There were a number of factors that could be attributed to the Los Angeles Rams loss in Super Bowl 53, but head coach Sean McVay feels he may have been thinking too much when it came to constructing a game plan.
McVay has been credited with being the driving force behind the Rams resurgence on offense over the last two seasons. Unfortunately, that was certainly not the case after his group had essentially been shut out in the biggest game of the year.
There were plenty of headlines surrounding how the coaching matchup between the legendary Bill Belichick and wunderkind McVay. It did not take long to realize which team ultimately had the edge when it came down to it.
According to Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times, McVay admits he may have gotten so caught up in developing a solid game plan that he went away from what made them successful:
“I operated knowing I had another week,” McVay said. “That urgency to completely finalize the game plan wasn’t quite there, and that led to me watching so much film that you can almost water down your thought process.”
He added, “You have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there.”
McVay’s comments are certainly understandable considering how the Rams offense looked like a shell of its self against the New England Patriots. It is clear that in his attempts to draw up an effective approach he lost sight of the reasons Los Angeles had enjoyed so much success in the first place.
Although there is no question the loss dealt a crushing blow to the Rams, there is still plenty for them to take away from the experience. It is safe to say that McVay has learned the hard way that sometimes it is better not to overthink things.
