Sean McVay has seen just about everything in his nine years leading the Rams: a Super Bowl title, a 5-12 collapse the year after that Super Bowl, a steady climb back to the top of the NFC West, and an NFC title game loss. But according to FOX Sports's Henry McKenna, none of those seasons will match the degree of difficulty McVay faces in 2026.
It's not that this year will be hard in the way 2022 was hard, when an injury-ravaged roster unraveled a season removed from a championship. And it's not like 2019, when the Rams dealt with a Super Bowl hangover after their loss to the Patriots. This is a different kind of pressure entirely: the pressure that comes with almost too much talent and much higher expectations.
The Rams enter the season fresh
off adding Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie via trades, signing Jaylen Watson in free agency, watching Matthew Stafford try to follow up an MVP campaign at 38 years old in his 17th season, and — most stunningly — convincing Aaron Donald to come out of retirement. Add that to a roster that already features Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and the Rams have assembled a group McKenna compared to some of the most loaded rosters in NFL history.
That's exactly why McKenna argues the job gets harder, not easier.
It's an L.A. team, so let's make a Hollywood comparison. This is a cast so stacked that only "The Odyssey" can compare. And that's why this might be McVay's most difficult task to date. He must win a Super Bowl. This isn't like the Lions or the Bills or the Ravens — who feel it's their time. No, this is different. The Rams basically have no choice but to win.
The media already sees the Rams as the best team in the league. They have the best Super Bowl odds, the most primetime games and are generally perceived as the most-fun team to watch this year. So while a good roster should make things easier for McVay, there is now a bigger spotlight for him and the team to perform.
It's the NFL, and anything can happen. Some of that will be out of McVay's control. But none of that matters when the world sees your team as unbeatable.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Analyst explains why 2026 season will be Sean McVay's toughest
