Through the Head Coach's Eyes: Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson (Again)

Breaking Down the Rams' Game-Winning 39-Yard TD Pass vs. the Seahawks

It was a roller-coaster game in Seattle between the Rams and Seahawks, filled with lead changes, pick-sixes, last-minute touchdown drives, and then a 4th-and-1 stop in overtime.

Then, with the score tied at 20 and the game in sudden death, the Rams had the ball at Seattle’s 39-yard line. It was starting to become desperation time for the Seahawks defense.

So Head Coach Mike Macdonald dialed up a cover-0 all-out blitz. All 11 defenders would align within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage pre-snap:

It didn’t surprise Rams Head Coach Sean McVay to see Seattle getting aggressive, as he said after the game:

“…A field goal wins it. We were already getting close to that. That was something that they had shown and that a lot of teams will do…”

In response, McVay called a play-action boot to the left with Demarcus Robinson running a corner route as part of a 3-level-stretch concept:

The key here was getting Matthew Stafford enough time and space to make a throw. That’s where wide receiver Cooper Kupp came into play:

“Cooper Kupp deserves a ton of credit. He secures Dodson coming off of that edge right there. It allows Matthew to be able to escape.”

This was such a critical element to the play because Stafford wasn’t planning on throwing the deep ball to Robinson initially, as he admitted after the game: