Sean McVay Calls Rams Loss to Lions a 'Learning Opportunity'

Valentina Martinez | Sep 10, 2024

Sep 8, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches the action against the Detroit Lions from the sidelines in the second quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay called the overtime 26-20 loss to the Detroit Lions a "learning opportunity."

"I'm really proud of this group," McVay said in his opening statement of the postgame press conference. "We had a lot of guys go down, a lot of guys had to step up. There was a lot of adversity that we had to overcome and this group really did. And they gave themselves a chance. We just came up short. But this is an opportunity for us to be able to move forward the right way. I think tonight was a good indicator of the mental, the physical toughness of this group. But when you come up short, this a real learning opportunity."

Puka Nacua, Joe Noteboom, and Steve Avila all exited the game with injuries. The Rams have suffered an unprecedented amount of injuries in 2024. Although Week 1 is barely coming to a close, the Rams were already short a number of starters on the offensive line as well as the secondary.

The Rams were already short-staffed on both sides of the ball. Left tackle Alaric Jackson and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo are both serving two-game suspensions that began on Sunday. Right tackle Rob Havenstein was out with an ankle injury he sustained earlier in training camp.

The Rams were also missing cornerbacks Derion Kendrick and Darious Williams. Williams is slated to miss the first four games of the season.

Nevertheless, the Rams managed to force overtime despite a 17-3 deficit in the third quarter.

The defense showcased their abilities in the season opener as they held the Lions to just 17 points. Their efforts allowed the Los Angeles offense to score 17 unanswered points of its own.

The unit held Detroit to 6 of 13 on third down and 2 of 4 in the red zone.

"We came in here with an aggressive mindset and mentality, didn't feel like you could settle for field goals, that's why we came up short the last time," McVay said. "And then ultimately, a couple of those situations is inevitably what ended up leading to us probably not finishing it out tonight."

McVay believes his team will respond well to the season debut loss; however, the status of the offensive line is alarming. The many injuries have limited what the Rams can do on the field.

Los Angeles can only play hero-ball for so long until the magic runs out.