INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Sean McVay chose the most bewildering possible moment to decide to get conservative.
For some inexplicable reason, he took the ball out of his reigning MVP quarterback’s hands and entrusted the game to his notoriously unreliable special teams.
There were just under five minutes to go in overtime on Monday night, and the Los Angeles Rams were driving for a potential game-winning score. They faced third-and-5 from the Buffalo Bills’ 30-yard line, needing only a field goal to escape with a come-from-behind victory.
Instead of asking Matthew Stafford to try to throw for the first down and extend the drive, McVay had Kyren Williams take a handoff and run into the teeth of the Bills’ stacked defensive front. Williams barely got back to the line of scrimmage, leaving 24-year-old kicker Harrison Mevis with a nerve-jangling 48-yard field-goal attempt.
We all know what happened next. We all saw the debacle that followed. Six-foot-6 linebacker Greg Rousseau knifed into the Rams’ backfield and blocked the kick with his outstretched arms. Then Josh Allen immediately took advantage, driving Buffalo into field-goal range to set up a 45-yard Tyler Bass kick that clinched a 37-34 Bills victory.
When asked after the game about running the ball on third-and-5, McVay didn’t even try to defend it. Mevis, after all, had botched three field goals already this season, including a 50-yard attempt that leaked wide earlier on Monday night.
“Yeah, I wish I would have had a better play-call and gone for it and gotten it a lot tighter,” McVay said. “I’m sick right now with myself.”
The blocked field goal was the latest gut punch for a Rams team that was hailed as the overwhelming preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl but has struggled to live up to those sky-high expectations. The Rams fell to 2-3 this season, a humbling start for a star-laden team that Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke infamously predicted would go unbeaten en route to a Super Bowl LXI victory in its home stadium.
It was one thing when the Rams endured a season-opening 27-7 faceplant in Australia against rival San Francisco. You could write that sluggish performance off to jet lag from the team’s failed strategy of arriving in Melbourne just one day before the game and trying to stay on Los Angeles time.
Then the Rams blew a 16-point halftime lead in Week 3 against Denver. And needed to erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit in Week 4 against Philadelphia. And couldn’t pull out a win over a Bills team whose injury-depleted receiver corps consisted of Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and rookie Skyler Bell, a fourth-round pick making his NFL debut.
Why are the Rams struggling despite returning the core of an unstoppable offense and making a series of blockbuster moves to fortify their defense? The answer isn’t just the left knee injury that has sidelined star pass rusher Myles Garrett since the loss to the 49ers. Nor the groin and hip injuries that forced wide receiver Puka Nacua to miss two games.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t get a chance to deliver a death blow to the Bills and Buffalo took advantage via special teams to steal an overtime victory.
Prior to Monday’s loss to Buffalo, Stafford had not played to the MVP level he displayed a year ago. The 38-year-old threw six interceptions in the Rams’ first four games, two shy of his total for the entire 2025 season. Stafford also misfired on multiple downfield throws that have historically been completions for him.
While Stafford rebounded Monday with 383 passing yards and three touchdowns against a much-maligned Bills secondary, other problem areas for the Rams flared up just like they had in previous weeks.
LA committed 11 penalties for 84 yards against Buffalo, including a flurry of pre-snap mistakes that stalled drives and erased opportunities. A defensive pass interference call against Quentin Lake also extended a Buffalo drive and led to a second-half Allen touchdown pass to Coleman.
Then there were the special teams miscues that have plagued the Rams intermittently during McVay’s tenure. It wasn’t just Mevis’ missed field goals. The Rams also allowed Ray Davis to return the game’s opening kickoff 70 yards.
And despite having the NFL’s worst special teams statistically the past two seasons, McVay for some reason was content to let his field goal unit decide the game. He went conservative even though the Rams scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and were again moving the ball at will in overtime.
Stafford loyally defended his coach’s decision.
“We were trying to get as close as we could for a field goal or if we break a run, we break a run,” the Rams quarterback said. “We were just trying to be smart with the football, give ourselves an opportunity to score points and win the game.”
McVay merely expressed disgust with himself.
“I’ll be regretting kicking that and not having a better call,” he said.
The bad news for the Rams is that they’ve dug themselves quite an early hole in the NFC West. They’re already three games behind the undefeated 49ers.
The good news for the Rams is that their schedule lightens considerably for the rest of October and November. Their next five games include a pair of divisional matchups with the Arizona Cardinals and winnable games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders.
Of course, McVay was in no mood for silver linings after Monday night’s loss. Proud as he was of his team’s fight and resilience, he couldn’t get past how victory slipped through his fingers.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been this pissed after a game,” McVay said. “None of it makes me feel good right now. I’m proud of the effort, but none of how I feel is positive.”
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