Rams News: The Best Part of LA's 2023 Turnaround, Per Sean McVay

L.A.'s head coach assesses what worked for his team down the stretch of the 2023 season.

Jan 7, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay walks on the field before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams were one of the surprise teams in the 2023 season. L.A. was supposed to be a team competing for the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, but instead, it turned a lot of heads and showed itself to be one of the best teams in the NFL, especially down the stretch. 

However, that seemed like a long shot, especially in the middle of the season when the team was 3-6, and quarterback Matthew Stafford had suffered a sprained UCL in the thumb on his throwing hand. He missed Week 9, and his status was in jeopardy for the rest of the season.

However, something switched with the Rams, and they went on one of the best runs a team could ask for. 

Head coach Sean McVay appeared on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long and spoke about how things started to turn for his team. 

"The best part about last year is that there was real adversity," said McVay. "I think that's when you find out about people. When you're in the storm, how the hell do you handle that stuff? I wouldn't say there was a change when we were 3-6 there were some opportunities to execute at a higher level. We played some good teams. We came up short, but the guys kept improving. When we went 7-1 down the stretch, I didn't think there were really a lot of different approaches; it was we happened to get the results, but the process was consistent." 

McVay and the Rams went 7-1 down the stretch to earn themselves the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture. Although they lost to the No. 3 seed Detroit Lions, who made it to the NFC Championship game, many would consider their 2023 a success compared to how many predicted they'd do. 

The Rams took a significant step in the right direction in 2023 and will now look to take an even more significant step in 2024. 

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