The Los Angeles Rams lost a hard-fought game to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night, and some feel the outcome would have been different if not for some mismanagement from Sean McVay.
McVay made a couple of decisions in the Rams’ 24-23 loss at Ford Field that he would probably like to have back. One of them came late in the first half, when L.A. was trailing 21-17 and forced a punt with 1:06 remaining in the second quarter.
The Rams took over at their own 5-yard line with 59 seconds left in the half and all three timeouts remaining. Even with Matthew Stafford playing extremely well, McVay called a run play on first down and did not use a timeout. Stafford then completed a short pass on second down and both teams let time expire.
McVay obviously did not want to get too aggressive and risk giving the ball back to the Lions with a short field before halftime. The Rams also got the ball first in the second half, so that was a factor in his decision. Still, fans are accustomed to McVay being more aggressive and thought he should have trusted Stafford to put together a drive under those circumstances.
The second questionable decision came late in the fourth quarter. The Rams were trailing 24-23 and had 4th-and-14 at the Detroit 44. Rather than go for it, McVay punted and trusted his defense to get a stop. They did not, as the Lions got three first downs and used up the remaining time on the clock.
McVay explained after the game that he felt the Rams’ defense was playing well enough to get a stop since the team had a timeout and the 2-minute warning to work with. He admitted it was the wrong decision.
“Still having a timeout and four minutes, the way our defense was playing, we were hoping to get a stop,” McVay said, via Matt Ehalt of the New York Post. “Hindsight is 20/20. Certainly regret that decision now.”
You can understand why McVay felt confident in his defense. After giving up 21 points in the first half, the Rams only allowed a field goal in the second half. Unfortunately for McVay, that is all Detroit needed.
The Rams exceeded expectations this season just by making the playoffs, but Sunday’s result still has to sting. They had plenty of chances to win, especially in the second half. McVay would definitely do things differently if he had another shot at it.
