Sean McVay said earlier in the week he wanted to get receiver Robert Woods more opportunities after the veteran receiver was largely ignored through the first four weeks.
Mission accomplished.
Woods saw the lion's share of the targets in Thursday night's 26-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, catching 12 of 14 targets for 150 yards. It was his highest output since Week 13, 2019, at Arizona (172 receiving yards).
Woods spoke with McVay this week about getting more involved in the game plan after the first four games saw him catch a total of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns.
"Being a competitor, I'm trying to do everything to be a part and help this team win," Woods said. "I was trying to be a playmaker and be involved in every aspect. The first couple of weeks, I was involved in the run game and tried to get involved in the pass game, but this week I was more involved, had the opportunity to get my number called, have some plays and capitalize on those opportunities."
Perhaps the Rams wouldn't characterize Woods as the squeaky wheel in his desire to be targeted more, but he certainly got the grease Thursday night.
McVay set up Woods to be the recipient of several clear-outs by Cooper Kupp that picked up chunk gains over the middle against a Seahawks secondary that seemed flabbergasted. The amount of wide-open catches Woods had underscores the plan to feed him the ball schematically. The rest the wideout did himself.
According to Next Gen Stats, Woods had 10 "open targets" -- defined as 3-plus yards of separation. He caught nine of the 10 targets for 122 yards. It was the most open targets by any receiver in a game this season.
"We were definitely trying to get him involved tonight," McVay said, stating the obvious. "He delivered in a big way, and they're a reason why he has a C on his chest. He's made the most of his opportunities that he's had the first four weeks. Tonight was an opportunity where he got 14 targets. He delivered on 12 of them. He's a stud, and just love the way he was instrumental in the win tonight."
Woods and Kupp (7 catches on 10 targets for 92 yards) saw the bulk of Matthew Stafford's 37 pass attempts (25 completions for 365 yards, TD, INT). Thursday night's win proved once again that Woods remains a force and that both of the Rams' top receivers can eat at the same table some weeks.
