L.A. sees good future after early playoff exit
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams exceeded every expectation and stunned the NFL during their surge to an 11-win season and the NFC West title.
That didn’t make the Rams’ opening-round playoff loss to Atlanta any easier to bear — at least not while it’s still fresh for the players and coaches who led the turnaround to get there.
“It’s a good start, a great start,” receiver Robert Woods said Sunday. “But we’ve got to keep building.”
The Rams’ comeback season is over after a 26-13 loss to the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night.
The players still seemed stunned by the abrupt conclusion to a remarkable turnaround season as they cleaned out their lockers at the team’s
“It’s hard, because we had a good thing going,” guard Jamon Brown said. “For it to come to a halt and stop like it did, it’s tough. But we learned that we have the guys to do it. It was a matter of having the scheme, having the right coaches, having the right attitude. We’re going to get better.”
After 13 consecutive nonwinning seasons and 12 straight non-playoff seasons, the Rams (11-6) suddenly had it all under the 31-year-old Sean McVay, who became the youngest head coach in league history to reach the playoffs.
Los Angeles improved by seven wins on last season’s performance while moving from 32nd in the NFL in scoring in 2016 to first this season, more than doubling last season’s point training complex. production. Although McVay said he isn’t sure exactly what to do this week, he hopes his players will understand they’re only as good as what happens next year.
After outstanding seasons from Todd Gurley, Jared Goff and Aaron Donald, the Rams have pieces in place to do this again and again, McVay believes.
“I think this organization is going in the right direction,” McVay said. “I think we’ve got a good foundation in place that we can build on, but by no means does that mean that you win games automatically next year.”
The Rams have several decisions to make in the offseason on the fates of free-agent players including cornerback Trumaine Johnson, receiver Sammy Watkins and linebacker Connor Barwin.