Skip to main content

Sean McVay: 'Challenging' to Remain Positive Amidst Rams Slide

The beleaguered Los Angeles Rams' boss addressed the mental toll the team's active losing streak has taken on his group.

The football world is well aware of the physical toll that this dreary title defense has taken on the Los Angeles Rams, a loss of manpower headlined by the departures of Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford in back-to-back weeks. 

As an even more terrifying obstacle lingers on the road ahead ... name the mighty Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday (1:25 p.m. PT, Fox) ... head coach Sean McVay addressed the difficulty of finding the silver linings in a stormy follow-up to February's Vince Lombardi Trophy hoist.

Preparing for a visit to the AFC leaders' domain is hard enough. Most teams don't have to do it with the burdens of a four-game losing streak and an injury report that resembles a starting lineup. 

“It's been challenging," McVay remarked in his statements to start the week. "There's a lot of different things that we've worked through as it relates to the injuries, the moving parts, and some of those types of things and so you just have to be able to say, ‘Alright, who's up next? What does that look like?’"

"And then you start your preparation for the upcoming opponent."

The Rams (3-7) have six of their past seven, the sole victory being a far too-close-for-comfort win over the woebegone Carolina Panthers. Medical departures aren't the only absences on the SoCal side: Tuesday saw the team surprisingly drop leading rusher Darrell Henderson Jr. 

McVay vowed to make sure he and his staff would do their utmost to handle the mental functions for those who do stick around to guide the Rams through the remnants of this brutal season. 

Two meetings with their potential NFC West division champion successors from Seattle await, as do nationally televised farces against the equally doomed Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, and Denver Broncos (Denver's visit lands on Christmas Day). 

"Without a doubt, you try to remain positive within the framework of the things that you can control and shift your energy and focus toward those things," he said. "That will continue to remain consistent for me and for our coaches.”


Want to see the Champs? Get your L.A. RAMS game tickets from SI Tickets here!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rams? Click Here

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Ram Digest message board community today!

Follow Ram Digest on Twitter and Facebook.

Want even more L.A. Rams news? Check out the SI.com team page here.