One way to measure a team’s pre-season expectations is to look at their Super Bowl odds. And when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams, only two teams have better odds to win it all this season: the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who met in Super Bowl LV.
Since acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, the Rams’ chances of winning it all have improved significantly. And with that has come a lot of talk about this season being Super Bowl or bust for Sean McVay’s team.
It’s something they’ve experienced before, specifically after reaching the Super Bowl in 2018. The following year, they finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs, suffering what some would consider a Super Bowl hangover.
But this time around, McVay wants to keep an inside-out approach. The Rams aren’t going to avoid the high expectations everyone has for them, but McVay’s not going to let the hype distract his team or himself.
“Especially the last two years, you can let those expectations get in the way when you’re not as inside-out, and you’re letting an outside-in approach affect your daily enjoyment,” McVay told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “When I reflect on it, I think there’s a lot of times where you are what you want to be, as far as being a leader and the guy that the players want to be around, that’s who I’d like to think I am. I’m enjoyable, positive, intentional about building and developing relationships in an authentic way.
“And then, I think sometimes you can get a little bit caught up in an outside-in approach, and say, ‘Man, here’s these expectations, if I don’t do it, maybe you’re not living up to what we did as a team the first couple years.’ You gotta constantly remind yourself of it.”
High expectations can be stressful and straining, but McVay has been relaxed this offseason. He’s been in a better mood because of the way his team is currently constructed, welcoming Raheem Morris and Joe DeCamillis to the coaching staff, as well.
He said “I feel like I’m 30 years old again in a lot of good ways,” which he sees as a great thing heading into the season. Granted, McVay is only 35, but he was visibly frustrated and somewhat stressed last season with the offense struggling to play consistently.
Just about everyone expects the Rams to improve offensively this season, with some believing Stafford will throw for 5,000-plus yards. McVay says his team isn’t going to run from the high expectations and will remain focused on the primary goal: winning a ring.
“You’re not gonna run away from the expectations,” he said. “Every single team in the NFL has one goal right now, and that’s to win a Super Bowl. And I believe the teams that know, and the teams that have actually accomplished that, they know that you only do that by being where your feet are planted. The one thing that I would say, there’s a belief in the ability to do what we want to be able to do. Now, you don’t do that unless you are where your feet are planted. But there’s a belief, there’s a confidence in the people you’re around.”
McVay seems to be in a good place right now with less than three months until the season begins, which is great news. Entering his fifth year with the Rams, there’s plenty of pressure on both the coach and his players.
How they handle that pressure will play a part in the outcome of their season.