Sean McVay is close to completing a decade as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, and to say he’s been revolutionary is an understatement. He has led some of the league’s best offenses during the period and also took the Rams to multiple Super Bowls, winning a ring in 2021.
Sean McVay Calls 2018 Super Bowl Loss Against Patriots “Humbling”
McVay won the Super Bowl in his first season with Matthew Stafford as the starting quarterback. But he also reached the championship game with Jared Goff leading his team, losing to the New England Patriots in a poor offensive performance from the league’s best offense.
That year, the Rams averaged 32.9 points per game during the regular season. But they couldn’t do anything against Bill Belichick’s defense, losing 13-3 in Super Bowl 53. During his recent appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys“, McVay explained how the loss was important for him and spoke about his regret about that game:
“And then we lose the Super Bowl. We go to the Super Bowl in the 2018 season, and man, that was a humbling night. And it was too big for me. I’m not afraid to admit that. I didn’t see the game, I didn’t adjust, I feel like I cost a lot of people. I feel like I was a significant reason we didn’t come away on top in that game.”
The 2018 Rams posted an A- grade on PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, finishing 13-3 with an OFFi score of 90.5, the third-best offense in the league that season (overall rank #21). Across 16 games and 1,060 plays (4th), they averaged 6.4 yards per play (2nd) and 2.67 points per drive (3rd), and ranked 3rd in third-down avoidance, third/fourth-down conversion rate, red zone touchdown percentage, turnover rate, and sack rate, giving McVay’s unit elite marks essentially across the board.
Belichick used a different defensive game plan to stop the Rams’ high-powered offense. With the Chicago Bears employing a 6-1 front in Week 14 and limiting Jared Goff’s options, the Patriots coach employed the same strategy.
It worked beautifully. McVay and Goff couldn’t adjust or communicate properly, and Los Angeles struggled to advance the ball. The Rams, who had one of the best offenses in the league that season, finished the game with just 260 total yards. Goff completed 19 of 38 throws for 229 yards and one interception.
Super Bowl 56 was a completely different story. Stafford, who joined the Rams in 2021 after a mega trade with the Detroit Lions, had a great game against the Cincinnati Bengals. A great performance from Aaron Donald helped the Rams clinch their first Super Bowl win since 1999; Goff was sent to Detroit that year.
Even if Los Angeles didn’t return to the Super Bowl after their 2021 win, McVay continues to be held in high regard around the league. The Rams lost a close game against the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 NFC Championship; had they won the game, they would’ve faced the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, which the Seahawks won 29-13.
