'Crazy' vs. Composed: Rams Vets Feel Different About Monday Night Spotlight vs. 49ers
Just another game, huh?
"It's the next one," said Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford Thursday as the team heads into Monday Night Football on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.
That seems to be the expected veteran philosophy for the Rams against a heated NFC West rival. But even Stafford, who struggled against the Niners last season, couldn't hide some of the added weight that the game brings before quickly downplaying it.
"It feels like a big one," Stafford said. "Every game in the NFL is a big one. They all feel pretty big to me. But it is, like you said, a divisional game, on the road, Sunday at one…Monday night probably used to excite me a little bit more. It's a game that we're playing."
The last time Stafford played on Monday night, he got a 30-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals. But about a month prior, it was a disaster on the prime-time staple on the road against the Niners.
It was a game that caused the league-wide perception of the Rams to falter significantly. Stafford tossed two interceptions - one of which was returned for a touchdown - as LA was blown out 31-10. It was the second of three straight losses for the Rams and made many questions the future productivity of the team.
Of course, three months later, they got the last laugh by winning the Super Bowl after taking down the Niners in the NFC Championship.
That's something that Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner wasn't around for but was clearly a driving force in getting him to sign with LA during the offseason.
And as the Rams return to Levi's Stadium for a chance at some slight regular-season revenge, Wagner seems to be taking a different and more aggressive approach than that of the calm and composed Stafford.
"I think Monday Night Football is something that everybody grew up watching and we know the whole world is watching so we want to go crazy on Monday," Wagner said.
However, Wagner did admit that getting too high or too low can cause some of the inconsistencies that have prevented there from being a repeat Super Bowl champion since 2004.
"I came from the philosophy of kind of treat every game the same so I kind of always do believe that," he said. "I feel like if you get up for one game, you might not get up for the next game. So we understand when it's at stake."
The Rams began the season looking like they'd be headed toward continuing this trend but have pulled off two wins since then. But headed into a 5:20 p.m. PT kickoff on Monday getting caught up in the emotions of it all could spell a potential 1-3 record against the Niners in the past four meetings.
"It's a big one. It's the next one," Stafford said. "Just excited about the opportunity.”
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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