In the thick of what is being called his most challenging season, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay now one-ups ex-head coach Jeff Fisher in total victories for the franchise. The 28-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks on the nationally-televised Sunday Night Football broadcast keeps his team’s wild-card playoff hopes alive making it an especially sweet occasion.
Sean McVay Surpasses Jeff Fisher in Los Angeles Rams Franchise Wins
It took 2017’s new kid on the NFL block under three full seasons (45 games) to do what his predecessor could not accomplish in just under five seasons (77 games).
Sean McVay achieved his 32nd victory in wire-to-wire fashion Sunday evening and for all to see. The win put him one ahead and counting of the previously-unsuccessful head coach hire, Jeff Fisher. Fisher, in fact, had not experienced a single winning season in his five-year efforts. McVay has yet to know a losing season.
— Mob Times~2021 NFL Champs ★👑𝓛𝓐 𝓡𝓪𝓶𝓼👑★ (@GridDawgs247) December 9, 2019
The Writing Was on the Chalkboard
Halfway through McVay’s first regular season with the team, many Rams fans already believed this day would come – even if they couldn’t connect it directly. The seed had been planted in their gut. Jared Goff had suddenly morphed into a butterfly by way of Fish bait. This was miracle number one. Todd Gurley looked like the Todd Gurley and the Rams were threatening the NFL with warnings of wins for seasons to come.
In those first eight games, the team had scored 33 or more points five times. P words like playoffs and post-season were beginning to escape the lips of NFL analysts that barely noticed the franchise the previous years. But the players knew long before that things were about to change dramatically.
It took only a few practices and classes during that initial off-season to inspire nearly every player interviewed to voice the difference in merely having plays in a playbook and understanding why plays work and what they do to the opposition’s overall game plans. It took McVay even less time to realize the team needed a factory reset before installing new teaching software. Because of that, one could argue that 2017 was his most challenging indeed. This season’s offensive line rebuild was simply business as usual.
The Rest is [Likely to be] History
| Playoffs | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | From | To | G | W ▼ |
L | T | W-L% | G plyf | W plyf | L plyf | Chmp |
| 1. John Robinson | 1983 | 1991 | 143 | 75 | 68 | 0 | .524 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 2. Chuck Knox | 1973 | 1994 | 118 | 69 | 48 | 1 | .589 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 3. Mike Martz | 2000 | 2005 | 85 | 53 | 32 | 0 | .624 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. George Allen+ | 1966 | 1970 | 70 | 49 | 17 | 4 | .742 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5. Ray Malavasi | 1978 | 1982 | 73 | 40 | 33 | 0 | .548 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 6. Sean McVay | 2017 | 2019 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 0 | .711 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 7. Jeff Fisher | 2012 | 2016 | 77 | 31 | 45 | 1 | .409 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. Sid Gillman+ | 1955 | 1959 | 60 | 28 | 31 | 1 | .475 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 9. Hampton Pool | 1952 | 1954 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 2 | .697 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10. Dick Vermeil | 1997 | 1999 | 48 | 22 | 26 | 0 | .458 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if the Rams do not let Sean McVay get away, he’s in a good position to eclipse fan favorite Dick Vermeil as the franchise’s most beloved head coach. If he chooses to coach this team as long as the win total-leading John Robinson, odds are currently in his favor he also takes John’s spot atop the mountain in less games.
In any case, Sean McVay has solidified his place in the NFL for years to come. Some NFL media know-it-alls may give and take labels like ‘offensive genius’ weekly. This was never who he is. Who he is is a smart student of the game always looking to get better at what he does. Mistakes are his fuel.
A Fitting Last Quarter to an Interesting Season
It’s kind of ironic, actually. In passing Fisher, McVay also defeats Seattle’s Pete Carroll convincingly. Carroll was the NFC West division darling once upon a time when Fisher coached. San Francisco 49ers head coach, the division Flavor of the Year, Kyle Shanahan, is not nearly charismatic enough to assume darling status. Still, he looms as McVay’s greatest challenge in the coming years.
The NFC West is pro football’s most competitive division. With that and all things considered, the Rams most certainly will not be able to win it every single year. But the number of times the team is still competitive and threatening to make the post-season should be respectable in the McVay/Shanahan/Carroll era. At this point, it’s unknown if the Rams overcome this year’s obstacles but one thing is known, however. Should the Rams succeed in lasting one more week, the rival 49ers will definitely want a say in their end results.
Even if you’re a Rams fan you have to admit they deserve that much having finally reached the same high-rent district. The match-up we’ve wanted in the circumstances needed justifying the then-controversial hiring of McVay over Shanahan. The 49er’s next meeting with the 4-9 Atlanta Falcons begins at the same time as the Rams game, setting the stage up nicely.
The Rams will face the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas Week 15. With a win, McVay’s victory total will align with his age before the showdown at San Francisco.
