Rams Sean McVay Reacts to Dallas Cowboys Scouting with ‘Dad Joke’

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay will be present for Sunday's contest against the Dallas Cowboys. He joked that Dallas' defense should have made him hesitate to return.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay became a father on Tuesday.

As Rams fans would prefer, and McVay prophesied, little Jordan John McVay knows ball. He arrived with plenty of time for his father to coach on Sunday.

In Week 8, Los Angeles will visit the Dallas Cowboys, who are fresh off their bye week. Dallas’ defense has paved the way to a 4-2 record and, even without cornerback Trevon Diggs, poses a threat in the NFC.

It’s a unit that rightfully has McVay’s attention and was perhaps the subject of his first press conference joke as a new father.

Sean McVay celebrates a big play.  / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

“As excited as I was yesterday,” McVay said on Wednesday. “Once you really dive into the tape [of the Cowboys defense] you’re thinking, ‘Wow, maybe I should have stayed at the hospital!’”

The Rams will have their work cut out for them. Edge rushers Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence have had excellent starts to their seasons, combining for seven sacks. The former is firmly entrenched in the conversation for Defensive Player of the Year. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa has been exceptional as well, coming off perhaps the best game of his young career.

This spells trouble for a Los Angeles offensive line that hasn’t been particularly impressive. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was always going to take sacks in this offense, but only seven passers have been sacked more often than his 18 through Week 7.

However, the run game has continued to produce, regardless of who is taking the carries, and Dallas is asking a lot of a relatively thin group of linebackers. They’ve performed admirably in the absence of starter Leighton Vander Esch, but that isn’t necessarily predictive, especially against such a well-designed offense. They’re going to be put in adversarial situations frequently on Sunday.

McVay will likely lean on the tried and true formula of Stafford connecting with superstar receiver Cooper Kupp. They’ll find completions over the middle no matter who is covering him, and the ascendance of rookie receiver Puka Nacua only challenges the Cowboys further.

Few would blame McVay for missing Sunday’s action to spend time with his wife and newborn son, but he opted to run on adrenaline and call the shots on the sideline. Expect Dallas to do its best to dampen McVay’s otherwise incredible weekend.