Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has quickly become one of the most exciting and successful young coaches in the NFL. His offensive prowess has led to the Rams consistently being at the top of the league.
After a very successful season in 2018, opposing teams have wanted to get even just a piece of a McVay-like offense. The Green Bay Packers hired former Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur while the Cincinnati Bengals hired former Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, both to their first head coaching jobs.
As the Rams prepare for their trip to London in Week 8, they will face off against Taylor and the Bengals. Despite the Bengals being 0-7, McVay believes that Taylor has handled the season well to this point, via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times:
“To see the way that he’s handled things only further demonstrates why he’s a special person.”
Taylor has been preaching culture despite the losses. It seems that upper management believes in that culture as well, allowing him freedom to run the program.
Of course, there is worry that Taylor and the Bengals will find their first win against the Rams due to Taylor’s knowledge of his former organization. Taylor spent all of 2017 and 2018 with the Rams, so he should have an idea of what the Rams like to do on both sides of the ball.
However, quarterback Jared Goff feels that the team has evolved since Taylor’s departure:
“We have changed a lot in the last six to nine months,” Goff said. “Since he was here, we’ve changed defensively, offensively, schematically at times.
“There is the thought that he will be a step ahead of us, but we’re going to go out and play our game. I wish Zac the best, still want to beat him this week, but I wish him the best and I think he will do a great job moving forward.”
While pleasantries with former co-workers are nice, there is no doubt that both sides are treating this game as they would any other. Taylor, of course, wants to notch his first win, but the Rams are looking for another easy victory to get their season back on track.
The Bengals have scored the sixth-fewest points in 2019 thus far, while also giving up the sixth-most points on defense. The Rams are tied for the fifth-most points, so ideally the offense continues to roll against an inferior opponent.
