The Los Angeles Rams are reeling, losers of back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 4 and 5 of this season, and head coach Sean McVay is looking to ensure they do not suffer any lingering effects.
The Rams battled back, shaking off a 21-0 halftime deficit, but still fell to the now 7-9 Atlanta Falcons on the road.
For McVay, there is no time for the Rams to rest on their laurels.
Sean McVay Delivers Final Decision After Rams’ Loss
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on during a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
McVay took to the podium after the Rams’ loss to the Falcons and made it clear that his team did not perform up to their own expectations in the contest, which dropped them to 11-6 on the season.
The Rams will close out the regular season against the Arizona Cardinals.
Despite what is largely a meaningless game for the Rams, McVay has no plans on taking his foot off the gas.
“Oh, we’re playing [starters],” McVay told reporters, who followed up. “They were going to play anyways. We need to play. We need to play better football. I don’t know what the consequences are, and those different type of things, but we gotta play better.”
McVay repeatedly said that the Rams’ shortcomings begin with him.
Still, it is a disappointing outcome in what could be a telling performance for the Rams against the Falcons in primetime.
“This is a humbling league, and we got humbled tonight,” McVay said after comparing the Rams’ loss to the Falcons on Monday night to their defeat at the collective hands of the Seattle Seahawks on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 16.
McVay spoke candidly, saying he hoped there would be no lasting effects from this contest.
The Rams have dropped multiple critical games in recent weeks, most notably costing themselves the No. 1 seed in the NFC and even their spot atop the NFC West.
That is where the situation grows even more concerning for McVay and the Rams coming off this deflating loss. They had every design on winning home-field advantage en route to a potential Super Bowl berth.
Their road remains daunting in an unfortunately familiar way.
Rams Could Face Fitting Playoff Foe
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay calls plays against the Seattle Seahawks.
The loss dropped McVay and the Rams to 2-2 against the NFC South, and they could see the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. However, the Rams could also face the Philadelphia Eagles.
More importantly, the Rams could have to travel to do it.
The Eagles eliminated the Rams in the 2024 NFC Divisional Playoffs, with Matthew Stafford unable to connect for a game-extending pass to Puka Nacua.
Fittingly, McVay’s Rams faced similar situations. Stafford missed Xavier Smith with room to run down the field on the Rams’ final possession. The Rams also had significant difficulty slowing down Bijan Robinson.
Robinson had 138 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had 232 total yards and 2 TDs in that postseason matchup, a 28-22 Rams loss.
The Rams bottled up Barkley during their regular-season matchup in Week 3, which was at home in SoFi. However, the Rams’ run defense has now allowed 170-plus rushing yards in back-to-back weeks. They had allowed that much once all season before Week 16.
That is an ominous trend ahead of the postseason.
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