The Los Angeles Rams may have been keeping their starters and regulars out, but it doesn’t excuse the pitiful performance they had against the Denver Broncos in their final preseason game.
The Rams were blown out 41-0, a dispiriting effort that was marred by mistakes on both ends of the field. Los Angeles looked out of sorts and clearly didn’t have the energy to match Denver who routinely made play after play.
This isn’t the kind of game Sean McVay and the coaching staff wanted to see right before the start of the 2023 season, though it seems in line with the organization’s thinking that there will be plenty of bumps on the road this year.
When asked whether or not he has any concerns, McVay said he’d need to rewatch the tape but admitted that it wasn’t a good night overall.
“I think you have to look at the tape. I mean, certainly, that’s a humbling night. That’s not a night you ever want to go through no matter what your approach is. Some of the guys that did play tonight might be guys that were expected to contribute, and we’ll look at that.
“I’m always a believer that football is the greatest team sport that there is. A handful of guys that we will be counting on weren’t out there tonight, and that was pretty consistent throughout all of our offense, defense and our special teams. But there are some guys, they got some opportunities that we might be counting on for our 53. So I’ll have to be able to look at the film, but tonight wasn’t a good night and those are nights that you sometimes have in football. You have to be able to learn from it and move forward accordingly.”
McVay has been able to stay even-keeled through the struggles of preseason, though he probably would still like to see more progress from his team. However, it’s also good to hear him discuss being able to learn from games like the one against the Broncos and use it as motivation for the next one.
Fans aren’t expecting the Rams to compete for a title this season, though they are certainly hopeful that they look more competitive than they did in preseason.
Sean McVay still supports having joint practices
One reason why Denver may have been able to soundly beat Los Angeles was because of their joint practices they held last week. While joint sessions give opposing teams the opportunity to scout, McVay said he’s still a proponent of having them.
