The Los Angeles Rams made a big change against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday when they benched kicker Joshua Karty and gave Harrison Mevis a crack at the job. It was Mevis’ first regular-season game in the NFL after spending the last two offseasons with the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets, with a successful stint in the UFL coming this past spring.
Karty had been struggling badly on both field goals and extra point attempts, missing an NFL-high eight kicks in eight games. Not all of the misses were his fault, but he was a key culprit in the Rams’ issues on special teams.
The Rams haven’t committed to Mevis long-term and will continue to evaluate the situation week to week, potentially even going back to Karty if things with Mevis go awry.
Fortunately for Mevis, he got off to a good start in his NFL debut. He went 5-for-5 on PATs and did not attempt a field goal. The operation looked good, from the snap to the hold to the kick – which hasn’t always been the case this season with Karty kicking.
It is worth noting that Sean McVay turned down an opportunity to kick a 58-yard field goal at the end of the first half and opted to punt instead. The Rams also went for it on fourth-and-3 with a 21-14 lead instead of kicking a 46-yard field goal with Mevis.
That doesn’t mean McVay is lacking confidence in his kicker, but he certainly trusted his offense throughout the game with the way it was moving the ball. Perhaps next week he’ll get a chance to kick his first NFL field goal and show off some of the power that made him an intriguing addition for the Rams after setting the SEC record with a 61-yard field goal in 2023.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How did Rams K Harrison Mevis perform vs. 49ers in Week 10?
