The Los Angeles Rams suffered their fifth loss of the season, this time against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The head coach, Sean McVay, did not make any excuses in the 27-24 defeat and told everyone in the building, including his coaches and quarterback, Matthew Stafford, to take accountability.

“In a lot of instances, it comes back to our collective. Are we putting our guys in the right sort of spots? And then ultimately, are we executing? But it wasn’t good enough as a whole, and it starts with me,” McVay said in the post-game conference. “Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to have us ready to go. And we weren’t ready to go from the jump.”

The player positioning was an issue. Even on the 4th & 1 play on the Rams’ last drive of the first quarter, Stafford got the snap and handed over the ball to the running back Kyren Williams. He tried to charge up through the middle, but linebacker Khalid Kareem was quick enough to bring him down, ending a golden chance of an equalizer. The Rams were outclassed by halftime while trailing the Falcons 21-0. They struggled on both sides of the ball.

On the running back Bijan Robinson’s 93-yard touchdown, safety Jaylen McCollough totally failed to stop him. Defensive end Kobie Turner also fell while trying to stop him. Cornerback Roger McCreary gave him a long chase, but he also failed.

In the end, the Rams ended up making more turnovers. Their quarterback was responsible for all of them.

Sean McVay takes shots at Matthew Stafford

Before this game, Matthew Stafford was competing for MVP with the New England Patriots‘ Drake Maye. But his three interceptions in the Week 17 game might have ended his strong contention. The head coach took shots at their veteran quarterback for throwing three interceptions against two touchdowns.

“We wouldn’t be in a lot of the great situations we’re in without him. But tonight was a night that he’s capable of playing better,” Sean McVay further said. “I don’t attribute that to the road. I attribute it to just our overall.”

At the 8:43 mark in the second quarter, Stafford launched the ball to receiver Konata Mumpfield. But the ball went over his head straight into the hands of safety Jessie Bates. He took off and ran for 34 yards before evading the left guard Justin Dedich’s tackle and falling into the end zone. The second interception was totally the QB’s fault.

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He launched the aerial ball to his receiver, Xavier Smith, who was under pressure from linebacker Kaden Elliss. Referees threw flags for Smith’s offensive pass interference while safety Xavier Watts intercepted the pass. The situation turned dangerously bad in the fourth quarter.

Matthew Stafford threw the ball right to the tight end, Terrance Ferguson, but Watts intercepted it and ran off to the right. He completed the pick-six, but the replays showed he ran out of bounds, thus negating the touchdown return. Yet, Sean McVay took a deep breath on the sidelines in disappointment.

The Rams need to play better if they are serious about their championship dreams. There would be no comeback if such mistakes continue.