Sean McVay has not shied away from his distaste for how the Los Angeles Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 16 played out, and he is showing no signs of giving up the fight.
McVay spoke candidly about the situation after the game.
Less than 24 hours later, the 2021 Super Bowl champion was as fired up. He was also, seemingly, more determined to seek out a potentially league-altering change.
Sean McVay Points Out ‘Issue’ With Call in Rams’ Loss
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts against the New Orleans Saints.
McVay called the pivotal 2-point conversion by the Seahawks, allowing them to tie the Rams at 30-all, a “technicality issue.”
McVay explained that players cannot advance fumbles on 2-point conversion or fourth-down attempts. However, officials on Thursday night ruled Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold had thrown a backwards pass. Anyone can advance the ball in that situation.
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet picked the ball up before its momentum stopped.
McVay, though, insisted that Charbonnet was not making a recovery attempt and called out that officials whistled the play– a failed screen, which Byron Young deflected–dead.
“I think we would all be in agreement, and I have a total appreciation for the layers and the semantics of all the rules, especially being on the competition committee. There’s a lot of empathy and difficult spots that some of our officials, and just everybody’s in. But I do believe this: that is not something that we want in the game,” McVay told reporters on December 19.
“That was not their intent. They were trying to throw a lateral screen. It got batted down, and it was not a successful conversion. But by letter of the law, it was. And so, those will be things that we’ll [the competition committee] discuss.”
McVay insisted that he would feel the same way if the call benefited the Rams.
Still, his attention to the matter has drawn headlines in a week where the Rams have made plenty of them.
Charbonnet told reporters that he was unaware of the situation, but that he always picks the ball up. McVay echoed those sentiments during his day-after presser. However, he was adamant that something about the rule needed to change.
Sean McVay Shuts Down Irrelevant Point
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts against the Tennessee Titans.
McVay was not using the whistle, which NFL rules analyst clarified does not officially end a play, as he admitted many often assume, as an excuse for the Rams or even in his argument.
“That wouldn’t have anything to do with it. That’s an irrelevant point. That’s not the point. The point is that it’s not called a fum– you can’t advance a fumble in those situations. But because they said it’s subject to review on the two-point play, it was actually a backwards pass. Now, you’re able to do that. It’d be like if you fumble the ball on a toss, you can pick it up and advance it,” McVay said.
“When situations and circumstances arise like that, those will be things that I guarantee will be addressed and conversed over to try to eliminate plays like that from being able to happen, while totally acknowledging and being aware that there’s a lot of layers to it.”
McVay said he has witnessed the proverbial “can of worms” on the 10-person committee.
In the end, though, McVay made it clear that he plans on making his case as long as necessary and allowed following the Rams’ loss.
“What I will say at the end of the day is I can’t imagine anybody thinks that plays like that should be counted as conversions,” McVay said. “I would feel that way even if I was a beneficiary, and the roles were flipped, and that benefited us last night. And I can honestly say that very much.”
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