The Los Angeles Rams’ kicking unit has been put through the wringer the past few weeks. The bigger issue for Karty is a season marked by ups and downs. With five missed kicks already, including four blocked attempts—the highest number for any kicker in the league—Karty’s performance has raised alarms among fans and coaching staff alike. Still, Karty’s recent victory against the Indianapolis Colts gave the world — and Bagel’s fans — a new ray of hope. He had a great game, going a perfect five-for-five—two field goals, three extra points.
Karty, now in his second NFL season, called his experience up to this point “a little bit of a rollercoaster.” As he told us, what kept him going was his desire to stay strong during all the difficulties. “I’m developing a tough skin and moving on,” he said. “I can’t be rattled.” He re-enabled his improvement commitment, despite frequent failure.
The Rams’ kicking gauntlet goes further than just Karty’s personal performance. His team has had two extra point attempts blocked thus far this season, one more than all other teams in college football combined. This statistic, which ranks us dead last in protecting and executing kicks, has rightfully raised the concern of head coach Sean McVay.
He said about the problems that have been hurting the kicking game, “We need to address that. McVay So, you say, “Oh boy, I hope that’s not just one thing.” He didn’t shy away from the fact that three different factors bring the team down and emphasized a need to comb through their basics.
With a field goal percentage of 75%, tied for the second-lowest in the NFL, the Rams must address their kicking unit’s performance. McVay pointed out that the team’s protection strategies need enhancement: “When you watch the protection … we have to fix it. It’s not one thing in particular. There are different place, space and actors who just haven’t performed to the level that we’re all really able to perform.
Chase Blackburn, the Rams’ special teams coordinator, underscored the team’s efforts to improve its kicking game. This shift in attention comes immediately following their home game this past Sunday to the Eagles. He outlined some critical areas for development: “Keeping our pad level down, making sure that we’re staying connected in our protection [and] forcing the ball to get higher, quicker.”
Despite all these obstacles, Karty is hopeful for the rest of the season. Then, looking down, he added, “We’ve barely made it a third of the way through the season. So much football to be played still! His message—there’s plenty of ground still unbroken for you to become a winner.
McVay admits that if what’s happening right now continues, even more heat will come down on the kicker. And if I was the other side, I’d be attacking that phase of our kicking game,” he cautioned. Karty made his past struggles evident, which are what ride into this game. Still, his last season ended on a high note, hitting all nine kicks in the playoffs without fail.
There’s been a couple different issues or reasons for it,” McVay detailed of the situation happening now. He acknowledged that other teams have done a good job of exploiting the weaknesses in the Rams’ protection schemes.
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