Is Sean McVay on the hot seat? No, I don’t think the Rams young coach is on the hot seat, but I do think the magic has worn off. The hype is over. Where do the Rams go next?
Now I’m not a Rams fan by any means, so I really can’t speak for Rams fans, but I think they have a right to be upset. The Rams were on the cusp of greatness last season making it to the Super Bowl. They had the youngest coach in the NFL, the best defensive player, and their franchise quarterback, so what’s going on?
Now, I know his offensive line isn’t as good as last season, but is that really an excuse for a team that is still loaded down with quality players?
The Rams are 5-4 and 3rd in the NFC West behind two great teams in the Seahawks and 49ers, so in reality their situation isn’t all that bad, but it certainly is an odd change for a team that made the Super Bowl just a year ago. Another interesting stat is that they already have as many loses this season as they did all of last season, and with the Ravens and Seahawks both on the schedule in the next four weeks, it’s not looking great for them at the moment.
A big red flag for me is the Steelers loss last week. I know, the Steelers defense is for real, but the Rams look like a completely different team than last season. The Rams offense failed to get a touchdown against Pittsburgh, with the lone touchdown coming off of a Dante Fowler fumble recovery touchdown for the Rams.
So is the blame on Sean McVay? They have an elite running back in Todd Gurley who is putting up extremely underwhelming numbers this season, and I’m not so sure Gurley is to blame. He’s struggling to get over 50 yards a game, and has yet to eclipse 100 yards in a game this season. Those numbers aren’t great, but he has yet to get 20 carries in a game this season. If Sean McVay is the young, genius coach the media makes him out to be, why is your star half back not getting the carries he should be getting? I know I’m just a sports writer who doesn’t play the game, but if I have an elite weapon like that on my team, I’m using him.
The $134 million dollar man Jared Goff isn’t producing either, but I think Sean McVay gets a break on this one. 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions isn’t exactly what you want from your franchise quarterback coming off a Super Bowl season.
I think this is a problem Goff can fix, but Sean McVay has dug himself a hole. McVay has a team with star power that isn’t producing. Where does the Rams coach go from here? The Rams take on the struggling Bears offense this week at home. It’ll be interesting to see how McVay handles this game. The Bears aren’t an elite team by any means, but they are a middle of the pack team with an elite defense. Sean McVay needs a turnaround week, and this could be it. The ball is in Sean McVay’s court.
