Kicker Karty performance in the LA Rams preseason opener wins 1st preseason game

The LA Rams are looking for much better production out of special teams this season. For the field goal unit, the team certainly wants to get much better accuracy out of the starting field goal kicker. bu for the team, longer field goals would be welcome as well. But that never seemed to coalesce throughout the 2023 NFL season.

There were many questions to unpack for the first preseason game of the season. When facing the Dallas Cowboys, the Rams had the opportunity to answer several areas of uncertainty regarding special teams. And several of those questions included:

Who would be kicking off?
Of the two kickers, who would see action in the preseason game against the Cowboys?
How well did the Rams kicker do?
How well did the team do on kickoff returns?
Did the Rams attempt to cover kickoffs in this one?

For the answers, you need to look no further than rookie kicker Joshua Karty. He was the guy kicking field goals today. And he was the guy kicking extra points. And he was the guy who handled the kickoffs in the game.

Not only did he kick the game-winning extra point, but he was perfect on the afternoon, hitting two of two field goals at distances of 28 yards and 39 yards, but he was the Rams leading scorer on the afternoon with seven points.

None were as sweet as his extra point to win the game.

KARTY PUTS THE PAT UP AND GOOD FOR THE LEAD!
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 11, 2024

For the Rams. this was only a preseason game. And that means that nothing counted except the notes taken by the coaches on either team and the general feeling of hope or despair lingering in the hearts and minds of NFL fans after the game. Rams fans have reason to hope in 2024.

Sean McVay called kicker Josh Karty "nice and steady." The rookie made both FG attempts (28, 39) and an XP.

"There's a reason we drafted him," McVay said. "We felt so good about him coming out and he's done nothing to change those feelings up to this point."
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) August 12, 2024

For Rams fans, reasons for hope are many: The team found a way to hold on to claim victory in the final seconds of the game. The Rams' defense found ways to shut down the Cowboys' offense despite many drives being played on their side of the football field. And despite a variety of mental mistakes and errors, the team found the resolve and the path to win a game.

Best of all, rookie kicker Joshua Karty delivered. For the first preseason game of 2024, that is a great start.

Thanks for reading.

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