As it did so often last season, special teams came back to bite the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night against the Buffalo Bills. And as costly as Harrison Mevis' blocked field goal in overtime was, Sean McVay wishes he had never put the game on his kicker's shoulders.
Facing third-and-5 from Buffalo's 30-yard line, McVay called a run to Kyren Williams, which went for no gain. That made it fourth-and-5, which led to Mevis trotting onto the field goal for a potential game-winner. The kick was blocked and the Bills won the game on the ensuing drive, ending the Rams' night in heartbreaking fashion.
In his postgame press conference, McVay said he regretted being so conservative on third down, essentially settling for the long field goal.
“If I would've
kno– yeah, I wish I would’ve had a better play call and gone for it and gotten it a lot tighter," he said. "I’m sick right now with myself and I’m so proud of that group. This is the tough part of sports but I’m proud of that team. I’m proud of the way that we battled. And I’m sick that we came up short. I’ll be regretting kicking that and not having a better call to be able to go for it on third down and go to fourth or whatever it was. It’s on me.”
McVay has had little trust in Mevis all season, opting for punts and going for it on fourth down in spots where other teams might kick long field goals. But he assumed a 48-yarder was well within Mevis' range, and he certainly didn't think the Bills would bust through to block it the way Philadelphia did in last season's loss.
After this game, Mevis could be on the chopping block. McVay said the Rams will "evaluate everything" in the kicking game, indicating a change at kicker could be coming down the line.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay regrets one pivotal play call vs. Bills: 'I'm sick right now'
