Sean McVay is an optimist as a coach, always looking at the bright side of things even when a game or season doesn’t go the Rams’ way. This year certainly fell short of expectations for Los Angeles, but McVay is still finding positives despite the Rams being eliminated from playoff contention at 8-7.
Here’s what the coach said after the Rams’ 34-31 loss to the 49ers, making it clear that he wants to finish the season with a winning record of 9-7 despite not being able to make the playoffs.
“Unfortunately, that means our postseason chances are eliminated but I know this: We’ve got an opportunity to finish the season the right way, finish with a winning season and got a bunch of winners in that locker room, and that’s what I expect us to do as we move forward to Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals,” he said.
The Rams finished last season in the Super Bowl, which is far different from having your playoff chances drop to zero in Week 16 as the Rams did this year. As much as McVay wishes they were playing for another championship, he’s being a realist.
“We’re not gonna do that, but I do trust that we’re made of the right stuff,” he said. “I know that once we get through next week, I can’t wait to attack the offseason, figure out how I can be better.”
The Rams were a longshot to make the playoffs even with a win on Saturday night. McVay and all the players know that, but it doesn’t make the loss any easier to swallow. They’re going to watch the film as usual, but quickly move on and prepare for the Cardinals in Week 17.
“We’re going to look at this film and we’re going to move on and we’re going to do everything we can to finish the season off the right way. To be able to finish with a winning record, that’s the next thing. You always have the playoffs and that’s out the window. ‘Well all right, hey, let’s have some pride. We get 16 opportunities like we’ve talked about. This represents the final game of the season for this team. love those guys in the locker room and want to make sure I do my part to try to have a good performance and cap it off the right way.”