The start of the NFL season has been somewhat inconsistent for the Los Angeles Rams, alternating wins and losses in recent weeks — with the defeats coming against top-tier opponents. The matchup against the San Francisco 49ers was seen as a major opportunity for Sean McVay’s team to take down a key divisional rival. However, a questionable decision by the head coach in overtime ultimately cost the Rams a chance at victory.
The controversial decision occurred on a fourth-and-1 at the 49ers’ 11-yard line with under a few minutes remaining in OT. Rather than settling for a game-tying field goal and risking giving San Francisco another chance to win, McVay opted to go for it, aiming to seal the victory then and there.
In the end, the play called by the head coach failed to produce the desired result, allowing the visiting team to walk away with the victory at SoFi Stadium.
“It’s a bad call,” McVay admitted quickly after his team overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “It’s a bad call by me.”
Rise and grind
In this league, taking risks on key plays can often be the difference between victory and defeat. Sometimes, it pays off. Other times, it can undo everything you’ve built over the course of a game. Sean McVay rolled the dice — and this time, it didn’t work out. Now, he’ll have to take it as a lesson and use it to grow moving forward.
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“Poor decision by me right there, but give the Niners credit,” McVay said to the press. “They made enough plays to be able to win the football game. We had plenty of chances throughout this game. We stayed in it, we fought, we battled, but there’s a lot of things that we have to be able to clean up, and a lot of football left.
“I’m pretty sick right now. I’m sick of the spot that I put our group in to end the game. But hey, these are the tough beats that you’ve got to be able to learn from and move forward, and that’s what we’re going to do.“
Matthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams.
What’s next for the Rams?
With the main goal of getting back in the win column and gaining ground in the NFC West, these are the upcoming challenges the Rams will face:
- @ Baltimore Ravens, October 12
- @ Jacksonville Jaguars, October 19
- Bye Week
- vs New Orleans Saints, November 2
- @ San Francisco 49ers, November 9
