Rams Ignite Early Spark with Controversial Fourth-Down Gamble and Unexpected Roughness Call

Sean McVay made a bold call on the opening drive against the Jaguars in London — instead of playing it safe with a field goal attempt on fourth-and-3, he chose to roll the dice and keep the Rams’ offense on the field. The gamble? It paid off handsomely, leading to a crucial first down and eventually a touchdown . Now, whether McVay was fully buying into the fourth-down analytics craze or simply doubting the reliability of kicker Joshua Karty — who’s been far from stellar lately — it’s clear this decision set the tone early. Adding a twist, a controversial roughness penalty against the Jaguars gave the Rams an extra boost on that drive. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, noticeably without star receiver Puka Nacua, was surgical — connecting on seven of nine passes and capping the march with a touchdown to Konata Mumpfield. Meanwhile, the Jaguars offense has struggled to find rhythm, going three-and-out twice in the opening moments. If they want to keep pace, they need to hit the ground running now. LEARN MORE

Rams coach Sean McVay is following the analytics. Or maybe he just has no faith in his kicker.

Either way, McVay kept the Rams’ offense on the field on a fourth-and-3 in field goal range on the opening drive today against the Jaguars in London, and it paid off: The Rams picked up the first down, and then marched down the field for a touchdown.

McVay may have been trusting the analytics models that generally recommend aggressiveness on fourth downs — or may have been concerned about his kicker, Joshua Karty, who has been struggling this season.

They were also helped by a highly questionable unnecessary roughness call on the Jaguars, on a hit that didn’t seem to deserve a flag.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, playing without top receiver Puka Nacua, completed 7 of 9 passes for 45 yards and finished the drive with a touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield.

The Jaguars’ offense went three-and-out on each of its first two drives. They’re going to need to get things going to keep up with the Rams.