McVay demands more from himself even as Rams remain unbeaten
THOUSAND OAKS — The Los Angeles Rams are the last undefeated team in the NFL. That doesn’t mean there are no issues to address.
For coach Sean McVay, it starts with himself.
McVay was again critical of his own play calling, this time in the Rams’ 23-20 win at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, believing it to be responsible for continued struggles by the o ense in the red zone and a season-high five sacks of quarterback Jared Go .
“To be 6-0 in this league is really hard, but we want to focus on our process, our standard of performance, and that’s focusing on getting better and getting better as the season progresses,” McVay said Monday night.
“Nobody stops the season after six weeks. If they did and they said this is when everything is finalized, then, hey, maybe we could enjoy it and appreciate that, but there is a lot of football left.”
The Rams scored just two touchdowns in five trips into the red zone. Despite averaging 32.7 points per game, the third-highest total in the league, they have scored touchdowns on just 56.7 percent of red-zone possessions.
McVay blamed his failure to stick with the flow of the game for those issues. He pointed to the fourth play of the game when he called a first-down pass from the Denver 12. Go ’s throw to running back Todd Gurley was incomplete, and it led to the Rams settling for a 26yard field goal by Cairo Santos.
“Anytime that you’re in the role that I am, our job is to put the players in the best spots,” McVay said. “You don’t want to waste plays. My gut told me to take a timeout in that instance, and I didn’t do it and it led to us not executing the way we are accustomed to.
That’s a result of the operation that starts with me, and that’s an instance right there.”