Of all the narratives and match ups that fans were treated to in Week 11, perhaps none were greater than the divisional match up between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams stood at 7-2 prior to their showdown on Sunday afternoon, but in the end, it was the savviness of Sean McVay and the composure of Matthew Stafford that ultimately reigned supreme.
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Obviously, it helps when the opposing quarterback throws the ball directly to you four total times, but that shouldn’t undermine the job that McVay has done when it comes to play calling and game management. Following his 21-19 win over the Seahawks, the 39-year-old head coach sat down with Colin Cowherd to discuss the finer points of his success this season, and he’s crediting much of it to his willingness to trust his instincts rather than the analytics department.
“I have tremendous respect for taking all of these things in for the input, but a lot of it is they’ve got all the answers and no accountability for the outcomes. I think there is a feel for the flow of the game. There’s 22 moving parts that are unpredictable, these decisions aren’t made in a box. You’re betting on people, you’re betting on different scenarios and situations.”
Los Angeles is now poised to claim a second consecutive NFC West title, ensuring their 17-year veteran, Matthew Stafford, at least one more run in the playoffs. The Rams did their job in winning the divisional match up at home, but the true challenge still lies ahead in Week 16, where they’ll be tasked with a rematch on the road.
McVay is likely more aware of that than anyone, but he’s confident that this team will continue to put Stafford in a position to win.
“I think the cool thing is we’ve got a bunch of guys that have leadership capacity… You don’t have to be a captain to be a leader, and I think our team’s got a lot of guys with those natural traits and characteristics.”
McVay and Stafford will once again be tasked with scoring multiple touchdowns as a scrappy Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, captained by Baker Mayfield, will sail into town in Week 12. Although, the oddsmakers are pegging the Rams as -6.5 point favorites, so perhaps that’s once again the expectation for a Stafford-led offense, even though he’s just a few months away from turning 38 years old.
The Rams know that they don’t have much time left with the future Hall of Famer, and they are clearly doing everything within their power to make the most of what remains. They have a top-1o scoring offense, a defense that’s allowed just the ninth fewest yards in the league through 11 games, and one of the most potent wide receiver duos in all of football.
For better or worse, and in more ways than one, the success of the Rams now rests solely on the back of Stafford, but only time will tell as to whether or not he’ll hold up.
