LOS ANGELES — It was an ugly defeat for the Los Angeles Rams and coach Sean McVay, suffering a Super Bowl loss three years ago to the New England Patriots and legendary coach Bill Belichick.
Sean McVay looks back at his Super Bowl loss
Although the Rams contained star quarterback Tom Brady, it wasn’t nearly enough. At the time, LA’s offense was led by Jared Goff, since traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a stronger quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Furthermore, they got exposed by Belichick’s strategy of six-man fronts and zone coverage schemes as the Rams’ wide-zone rushing offense was stymied.
Thoroughly outcoached by Belichick in that game, McVay was determined to rebound from the setback.
One year after losing in the Divisional Round, the Rams are back in the Super Bowl to square off against the Cincinnati Bengals and their stellar quarterback Joe Burrow.
Indeed, only five starters from that Super Bowl loss remain on the roster, including injured wide receiver Robert Woods. McVay, 36, is applying the knowledge he absorbed from the loss to New England this week.
‘You look at yourself in the mirror’
“I think what you do to get over it is you look at yourself in the mirror, you take accountability and you keep it moving,” McVay said. “I think as a competitor, you have to be able to handle those tough moments, and I’ll never run away from the fact that I didn’t do a good enough job for our team within what I feel like my role and responsibility is to these guys.
“I think you say, ‘OK, if you had it differently, what are the things that you learn as far as the decision-making, the adjustability, the ability to be totally in the moment during the game and be able to make those adjustments quicker than what we were able to do and how you approach the two weeks of preparation?’
“But whether it was a game like that or whether it was a game from a couple weeks ago, you’re always trying to learn, you’re always trying to evolve, and I think you want to be able to learn from previous experiences but not allow it to inhibit your ability to be able to move forward.”
What’s next?
McVay emphasized that the setback in Super Bowl LIII was valuable to his coaching style and approach.
Now, the fourth-seeded Rams have defeated the Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers to reach Super Bowl LVI. They’ll match up against the sixth-seeded Bengals, who defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Kansas City Chiefs.
“I think it was a blessing to be in that game,” McVay said. “Certainly, you don’t forget about it. You want to be able to do better, but I don’t think you press when you do get another opportunity to be in this moment and this stage again. I think you look at it as a blessing, you take some of those learning lessons, you apply them, and let’s go cut it loose and play to the best of our ability, and I’ll coach to the best of my ability with our coaches, as well.”