Why Sean McVay, Rams Must Bring Their Best vs. Seahawks

We should be calling the Los Angeles Rams the "Cardiac Horns" to some degree because of how thrilling these postseason games have been for the NFC's fifth seed. Following their dramatic overtime victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, they will travel on the road once more with a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks bolster an elite defense, the same one that gave up 37 points and over 400 passing yards to head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, and the Rams in the instant classic Thursday night bout in Week 16. Yet, it was Sam Darnold's heroics that resulted in the stunning 38-37 overtime victory. Against Chicago in the snow, it was neither of Stafford's nor McVay's best showing.

For McVay, it was one of his worst play-calling and decision-making displays in some time. While admitting fault, the win still does not excuse not leaning into a successful run game. This time around, in the biggest game of the season, McVay cannot afford a slip-up.

Rams, McVay must be on their best game

McVay Rams — Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts after a defensive stop against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

It was frustrating for much of Sunday's game to see McVay, outside of his first series and much of the fourth quarter, fail to understand the flow of how the game was initiated. A pass-heavy attack in the snow against a Bears defense that was giving up over four yards per touch on the ground is not a recipe for success.

I would argue that had McVay stuck with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum for much of the game, this is not even a contest. However, I appreciate the Rams coach for holding himself accountable in this situation. It is what separates him as one of the best in the game, regardless of a bad game.

"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," McVay said after Sunday's game. "Defensively, it kept us in it, in spite of how poor of a job I did for our group. 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."

McVay is not the type of coach who will have consecutive bad performances as a play-caller and decision-maker in key situations. This is usually rectified, and it shows that coaches and people in this league are human and not some robots doing a job on our TV screens. While making mistakes in your job can get you fired, the ability to learn from those mistakes within your job makes you better in the long run, and that is what McVay has done well for years in Los Angeles.

As we have seen with John Harbaugh, Mike Tomlin, and Sean McDermott (albeit in a unique situation), there will come a time when the Rams must move on from McVay, even if they garner success for almost two decades in some cases. However, we are not talking about moving on from the best coach in this franchise's history: we're talking about this Sunday and how mistakes should be rectified this weekend.

There is an argument that the Rams' special teams is better than it was in Week 16, and they just had their best display in the snow against the Bears. If McVay finds that Sunday's game flow shows an opportunity for either a balanced attack, a heavy passing or run game, he'll attack either at will while still implementing a delicate balance of overusage and repetitiveness. At his best, the Rams could be unstoppable against the Seahawks in the toughest stadium to play in the sport.

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