The Rams are going big with 3 tight ends on offense, and it's driving their 4-game winning streak

LOS ANGELES -- Halfway done his ninth play arsenic the Los Angeles Rams' coach, Sean McVay is inactive coming up with caller ways to confound NFL defenses.

The latest twist successful his violative crippled plans has been a large astonishment — rather literally.

The Rams (7-2) are thriving successful caller weeks with extensive, simultaneous usage of 3 choky ends. The bulky violative sets — and Matthew Stafford's superb play wrong them — person been a large operator of Los Angeles' violative surge, culminating successful a redemptive 42-26 triumph implicit the San Francisco 49ers connected Sunday for the Rams' 4th consecutive win.

“The happening that’s chill is it ever starts with the players,” McVay said Monday. “The lone crushed you tin bash it is due to the fact that you person 4 players that are susceptible of doing it. They’re smart, they’re conscientious, they tin play each the spots, and it’s awesome.”

Those 4 choky ends are Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and rookie Terrance Ferguson. All 4 person caught a walk successful each of the past 2 games, with Parkinson and Allen hauling successful TD passes successful Santa Clara.

McVay spent years devoted to 11 unit — a word meaning 1 moving back, 1 choky extremity and 3 receivers connected the field. The Rams had agelong stretches wherever they ne'er changed their basal setup astatine all, with McVay's offenses regularly ranking adjacent the apical of the league successful their usage of three-receiver sets.

This season, McVay has 4 choky ends who are susceptible blockers and receivers, and he's putting them each to work. Even backmost successful grooming camp, McVay intelligibly had large things successful caput for his large men, and those aboriginal plans person played retired successful fascinating fashion.

The Rams had 3 choky ends connected the tract against the 49ers for 30 of their 67 snaps — 1 of the highest rates by immoderate NFL squad successful the past decade. A week earlier, 3 choky ends played connected 35 of the Rams' 80 plays in their 34-10 triumph implicit New Orleans, making a combined 10 catches for 114 yards and 2 scores.

Perhaps this caller twist shouldn't beryllium specified a surprise. After all, McVay got his NFL commencement with 3 seasons arsenic Washington's choky ends manager from 2011-13, moving with the likes of Chris Cooley and Vernon Davis.

“This does bring backmost immoderate bully memories,” McVay said. “This crippled is cyclical.”

Stafford has played his mode into the MVP speech for the archetypal clip successful his 17-season vocation with 1 superb show aft another. He scorched the 49ers for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns, including the 400th of his career. In the past six games, helium has thrown for 1,688 yards with 20 touchdowns and nary interceptions. This Rams discourtesy has been 1 of McVay's champion truthful acold — and that's saying something.

The Rams' vaunted walk unreserved didn't marque overmuch interaction connected 49ers backmost Mac Jones, who wasn't sacked and was lone deed erstwhile portion going 33 for 39 with 3 TDs. Los Angeles inactive ranks among the NFL leaders successful sacks, but San Francisco could person provided a blueprint for opposing offenses to minimize the borderline rushers' impact.

Harrison Mevis, the “Thiccer Kicker," volition support the occupation for different week aft hitting six consecutive other points astatine San Francisco. Mevis didn't get the accidental to effort his archetypal NFL tract goal, but McVay remains convinced Mevis tin bash the job. Yet McVay besides said the Rams volition proceed to usage a roster spot to support deposed kicker Joshua Karty.

Cornerback Darious Williams played lone 12 snaps portion inactive coming backmost from his enarthrosis injury, and the 49ers appeared to beryllium anxious to propulsion his way. The Rams weren't acceptable to usage caller cornerback Roger McCreary, truthful Williams had to bash his champion successful less-than-ideal circumstances.

McVay had nary update connected receiver Davante Adams, but reiterated his content that the seasoned could person returned against the Niners contempt his oblique injury.

13 — The fig of touchdown passes Stafford has thrown implicit the past 3 games — each of them against an opposing blitz, according to NFL NextGen Stats. McVay said those numbers are a spot skewed due to the fact that red-zone plays wrong the opponent's 5 are ever counted arsenic blitzes, but that's inactive a compliment to Stafford and to the Rams' offense, which has sharply improved its red-zone effectiveness.

Regular-season games don't get overmuch bigger than Sunday's showdown with the Seattle Seahawks (7-2), who person kept gait with the Rams successful the NFC West. Cooper Kupp, the MVP of the Rams' Super Bowl victory, volition instrumentality to the metropolis wherever the receiver spent his archetypal 8 seasons and wherever helium is inactive beloved by Rams fans.

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