Sean McVay Takes Blame for Questionable Challenge Attempts, Timeout Usage vs. 49ers

Rams coach Sean McVay shoulders the blame for mishandling the team's use of timeouts against the 49ers in the NFC title game.

The Rams pulled off a come from behind 20-17 win over the 49ers in the Conference Championship round, despite trailing by two possessions halfway through the fourth quarter.

Had L.A. not rallied back, Rams coach Sean McVay could perhaps be at the forefront of the conversation, referencing the way in which he burned through the Rams' timeouts.

McVay threw two challenge flags and came up empty in each attempt. With 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Rams sat without a timeout while attempting to mount a comeback over their division rival.

McVay spoke to reporters Monday via a videoconference call and shouldered the brunt of the responsibility in how he handled the team's timeouts down the final stretch of the contest.

“The accountability lies with me,” McVay said Monday. “The first one with the quarterback sneak, it was not a great decision by me. It was kind of one of those, you’re hopeful, you see the side shot of it."

McVay's first failed challenge attempt came on a fourth-down quarterback sneak by Matthew Stafford. He was marked down short of the first down marker and the officials' call was upheld following a further review.

The Rams later used their second timeout to prevent a delay of game penalty. And lastly, McVay's third and final timeout was put on the line when he thought 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled, which ultimately was not overturned.

"And then the other one, it looked like it was kind of a bang-bang play," McVay said of his second challenge. "In the flow of the game, there was a possibility that we thought there was a fumble there. (I would) do that one a little bit differently, but ultimately those decisions are my responsibility. I’ve gotten great information all year. Those guys do a great job. In those instances yesterday, didn’t work out, but there’s nobody that’s responsible other than myself."

As the Rams put up 13 points in the fourth quarter, they weren't put in position where they needed any of their lost timeouts to stop the clock from running. But it certainly served as an example to draw from and McVay acknowledged that he'll need to be smarter in the way he handles that aspect of the game.

"Fortunately, it didn’t hurt us," McVay said. "But it is important to be able to have those timeouts in your back pocket if you need those and being a little bit smarter with those challenges was something I didn’t do a great job for us.”

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.