The Los Angeles Rams had their playoff hopes dashed in embarrassing fashion by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15 to put the nail in the coffin of a disappointing 2019 NFL season.
Rams head coach Sean McVay appeared to be just as stunned as fans were after they were dominated in every facet of a must-win game during the 44-21 loss. Regardless, he still did what he could to downplay the magnitude of their defeat by trying to turn the page to their Week 16 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
L.A. had high hopes that they would be able to redeem themselves for their abysmal outing in Super Bowl LIII. It seems even McVay is now coming to grips with missing out on a chance to defend their NFC title.
According to Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, McVay admits to being surprised at how rough of a year it has been:
A rare big-picture moment from Sean McVay on the Rams' season so far: "To say you’re surprised, I think that would probably be accurate. But this is where we’re at, and we’re going to fight back."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) December 18, 2019
Although McVay has never been shy about acknowledging his shortcomings, he has usually tried to follow it up with a sense of optimism that they would be able to turn things around. Unfortunately, he is now in a position where it no longer matters since their season will likely coming to an end after these next two games.
McVay will now find himself with some extra time on his hands this offseason. Rather than preparing for an opponent like he was during the first two years of his coaching tenure, he is going to be watching the postseason play out from home.
There is good reason to be disappointed in how the season panned out for the Rams considering they invested plenty of capital in recent years to secure the necessary key pieces on both sides of the ball. Rather than solidifying their case as bonafide contenders for years to come, there is now plenty of speculation regarding whether or not they will be able to get a return on their investment.
The onus will ultimately fall on McVay to make it work with the talented group that L.A. has assembled with his approval. He will have an ample amount of time to figure out where things went wrong before the Rams get set to open play in their new home at SoFi stadium in the 2020 NFL season.
