Rams know there’s no room for error on special teams vs. Seahawks
Harrison Mevis has made all but one kick since joining the Rams in November.
The only miss?
A 48-yard field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 16 game at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Rams lost 38-37 in overtime.
“I just pushed it,” Mevis said this week.
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Gary Klein explains what to watch for on Sunday when the Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
Mevis and Rams return to Lumen Field on Sunday for the NFC championship game against the Seahawks.
The Rams are coming off a 20-17 divisional round victory over the Chicago Bears, a game they won on a 42-yard field goal from Mevis in overtime.
The Rams and Seahawks have played twice this season and both games were decided by two points or less.
In Week 11, the Rams escaped with a 21–19 victory at SoFi Stadium when a 61-yard field goal attempt by Seahawks kicker Jason Myers failed.
Five weeks later against the Rams, Seahawks receiver Rashid Shaheed returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown that helped spark his team’s overtime victory.
Last week against the San Francisco 49ers, Shaheed returned the kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to start the Seahawks on their way to a 41-6 divisional round victory.
Sunday’s game marks the fourth time the Rams will meet Shaheed this season. Playing for the New Orleans Saints on November 2, he caught five passes and returned two kicks against the Rams. Two days later, the Seahawks traded for the Pro Bowl selection.
Dec. 18, Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed (22) celebrates with teammate Cooper Kupp after scoring a 58-yard punt return against the Rams.
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“If there’s one or two people that aren’t executing to the best of their ability, he’ll find that pitch,” Rams veteran linebacker Troy Reeder said. “And they have a unit as a whole that does a really good job of getting him going on his returns. … You just want to contain that guy, and not let him make a game-changing play.”
Myers made 43 of 50 field goal attempts and 53 extra points. Punter Michael Dixon averaged 42.2 net yards per punt and had no kicks blocked.
“They are as good as it gets, collectively, on [special] teams,” Rams coach Sean McVay said this week.
The Rams’ special teams are a work in progress.
Joshua Karty opened the season as a kicker, but after three losses determined in part by kicking errors, the Rams signed Mevis to replace Karty and veteran long snapper Jake McQuaide to replace Alex Ward.
After the loss to the Seahawks, McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn and elevated Ben Kotwica to interim coordinator.
Mevis made 16 of 17 field goal attempts – including two against the Bears – and 45 extra points.
Punter Ethan Evans averaged 38 net yards per punt during the regular season. The Carolina Panthers blocked a punt in the Rams’ victory.
In that game, Reeder recovered a muffled punt. And coverage teams didn’t give up a fumble against the Bears.
“I feel like we found some consistency,” Reeder said, “and it came at the right time.”
The Rams now return to Lumen Field, one of the loudest environments in the NFL.
Mevis, who played in the United Football League before signing with the Rams, said that would be no problem.
The noise of the crowd, he says, makes his job easier.
“In the UFL you kind of hear odd noises, like you can hear guys cheering,” he said. “When you’re in a noisy environment, you really can’t hear a single person or hear anything jumping out at you, it’s just general noise in a sense, but I love those environments.
“I love being there.”
