Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay made the decision to kick a field goal at the conclusion of Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers instead of going for a touchdown. The Rams were down 30-20, meaning neither play would decide the game, but the field goal was a quickly scrutinized choice.
The Rams were in the midst of an 11-play drive that had lasted nearly two minutes. They were on the 20-yard line of the 49ers with time expiring and could have easily taken one shot to the endzone, as Matthew Stafford spiked the ball with four seconds remaining. He had also just come off of a completed pass to Puka Nacua for 17 yards.
But McVay had his reasoning for why he chose to go with the field goal, even if it upset some gamblers in a game where the Rams were 7.5-point underdogs.
“What we were trying to do is we were trying to be able to get a completion to where we kicked the field goal beforehand with the opportunity to be able to,” McVay said. “If we had hit that deep in-breaking route, it really would’ve worked out the way that we wanted to. We were going to try to kick a field goal once we got into field goal position to then be able to kick an onside and try to give ourselves the real opportunity to win the game.
“By the time it got down to it, didn’t anticipate that in-cut that we hit Puka running that long and just said, ‘Alright, go ahead and kick the field goal.’ Felt like it was an opportunity to be able to not leave (QB) Matthew (Stafford) susceptible to an unnecessary heave to the end zone and get an opportunity for our field goal operation. The initial goal was to try to get a two-for-one to where you end up getting into field goal range a little bit earlier with some of the play selections that we had and then ultimately be able to try to have an onside kick to then be able to go try to compete to tie or win the game. Apparently, (VP of Communications) Artis (Twyman) told me there’s a lot of people in Vegas pissed off about that decision. I clearly was not aware of that stuff.”
The Rams seemed to have run out of time with several plays ending inbounds on the final drive. Getting more plays to the outside could have opened the door for a field goal, followed by an onside kick and attempt at a touchdown.
McVay’s point about Stafford being susceptible to an unnecessary heave is also understandable. The Rams were not going to win the game either way, so perhaps getting some game reps for Brett Maher was more important for the long-term than another play from scrimmage.
While it may not have been a smart choice for the gamblers who bet on the 49ers, McVay clearly felt confident in the decision and surely some Rams backers are happy about it.
McVay encouraged after Week 2 loss
Even though it was the ninth straight regular season loss to the 49ers for McVay, he walked away with a strong feeling about this team and the remainder of the season.
“Today was a great opportunity for us to be able to learn, to be able to understand where that margin for error is but I love the look in these guy’s eye. I like the way that they continue to be able to compete through the finish and these are always learning opportunities for us. Some of this adversity presents opportunities and I’m excited to be able to go forward with these guys in the right way and I have no doubt they’re going do that same thing. But you give credit to the 49ers and they did a good job today.”
