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Coming out of Sunday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, Rams fans everywhere were questioning Sean McVay for his play calling. They wondered why he abandoned the run and had Jared Goff throw 61 passes against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL.
It’s a valid question, and has been for quite some time. McVay has a habit of turning to Goff and the aerial attack too quickly, rather than sticking with what’s worked: the running game. The Rams handed it off to their running backs 27 times against the Dolphins, but that pales in comparison to the number of times Goff dropped back to pass.
McVay was asked Monday about maintaining balance on offense with the run and pass, and it doesn’t seem to be a concern for him. He’s not focused on making sure the Rams run the ball a certain number of times, because game plans change based on what defenses do.
That can even change at the line of scrimmage if Goff and McVay recognize that the defense is trying to take away the run.
“In a lot of instances, based on the play that we have where we’ll call a run a lot of times and then the other play that we have activated based on certain looks could go to a pass,” he told reporters. “So, you might have the intent to call a run, but in some instances, it ends up being a pass based on the defensive structure. That’s pretty consistent with how we operate week in and week out. It just really depends what the defensive looks which sometimes elicit a certain response from us.”
Part of the reason McVay brought in Kevin O’Connell is to get another set of eyes on the sideline and throughout the week while game planning. O’Connell can help keep McVay honest when it comes to maintaining balance, if the Rams start to stray too heavily in one direction or the other.
McVay says he and his coaches talk about balance, but they’re more concerned with being efficient and scoring points, regardless of how it gets done.
“I think ultimately what it’s about is the execution and moving the football and scoring points. We have to do more of that,” McVay continued. “As of late, I think we’ve done enough, with the exception of yesterday, to be in some good positions. Really overall, I want to see us score more points, be more efficient snap in and snap out. I’m not as concerned about the run-pass balance as I am of the overall offensive efficiency and scoring points.”
Sunday was the first time this season that Goff attempted more than 38 pass attempts. For the most part, the Rams have been balanced on offense, even if it seems like McVay gives up on the run too quickly. They’re fourth in rushing attempts and 13th in pass attempts, which is a much better split than the one they had last year (3rd-most pass attempts, 18th in rushing attempts).
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