Sean McVay and the Rams, despite winning the NFC West, are on a 6 game losing stream against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. But he is unfazed heading into Sunday’s matchup.
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The last time the Rams and 49ers met, we had an epic battle to end the season. In a crucial Week 18 matchup, Kyle Shanahan and his boys fell into a 17-0 hole, but pulled a miraculous 27-24 win in overtime to clinch a playoff birth. 3 weeks later, they meet again.
Both teams had remarkable runs to get to this point. After trailing for the entirety of the game, the San Francisco 49ers won it on a last-second field goal, pulling off an unreal upset over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, despite struggling for a lot of the game.
GOULD IS GOOD.
THE @49ERS WIN IN LAMBEAU TO ADVANCE TO THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP. #FTTB #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/7JouarMybq
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2022
Rams, on the other hand, let Tom Brady and the Bucs come back from a 27-3 hole, but a Matthew Stafford final drive masterclass led them to the NFC championship game.
9️⃣ TO 1️⃣0️⃣ TO SET UP THE WIN! pic.twitter.com/1hrjkOa4lQ
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 23, 2022
The NFC West battle should have a lot of buzz heading into Sunday. And despite the Rams being the higher seed, the 49ers might have the mental advantage heading into the game.
Sean McVay was adamant that Kyle Shanahan is not in his head.
Sean McVay was asked about that in regards to his six-game losing streak against Shanahan and instead shifted the focus to his respect for the Niners’ coaching staff.
“No. What I do have is respect for these guys. They’ve done a great job. You look at it, you’ve got to play well in that three-and-a-half hour window that we’re allotted. You look at the last time we played them—didn’t finish the game. But this is a really good football team. We have a lot of respect for them, but we’re competing and preparing to the best of our ability to see if we can advance. But this is a really good team. Kyle’s an excellent coach. He’s got great players, great coaches, good schemes, so that’s why they’re in the NFC Championship.”
Sean McVay’s 55-26 regular-season record as the Rams head coach speaks for itself. But that has not reflected over his battle with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. His 3-7 record, including a 6 game losing streak will definitely be playing on his mind, regardless of what he is. So Sunday matchup will be one with a lot of storylines running through it.
