Sean McVay's Rams Face Major Special Teams Changes

Segment Spotlight: Quick Hits From Pushing The Odds with Matt Perrault

Sean McVay Could Take a More Aggressive Approach After Special Teams Struggles

Sean McVay was as angry as he has ever appeared following the primetime loss to the Bills. He promised changes and followed through by firing the punter and kicker. With the team now 2-3 and 3.5 games behind the 49ers after Week 5, the result could also change how McVay approaches the rest of the season.

McVay’s play-calling in overtime was surprising. After the fumble recovery, the Rams reached approximately the 35-yard line and appeared positioned to win. On one of the first plays of that series, Kyren Williams ran a route toward the middle of the field before recognizing the coverage and continuing downfield. He was wide open with no safety behind him, but Matthew Stafford missed the throw by a yard or two as the pocket collapsed.

That missed opportunity could have produced a walk-off touchdown. Instead, the Rams gained about five yards on a second-down throw to Puka. On third down, McVay tried a rushing play to Williams that went nowhere.

McVay may have been influenced by seeing Washington and the New York Giants fail to get a field goal attempt off before their game ended in a tie. After seeing James Cook fumble on the previous play, McVay may have decided to be conservative, kick the ball and leave with a win.

However, McVay has never appeared fully confident in Harrison Mvis on field goals of 50 yards or longer. He has not shown that level of confidence in a kicker since Greg Zurlein’s time with the team. The Rams have also appeared to bargain-shop on special teams for years, prioritizing the offense and defense because those units are on the field for most of the snaps.

Hiring Bubba Ventrone to repair the special teams unit during the offseason was a step in the right direction, but improvement will take time. The Rams have already moved on from punt returner Xavier Smith. Dean Connors, who has been compared to a smaller Christian McCaffrey, could be another return option. Alex Bachmann offers more reliability catching the ball and making decisions, but he does not create the same fear of a potential 60-yard return.

Until Blake Grice proves he can consistently make field goals from 50 to 60 yards, McVay is likely to become more aggressive and go for it in those situations.