With the ball less than a yard away from the end zone, down 20-17 to the Saints, the Rams decided to kick a field goal instead of going for the touchdown.
Why did Sean McVay settle for a game-tying field goal against the Saints?
This is not the Rams coach we know.
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
It remains to be seen if this is the right decision for the Rams, but Sean McVay did opt to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line just a week ago against the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams were up 23-15, McVay ran the ball on fourth-and-goal, and the Rams scored a touchdown to go up 30-15, effectively ending the game.
McVay seems like a guy that knows the value of a touchdown during big time NFL games, but here he opted for the safer route and kicked a 24-yard field goal that tied the game at 20.
We’ll have to see if this is a call that bites them in the ass — a 24-20 lead against Drew Brees in the Superdome could’ve been the final nail in the coffin for the Saints.
Update: The decision to kick ended up working! The game went into overtime at 23-23 and then the Rams hit a game-winning, 57-yard field goal to advance to Super Bowl 53.
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