A week ago, Sean McVay was the biggest reason the Los Angeles Rams were sitting in last place in the NFC West, their Super Bowl aspirations disappearing faster than my chips at the blackjack table.
asserted
aspirations → sit → table
However, on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium, McVay delivered his best coaching performance of the season, and now he’s the biggest reason the Rams season is still alive.
asserted
season → deliver → season
After six weeks of questionable decisions, offensive stagnation and self-inflicted wounds, McVay delivered his finest coaching performance in the Rams’ 35-21 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
asserted
McVay → inflict → Raiders
And it came at the perfect time.
asserted
it → come → time
The Rams entered Sunday’s OG showdown between two franchises that once called Los Angeles home with a 2-4 record, having lost four of their first six games, as a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations was rapidly turning into a nightmare.
asserted
that → enter → nightmare
McVay deserved plenty of blame for that record as well.
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McVay → deserve → record
His disastrous travel arrangements contributed to the season-opening embarrassment in Australia.
asserted
arrangements → contribute → Australia
His conservative play-calling helped squander opportunities against Denver and Buffalo.
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calling → squander → Denver
His neglect of special teams has haunted him for the past two seasons.
asserted
neglect → haunt → seasons
McVay abandoned a productive running game, made baffling fourth-down decisions and watched his former assistant Mike LaFleur outcoach him in his own building.
So it’s only fair to give him his flowers when they’re due.
asserted
they → abandon → flowers
And since we’re in Sin City, we’ll be frank like Sinatra: McVay got almost everything right on Sunday against the Raiders.
asserted
everything → ’re → Raiders
After a week in which the Rams lost Davante Adams, Poona Ford, Kobie Turner and Blake Grupe to significant injuries, with Trent McDuffie and Nate Landman also sidelined and Puka Nacua battling a calf injury, McVay could have spent his postgame press conference explaining why his depleted roster couldn’t compete.
uncertain
roster → lose → conference
For any other team decimated by injuries it would have been human nature to submit to the never-ending misfortunes and lay another egg in a hostile environment on the road.
asserted
it → decimate → road
Heck, that’s what we thought would happen.
asserted
we → ’ → ?
Instead, McVay spent his postgame presser explaining all the reasons why his team won.
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team → spend → reasons
One of the most glaring differences from previous losses was McVay finally ran the damn football.
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McVay → run → football
Kyren Williams rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown.
asserted
Williams → rush → yards
Blake Corum added 93 yards and another score.
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Corum → add → yards
Behind an offensive line that rediscovered its nasty streak, the Rams piled up 199 rushing yards compared to Matthew Stafford’s 195 passing yards.
asserted
Rams → rediscover → yards
For once, McVay called more runs than passes: 38 to 29.
asserted
McVay → call → passes
A balanced offense that didn’t require Stafford to perform fourth-quarter miracles just to have a chance.
“We were able to balance the run and pass and come away with four touchdowns in the first half,” McVay said.
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McVay → require → half
The Rams were a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone, scoring five touchdowns without asking newly signed kicker Brandon McManus to attempt a single field goal.
asserted
Rams → score → goal
After weeks of special teams disasters, McVay found the simplest solution imaginable: Keep scoring touchdowns.
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McVay → find → touchdowns
Stafford threw three touchdown passes, including two to Davis Allen and a record-breaking strike to Nacua, becoming the Rams’ all-time leader in passing touchdowns.
asserted
Stafford → throw → touchdowns
Defensively, the Rams held Las Vegas to 1-for-5 in the red zone and 3-for-14 on third down.
asserted
Rams → hold → down
McVay even won a critical challenge on fourth down, helping extinguish a promising Raiders drive at a time when Las Vegas could have stolen all the momentum.
uncertain
Vegas → win → momentum
That’s coaching.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
More importantly, that’s preparation.
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that → ’ → ?
“I think, honestly, the reason we were so successful was that we had our best week of practice this week,” safety Quentin Lake said.
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Lake → think → practice
The Rams nearly turned a 28-6 halftime lead into another fourth-quarter disaster after turnovers by Williams and Stafford allowed the Raiders to claw back within 10 points.
asserted
Raiders → turn → points
They once again had costly penalties at inopportune times, including one that negated a long Corum touchdown run, and another on a pass play to Nacua.
asserted
that → have → Nacua
But unlike previous weeks, McVay didn’t freeze.
asserted
McVay → freeze → weeks
He trusted his offense, leaned on his running backs and watched Corum deliver the touchdown that finally put Las Vegas away.
“Things don’t go our way, we’ve got to be able to bounce back,” Williams said.
asserted
Williams → trust → Vegas
Who they are is still a sub .500 football team that has not put together back-to-back wins all season.
asserted
that → put → wins
So now comes the difficult part.
asserted
part → come → ?
At 3-4, the Rams have three winnable games against the Chargers, Commanders and Cardinals before their bye week.
asserted
Rams → have → week
They need to win all three.
asserted
They → need → three
One impressive afternoon doesn’t erase six weeks of mistakes, and beating the Raiders doesn’t suddenly make Los Angeles a Super Bowl contender again.
asserted
Angeles → erase → Raiders
But Sunday proved McVay still knows how to push the right buttons when everything around him appears to be falling apart.
asserted
everything → prove → him
The coach who helped put the Rams in this hole finally showed that he can also dig them out of it.
asserted
he → help → it
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
