Sean McVay Says He Respects Refs After Win vs. Saints: 'They Let the Guys Play'

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Much of the focus after the Rams' 26-23 overtime victory Sunday centered on a missed pass interference call on Nickell Robey-Coleman late in the fourth quarter.

Rather than highlighting the mistake during his postgame press conference, McVay praised the officiating crew for allowing the players some level of physicality on the field:

"I thought it was a bang-bang type play. The one thing I respect about the refs today is they let the guys compete and they let the guys play. I thought Nickell-Robey made a nice play, they snapped it on a quick snap and had a little wheel route coming out of the backfield. I thought it was a competitive-type play, I thought they let the guys compete within the framework of the rules and that's part of what NFL football is about. Certainly I'm not going to complain about the way that was officiated."

McVay's comments contrasted significantly with those of Saints head coach Sean Payton.

According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL "will publicly admit error" regarding the play, but the ramifications of that admission are unclear.

The play happened on a 3rd-and-10 for New Orleans. Had the officials flagged Robey-Coleman for pass interference, the Saints would've had a 1st-and-goal inside the final two minutes.

Instead, Payton brought out Wil Lutz for a 31-yard field goal to take a 23-20 lead. Greg Zuerlein tied the game with 15 seconds remaining, and his 57-yard field goal in overtime was the difference in the result.

The Rams aren't the first team to catch a lucky break en route to the Super Bowl, and they won't be the last. And McVay certainly isn't going to let the Saints' misery put a damper on his excitement after having claimed the team's first NFC title since 2001.