During a Thursday night overtime clash, the Los Angeles Rams experienced a 38-37 defeat, marked by a missed field goal and a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by the Seattle Seahawks, which ignited an unexpected fourth-quarter rally.
Throughout the current season, special teams units have represented a significant vulnerability for the Rams during crucial junctures. With the prospect of an extensive playoff campaign looming, it is reported that head coach Sean McVay is initiating an alteration within this specific area of play.
On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter disclosed that the Rams dismissed special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. Schefter further indicated that this marks the initial in-season coaching adjustment made by McVay across his nine-year tenure leading the team, and Ben Kotwica, currently the assistant special teams coach for the Rams, is set to assume Blackburn’s responsibilities.
The defeat suffered by Los Angeles against Seattle held considerable importance. Consequently, the Seahawks are now in a prime position to claim the NFC West title and clinch the premier seed in the NFC, a status that inherently grants a first-round exemption and the benefit of playing at home.
The Rams’ season record now stands at 11-4. Out of their quartet of defeats during the 2025 season, three were characterized by blunders committed by the special teams unit.
During Week 3, the L.A. squad established a 26-7 advantage while playing away from home against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams ultimately lost the contest, partially due to kicker Joshua Karty having two field-goal tries obstructed in the final quarter. The second of these was recovered and run back for a touchdown by Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis.
Subsequently, in Week 5, L.A. endured the initial “Thursday Night Football” loss of its two for the season. Karty, selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft from Stanford, failed to convert a 53-yard field goal and saw a fourth-quarter extra point try deflected when facing the San Francisco 49ers. These errors in special teams operations amounted to four points for the Rams in a match that the Niners secured by a three-point margin in extra time.
[Access additional Rams updates: L.A. squad channel]
Prior to their Week 10 contest facing San Francisco, Los Angeles implemented substantial alterations to their kicking procedures. The Rams transitioned away from Karty, instead opting for Harrison Mevis, a former standout from Missouri who was not drafted last year and subsequently played in the UFL. Furthermore, they swapped out long snapper Alex Ward for Jake McQuaide, who had previously occupied that role from 2011 to 2020.
Since joining, Mevis has successfully converted all 32 of his extra point attempts. For field goals, his record stands at 8 successes out of 9 tries. His singular miss occurred on a 48-yard attempt that could have secured a lead, with just over two minutes left in regular play during Thursday’s game against the Seahawks, when the score was tied at 30-30.
The Seahawks commenced the fourth quarter trailing by a score of 30-14. However, Rashid Shaheed’s punt return for a touchdown altered the complexion of the match, paving the way for the initial two-point conversion by Seattle during their eventual rallying triumph, which featured two such conversions.
Blackburn, aged 42, was serving his third year in the capacity of special teams coordinator for the Rams, having been brought on board prior to the commencement of the 2023 season.
Prior to this role, Blackburn held assistant coaching positions with both the Panthers and the Tennessee Titans. Significantly, he functioned as the special teams coordinator for the Titans between 2018 and 2021. Furthermore, Blackburn competed for a decade in the NFL as a linebacker, initially with the New York Giants, followed by a stint with the Carolina Panthers.
Boasting a potent offensive unit and a defensive squad ranked among the top ten in scoring prevention, the Rams are now pursuing an alternative trajectory for their special teams, anticipating an enhancement in performance within this third critical aspect of football.
