NFL analyst slams Sean McVay for Rams' suspect play at end of 49ers game

It's never easy to be the NFL head coach after a loss. But it's excruciatingly difficult to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams after losing to an outmanned San Francisco 49ers team in prime time in front of a national audience.

Making matters worse, in the press conference immediately after the heartbreaking loss, head coach Sean McVay had to own a controversial call during the game that contributed to the defeat.

To be fair, there was plenty of blame to go around. This was a game of little pass rush, one-sided officiating that used quick whistles and blind eyes to affect the outcome of the game, and another game of not-so-special special teams play.

But even as the decision to go for a fourth down and 1 yard to go was controversial in overtime, with LA sitting at a chip-shot field-goal range to tie the score, the real heartbreak was calling the same play the 49ers defense had seen many times earlier in the game.

Getting stuck in a rut is a Coach McVay trademark. It's a pattern of predictability that plagues the Rams, but never more so than when LA faces its most bitter rival, the Niners.

And as NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky stated plainly, the Niners' defense knew what was coming before the football was snapped.

Rams rushing offense must know its limits

The team constructed a rushing attack to complement the passing game, not to control the clock or move piles of defenders in short-yardage situations. Perhaps McVay can fool inexperienced defensive coordinators once in a while. But 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has battled LA's offense many times in the past. And he knows that it loves to go with the tried and true.

As such, his defense was well-schooled on what to expect in overtime on a 4th-and-1 play. It was ready. Los Angeles' offense was stuffed.

Live and learn. The second loss is not fatal to the hopes for a playoff berth at season's end. But it was a big step in the wrong direction. The loss happened in a winnable game, a game whose victory came to multiple dominoes all falling the wrong way, and none going in the opposite direction to change the outcome.

Can Los Angeles this? Yes. Will it fix this? That's open for debate. This was a collection of bad everything, all contributing to a loss. Which is the priority? Which problems are low-hanging fruit? Which corrections can move the needle enough to get a win next time?

That is what fans hope to find out.

It was a heartbreaking loss that stung McVay hard. It was his call. Ultimately, it was the predictability that did him in. In a game of inches, there is no room left for second-guessing.

Right now, that is the lesson Los Angeles must learn over the next nine days.

As always, thanks for reading.

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