Rams head coach Sean McVay seeks return to more prolific offense

The engineer of one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL his first two years in the league, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay now finds his team in the bottom third of scoring in the NFL season.

Through eight games, the Rams are averaging just 24.1 points per contest, No. 21 in the NFL. If that number were to hold for the rest of the season, it would be the lowest amount of points a McVay offense has averaged since he joined the Rams as a head coach in 2017.

The scoring dip started for McVay last season, as defenses around the league took a page from the blueprint established by the New England Patriots defense in L.A.’s Super Bowl loss two years ago, first put on display by the Chicago Bears when Vic Fangio was the defensive coordinator by employing a 6-1 defensive front to slow down the Rams’ outside runs.

The Rams averaged 24.6 points per game last year, No. 11 in the NFL.

His first year at the helm of the Rams, McVay led the league in scoring in 2017, averaging 30 points a game. The Rams finished No. 2 in scoring in 2018, averaging 32.9 points game.

When asked about his run-to-pass ratio this week, McVay would like to get back to a more high-powered version of his offense.

“Ultimately what it’s about is the execution and moving the football and scoring points -- we have to do more of that,” McVay said. “As of late, I think we’ve done enough -- with the exception of yesterday (Sunday) -- to be in some good positions.

“But really overall, I want to see us score more points, be more efficient snap in and snap out. I’m not as concerned about the run-pass balance as I am of the overall offensive efficiency and scoring points.”

McVay has leaned on the running game more this season than in year’s past. According to Next Gen Stats, the Rams have run the ball 46.1 percent of the time this season, No. 7 in the league. L.A. is averaging 137.8 rushing yards a contest (No. 7 in the NFL).

However, the Rams have struggled in situational football this season. They’ve scored touchdowns just 61.3 percent of the time in the red zone, No. 19 in the NFL. They’ve converted just 43 percent on fourth down, No. 25 in the league.

And the Rams’ 69.3 percent conversions on field goals is fifth-worst in the league. The Rams also have turned the ball over 12 times through eight games, tied for No. 26 in the league.

The Rams appear okay on the injury front. McVay said cornerback Jalen Ramsey is fine after experiencing an illness just before kickoff that forced him to miss last week’s game. Running back Darrell Henderson Jr. also is expected back after missing the second half of L.A.’s loss to Miami with a thigh injury.

McVay said his team will take Tuesday off for Election Day and then hold a light practice Wednesday. Per the league’s collective bargaining agreement, players will get Thursday through Sunday off during the bye week.

McVay said his team’s disheartening loss to Miami changed his approach to the bye week.

“You want to make sure that we’re smart, as far as just handling things, especially with the uptick and some people just getting COVID around the league and understanding what those circumstances can entail if we’re not smart about that,” McVay said. “Then let’s come back refreshed, recharged and ready to go against a great Seattle opponent coming off of this thing.”