The Los Angeles Rams are sitting at 11-4, but after a tough loss to the 12-3 Seattle Seahawks, they’re no longer driving the bus in the NFC West. With the Seahawks now holding the edge and the 49ers also at 11-4, the Rams suddenly find themselves needing help to clinch the division. And head coach Sean McVay isn’t waiting around to shake things up.
In a rare in-season move, McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn following the loss. It’s the first time McVay has dismissed an assistant coach midseason, and it signals just how seriously he’s taking the team’s recent struggles in the third phase of the game.
But Blackburn’s departure wasn’t the only special teams shakeup. Earlier this month, the Rams made a change at kicker, moving rookie Joshua Karty to the practice squad and handing the job to Harrison Mevis, a standout from the UFL. That decision came back to bite them-at least symbolically-when the division rival Arizona Cardinals signed Karty off the Rams’ practice squad just 23 days later.
Watching a rival scoop up one of your own is never fun, especially when that player could line up against you in the season finale. Rams fans will no doubt have their eyes on Karty-and maybe a little grudge in their hearts-when the two teams meet again in two weeks.
So why did the Cardinals make the move? According to head coach Jonathan Gannon, it’s about creating competition and giving themselves “options” alongside current kicker Chad Ryland. Ryland has had an up-and-down year, going 23-for-31 on field goals, with a long of 57 yards.
Karty, on the other hand, had a brief and uneven stint with the Rams. He went 10-for-15 on field goal attempts with a season-long of 51 yards.
His last game action came back on November 2 against the Saints, where he missed his only field goal attempt and went 4-for-5 on extra points. That performance opened the door for Mevis, who’s been mostly steady since taking over.
Mevis has made 8-of-9 field goals this season, including a 52-yarder. But his one miss came at a critical moment-last Thursday against Seattle.
With the game tied at 30 in the fourth quarter, Mevis missed a 48-yard attempt that could’ve given the Rams the lead. It was a pivotal moment in a game that ultimately slipped away.
Now, with Karty in Arizona and Mevis still holding the job in L.A., the Rams’ special teams story continues to evolve. Whether Karty sees the field this Sunday against the Bengals remains to be seen, but all eyes will be on him-and the Rams’ kicking situation-when the two teams meet in the regular season finale.
In a division race this tight, every point matters. And in the NFL, that often means your kicker might just be the difference between a playoff push and an early offseason.