No Rams fan, player or coach will soon forget the feeling that overcame them after Super Bowl LIII, a 13-3 loss to the Patriots. Sean McVay certainly hasn’t and even as good as it felt to beat New England on Thursday night, this win won’t make up for the loss two seasons ago.
McVay was asked after the game whether there was any sense of redemption for the Rams, with this being the first time they’ve faced the Patriots since the Super Bowl. He obviously thought about that game, but he didn’t let it affect his game plan or approach entering this pivotal Week 14 matchup.
Coming out of the win, he doesn’t feel any differently about that crushing defeat, either.
“It’s something that you think about because it was the last time that we played them being a cross-conference opponent and so, it was a big game,” he said after the 24-3 win. “That’s always going to be a part of the coaching trajectory for me and a night that you’ve got to be able to learn from. As far as how that affected our plans going into this game, it really didn’t at all. We’re a totally different team. I mean, you see we’re doing a lot of different things. What is consistent, is that you’ve got great coaches and a really tough football team on the opposing sideline and I think we’d like to say the same thing for our group, a lot of really good football players.
“It was important because it was our ninth win, but as far as any sort of redemption, I do think what my Coach Martz said is true. It doesn’t get back the hurt and the scars of that night, I can promise you that.”
Even if McVay goes on to win six Super Bowls, he’ll most likely still think about his first trip to the big game. It was an excellent learning experience for the second-year coach, and something he’ll take with him as he navigates his career in the NFL.
A regular-season win over the Patriots won’t make up for that, but at least it gives the Rams a better shot at reaching the Super Bowl again this year.
[vertical-gallery id=642463]