Rams Advance to NFC Championship Game Despite Struggles on Offense
CHICAGO — The Los Angeles Rams are headed to the NFC Championship Game to play the Seattle Seahawks, despite what coach Sean McVay called “some bad coaching” by him in Sunday night’s 20-17 overtime win over the Chicago Bears. The Rams’ offense, which led the league in offensive DVOA during the regular season, struggled to get into a rhythm for much of the game.
According to McVay, the team’s offense did not perform well, with the coach stating, “Offensively, man, I did not do a very good job for our group tonight.” However, he praised his team’s ability to overcome his mistakes, saying, “But I thought our guys were able to overcome it.” The Rams’ struggles were evident, with the team recording just 174 yards at the end of the third quarter, their fewest yards at the end of the third in a game this season, according to ESPN Research.
McVay Takes Blame for Team’s Performance
McVay was critical of his own performance, stating, “I did not like the feel for the flow of the game that I had outside of the first series, where our guys did a great job.” He also praised his team’s defense, saying, “Defensively, it kept us in it in spite of how poor of a job I did for our group.” The coach acknowledged that his team’s victory was not solely due to his coaching, saying, “But like I said, I’m really grateful for this group being able to find a way, stick with it and be able to overcome some bad coaching by me tonight.”
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for a league-leading 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns during the regular season, completed 20 of 42 passes for 258 yards against the Bears. Stafford failed to throw a touchdown for just the second time in his playoff career, according to ESPN Research. He acknowledged his own struggles, saying, “I definitely didn’t get into a great rhythm today. There’s no question about that. I had some opportunities in the pass game, just some things that made it tough.”
Stafford Rallies Team to Victory
Despite the offense’s struggles, Stafford rallied the Rams for his 55th career winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, which is 11 more than the next-closest player since he entered the NFL in 2009. The winning drive was set up by Kam Curl’s interception of a pass from Caleb Williams with 6:47 left in overtime. The Rams drove 54 yards in 10 plays and won the game on Harrison Mevis’ 42-yard field goal.
The victory sent the Rams to the NFC title game for the first time since Los Angeles won Super Bowl LVI during the 2021 season. The Rams will play the No. 1 seed Seahawks, who beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 on Saturday night to advance. McVay acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, “[We’ve] got to be at our best. You watched that game last night. They’re firing on all cylinders. They look really good and I’m excited to be able to dive into this tape and figure out how we can improve.”
The Rams split the season series with Seattle, winning 21-19 at home in Week 11 and losing 38-37 in overtime in Week 16. Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, who had five catches for 56 yards Sunday, said it felt fitting that Los Angeles will go back to Seattle next week for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. “I think there’s no way the football gods would rather have it be than for us to go back up there and see the All Father [Cooper Kupp] and get a chance to right our wrongs,” Nacua said. “So, it will be a great challenge for us, and we’re excited for it.”
