It’s been a rough season for head coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.
While talking to the media Wednesday, McVay got honest about his team’s 5-11 campaign and respectably took blame for the team’s poor performances.
“This year has been, in my opinion, a professional failure. And that’s been humbling, it’s been challenging,” said McVay.
“This year has been, in my opinion, a professional failure. It’s been humbling. It’s been challenging.” — Rams HC Sean McVay, open and honest on the podium right now.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 4, 2023
It’s cool to see McVay taking responsibility for how his team has done. To go from hoisting the Lombardi trophy to missing the playoffs in the very next season is obviously bad. That said, McVay taking responsibility and placing the weight of the team’s failures on his shoulders is a good look.
Los Angeles has been eliminated from the postseason for a few weeks now and have just one game left to play before the season ends. Key players of their 2022 Super Bowl run, such as Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, were all bit by the injury bug before the second week of December. It’s why they’re no longer in postseason contention in large part, if you’re asking me.
McVay’s Rams seemed to be less dynamic from the first game of the year against the Buffalo Bills by not having free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. suited up alongside Kupp on offense. Beckham Jr. tore it up for L.A. in the postseason a year ago and even scored a touchdown in Super Bowl 56 before tearing his ACL and being placed on the shelves ever since.
Keeping in mind Beckham’s departure and Kupp and Stafford being hurt and not playing a full season, the Rams offense ranks second to worst in the league this year in yards per game with 281.3. The Houston Texans, who have the worst record in the NFL, are the only ones doing worse in that area.
McVay’s running game stunk also. According to ESPN, their running backs only produce 94.7 yards per game, which is ranked fifth worst in the NFL. They never had any sorts of rhythm this season on either side of the ball, especially on offense. (RELATED: Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe Get Into Explosive Argument After Shannon Demanded Skip Delete His Tweet)
I doubt that McVay’s job is in any kind of jeopardy heading into the off-season. If it weren’t for injuries from the season’s beginning, they could be contending for a playoff spot right now for all we know.
Ultimately, I believe that McVay is a good head coach and guy and I think he’s certainly capable of turning things around, but if L.A. posts another losing season next year, his coaching seat will start to get hot.