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Sean McVay: Rams Lost Super Bowl 53 to Patriots Because They over Prepared
May 8, 2019
Reflecting on his Super Bowl loss with the Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVay feels the extra week off before the game ended up being a negative.
"You have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there," the coach said, per Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated.
McVay said he watched all 18 games from the New England Patriots season as well as the Super Bowl games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. The result was still a Patriots 13-3 victory in the championship.
"You can watch so much film that you lose perspective," he added.
McVay specifically discussed the idea of using things that worked in Week 3, although the Patriots showed they can look much different late in the year compared to early in the season. They began just 1-2 after a Week 3 loss to the Detroit Lions but won 13 of their last 17 games.
The defense was also much improved while averaging just 16.2 points allowed per game over the final nine games of the regular season.
This ended up being devastating for the Rams, which couldn't get any offense going after finishing second in the NFL during the year in both points scored and yards gained.
Todd Gurley was first-team All-Pro during the season but only had 10 carries for 35 yards plus one catch for negative-one yard in the loss to New England.
It's clear the Rams were getting away from what worked all year in an attempt to outsmart the Patriots, but it obviously didn't work.
Considering the 33-year-old McVay just completed his second year as a head coach, however, he will hopefully get more opportunities to learn from his mistakes.