Coaching
Players play and coaches coach. At some point, you have to point the finger at the coaching staff, too. McVay is always quick to take the blame for losses, and this season, he and the coaches deserve it. McVay did what he could with the group he had up front on the offensive line. But there were questionable decisions made with regards to Gurley’s workload – remember when he didn’t touch the ball in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh? – and his desire to throw the ball 40-plus times per game. It also wasn’t until recently that he realized moving the pocket and calling more bootlegs was a good way to protect the offensive line from its own issues and to help Goff out.
McVay’s conservative calls on third and fourth down were also alarming. Far too often, he called “give-up plays” on third and long, either electing to simply run the ball up the middle or go with a screen pass that had no chance of working. He played it safe on fourth down frequently, too, rarely going for it other than a handful of fake punts.
4th down decision-making in 2019.
The Seahawks have been promoted from 2nd-worst to 3rd-worst!
The Redskins just want the season to end… pic.twitter.com/hZyRydiGUG
— new-age analytical (@benbbaldwin) December 19, 2019
McVay isn’t the primary reason the Rams struggled this season, but he’s also not without his share of blame. After all, he’s in charge of the team on a weekly basis. Some of the fault has to fall on the shoulders of the coach.