The Rams got a career day from Todd Gurley and rolled up 270 rushing yards as a team on Sunday, but they still had to sweat a bit at the end of their 23-20 win over the Broncos.
That might not have been the case had head coach Sean McVay’s offensive playcalling gone in a different direction. The Rams were moving the ball with ease on the ground while finding it much tougher to keep momentum in the passing game, but McVay kept putting the ball in the air with the Rams up multiple scores in the fourth quarter.
Jared Goff was 3-of-6 with an interception and got sacked twice as the Rams managed one field goal on their final three possessions of the game. He also went 1-of-4 in the red zone on the first two drives as the Rams settled for a pair of field goals to kick off their scoring.
McVay was harsh when asked to assess his work in Sunday’s game.
“I thought I put us in some horrible spots throughout the game [by] really getting impatient, forcing things that weren’t there,” McVay said, via Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic. “The players bailed me out finding a way to get a win. ... The cold didn’t really dictate the play selection. If anything, the cold might have just affected my brain with some of the decisions I made.”
McVay has shown a remarkable ability to remember plays he called in past years. If he looks back on Sunday, it will likely be as a reminder not to go down the same path again.
