With 5 seconds left in regulation, the Los Angeles Rams found themselves trailing by one point against the Buffalo Bills. Faced with a decision, head coach Sean McVay chose to go for the tie, kicking the extra point instead of going for the win.
At the time, I disagreed with the decision, citing the tiredness of the Rams' defense and how the Bills' dual-threat rushing attack of Josh Allen and James Cook was finding success late. The other thoughts were about not wanting Allen to give the ball with a chance to win the game, and concerns about a special teams unit that perpetually failed throughout the evening and has struggled for years.
McVay did go for two earlier, failing to push a 20-19 lead into a three-point cushion. The Rams are not a team
that goes for two a lot – their last conversion was in 2023 and their last attempt was in 2024 – and the biggest flaw in their offense is their approach to short-yardage situations. However, McVay had a lot going against him, and with victory sitting only 2 yards away, MVP Matthew Stafford, receptions touchdown leader Davante Adams, and star Puka Nacua should've had enough left in the tank to score the game-winner.
McVay picked overtime, the special teams got them there with a made PAT, and despite a 57-yard gain by Bills receiver Khalil Shakir, Nate Landman's forced fumble on Cook on the next play should've set up victory for Los Angeles.
Stafford conducted an excellent drive to set up a 48-yard field goal attempt. Sure, Stafford could've gotten closer, but in a league where kickers are making from 60-plus yards consistently yards, anything under 50 to win a game should be automatic. That's a high standard, but this is the NFL.
But the special teams failed once again. The kick was blocked, and five plays later, Buffalo kicked its game-winner.
What this sequence of events proves beyond a shadow of a doubt is that the Rams do not have the belief that they can convert a must-have-it situation in the red zone. McVay willingly put his team in a precarious situation, knowing they were faltering, instead of trusting an offense that put up 454 yards. They put up 454 yards, and McVay couldn't trust that they could maneuver two.
The Rams' lack of a short-yardage offense – which is evident considering how many times they have tried and failed a QB sneak – will ruin them more than they're already ruining their own ambitions.
At some point, the Rams are going to have to put the ball in their MVP's hands to win it. Too often, we have witnessed the Rams fall short because Stafford didn't have the ball. Too often, we have also witnessed Stafford bail the Rams out of the same issues. Defense falls short in the end; special teams operate at a high school level. It's every year.
It's Seattle, Carolina, Philadelphia. McVay has to live life on the edge, because his special teams will snatch defeat from victory's tightest jaws. They did on Monday. If the Rams want to hoist the Lombardi, they have to let their quarterback rip it because they can't trust their entire team to pull their weight.
With that being said, McVay's second-half and end-of-game management this year has been poor. The Rams threw away a win at Denver, and if Saquon Barkley were fully healthy, there's a strong chance Los Angeles is 1-4 right now. Honestly, they barely deserve that one win.
Long story short, trust Stafford and change up everything else.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay's decisions show lack of trust in short-yardage offense
