomas in a rematch in the NFC title game, using a combination of Peters, Aqib Talib and Robey-Coleman. Thomas had just four catches for 36 yards and no touchdowns in that game.KUPP CONCERNSThe Saints didn’t have to cover Cooper Kupp in the previous meeting, but Payton spoke highly of what the receiver adds to the Rams’ offense. “He is such a smart, instinctive player, he does a lot of things well,” Payton said. “It is not just in the receiving game. He is blocking. He is putting his hands on guys. … I think he’s very consistent and a very smart player. I think he brings a lot to what they do.” Some perspective after Super Bowl LIII."Dear Los Angeles Rams fans Marcus Peters Jersey ,The disappointment all of us have over our team’s loss to the New England Patriots is real and painful. Not only did the Rams lose a winnable game, the offense, which was by far one of the best in the NFL, played terribly.Beyond the criticism rightfully leveled at Head Coach, Sean McVay’s playcalling and poor performance by QB Jared Goff, we must put the loss in prospective. First and foremost, our head coach is just 33-years old; our quarterback is 24. The pairing of these will go well beyond just this season, and each has learned from the experiences of the entire season, including the Super Bowl.Second, the future is bright for the Rams. While there will be many changes to squad next year, especially on the defensive side of the ball, any team with DT Aaron Donald is a damn good starting point.Third the organization has proven they’re committed to putting a winning product on the field. Consequently, I have confidence that players replacing current starters, who leave the squad David Long Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , will be able to step right into the line-up. They might even be better.When I look back over decades of Rams football, the loss we suffered in the Super Bowl is tempered with a sunny southern California outlook towards the future.I am sure that next year, when the Rams reach Super Bowl LIV, they’ll win it!It may be that for many Ram fans emotions are raw right now. That’s completely understandable. It’s not gonna make you feel any better that 30 other teams didn’t make the big game. But the reality is every other fan of teams that didn’t make the Super Bowl wishes they could be where the Rams were and are.In two short years, the Rams turned around a pitiful 4-12 team to one in the Super Bowl, so try to imagine what its gonna look like when McVay is the same age as Bill Belichick or Wade Phillips.If you think I’m not taking the loss hard enough, that’s simply not true. But having been watching Rams football since the late 1950’s, this is truly the first time, I’ve come away from a loss in the Super Bowl, knowing we’ll back there real soon. McVay said it best when he stated he got outcoached, plain and simple. He’ll learn from his mistakes and correct the errors.I am extremely proud of the strides and accomplishments this 2018 Rams team made this season. Losing the Super Bowl is not the end of the world as seasons come and seasons go. I will fondly remember our 2018 NFC Champions, but more memorable will be our team, poised and ready to be next year’s Super Bowl Champion.GO RAMS!