Sean McVay delivers veiled threat to Rams kicker after massive botch

The Los Angeles Rams' special teams units are not very special.

After a promising start to the season, the presence of placekicker Joshua Karty on the football field causes fans to hold their breath. On the season, Karry has missed three of 13 field goals and two of 16 extra-point attempts.

In Week 6, he missed a 26-yard field-goal attempt, despite the blocking holding up well.

And it's clear head coach Sean McVay is losing patience with his second-year kicker as he addressed the issue early in his post-game press conference:

"Obviously, you guys are going to ask me about the (missed) field goal. I thought the protection was good. We gotta make the kick. You know, we ended up missing the kick. We ended up hitting the second one, not very clean(ly) right there. The snap felt like it was a little bit high."

Field goals have seemingly been more trouble than they've been worth this season. Three field goals have been blocked already, and both Los Angeles losses can be traced back to those blocks.

Thankfully, the missed field goal today did not impact the outcome of the game. But it was easy to hear frustration in McVay's voice as he addressed the issue one more time.

Rams' field-goal blocking fixed, but it's not enough yet

The blocking on special teams kicking was solid. But in high winds on the road, it simply wasn't enough to ensure success. Of course, high winds affected both teams. But Ravens kicker Tyler Loop made his lone attempt, a 37-yard field goal that proved to be the only points Baltimore scored the entire game.

Karty has made less than 75 percent of his field goals this season, and just 87.5 percent of his extra points. While it's doubtful LA will change kickers before its Week 8 BYE, it's certainly something to note.

In 2023, the Rams changed field-goal kickers multiple times due to their struggles. They trialed both Brett Maher and Lucas Havrisik that year, but Maher made just 73.5 percent of his field goals and 86 percent of his extra points. Havrisik made just 75.0 percent of his field goals and 86.4 percent of his extra points.

How much of the Rams' current field-goal struggles are Karty's fault? That's hard to say.

But this is something to keep an eye on. LA had worked with squib kicking on kickoffs, but with struggles in field goals, that strategy appears to be abandoned.

For now, a Week 6 win cures everything. But the coaching staff continues to have "fix field goals" on the to-do list.

As always, thanks for reading.

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