You’re not going to find an NFL head coach who enjoys conceding defeat, but at the same time, every head coach needs to be aware of when it’s necessary to pull the starters.
Sean McVay might have learned that lesson the hard way on Sunday.
During the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the 49ers, McVay had the starters in the game with Los Angeles down 17 and a minute to go. On a third-and-four play, Matthew Stafford threw a short pass to Cooper Kupp who appeared to have his ankle rolled over on the tackle. Kupp — who had eight receptions and touchdown — stayed down on the field and needed attention from the medical staff.
Cooper Kupp being looked at by medical staff on the field. pic.twitter.com/6BEIKfBLuT
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 30, 2022
While the extent of Kupp’s injury wasn’t clear, McVay absolutely should not have had the star receiver in the game at that point. The Rams had two timeouts, but they weren’t driving 90 yards or scoring three times in a minute. McVay’s play calling prior to that pass suggested that he was running out the clock, so to suddenly risk injury to Kupp — it was coaching malpractice. At that point, you need to let the second team play out the game and move on to the next week.
McVay’s failure in that situation may have lost the Rams their best player on offense, which is way worse than losing a midseason game.
Sean McVay said it looked like it was Cooper Kupp’s ankle that was bothering him, but he didn’t have an update. McVay said he was kicking himself for not running the ball there.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) October 30, 2022
No wonder fans crushed McVay for keeping Kupp in the game there.