The Los Angeles Rams slipped below an even record after a heartbreaking 37-34 overtime loss against the Buffalo Bills on Monday. Sean McVay’s boys are now 2-3, and the head coach, who said he hasn’t been “this pissed in a long time” after the game, is facing backlash for an unpopular decision to leave a potential win to his special teams instead of letting Matthew Stafford show his magic.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“McVay happily rolled over and put the game in the hands of his shaky kicker and always lousy special teams? What the hell was that? Week 5 was like a Five-Day Dumb Coaching Convention,” The Ringer analyst Bill Simmons wrote on X.
Special teams have been a persistent problem for the Rams. As of October 8, the Rams’ special-teams struggles were reflected in their DVOA ranking, with the unit sitting 32nd in the league at -14.5%. Surprisingly, the four teams ranked directly above Los Angeles have a combined 0-16 record. Moreover, the Rams have committed some form of special-teams error in every game this season.
Their problems surfaced in Week 1 against the 49ers, when they allowed a 45-yard kickoff return to open the second half. San Francisco capitalized soon afterward with a touchdown that helped it seize control.
Los Angeles beat the New York Giants in Week 2, yet the win did little to mask its special-teams woes. Ethan Evans had a 38-yard punt and Harison Mevis missed from 43 yards. Tanner Ingle compounded the problems by drawing a 15-yard penalty on a kick return.
The problems spilled into Week 5 of the 2026 campaign.
On the Rams’ opening drive, Mevis missed a long field-goal attempt, giving the Bills an opportunity to add another field goal and take a 6-0 lead. Both of Buffalo’s first-quarter scoring drives were aided by the Rams’ special-teams struggles, accounting for all six points.
The fact that McVay could have easily given the responsibility to Matthew Stafford in overtime, very well knowing about the special teams situation, is what left the critics, including Simmons, upset.
Already, patience is running thin when it comes to the Rams paying for McVay’s poor decisions this season.
The travel plans to Australia were one of the blunders he made this season. While the San Francisco 49ers flew to Melbourne a week early to acclimate themselves after a long trip and to the time zone, the Rams flew into Melbourne the day before the game. The end result? A 27-7 upset by the 49ers.
The head coach himself has taken accountability for his actions.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. Sometimes you have a dumb*** coach who makes travel plans that put you in a bad spot.”
But it’s no longer a joke. McVay’s decision to play for overtime ultimately led to the Rams’ loss to the Bills. Buffalo moved ahead 34-27 with 1:39 remaining, leaving Stafford enough time to pull off a game-tying touchdown drive that came to fruition with five seconds on the clock. With the Rams’ offense having scored on three consecutive possessions, McVay could have gone for a two-point conversion and the win. Instead, he settled for the extra point, sending the game to overtime.
The Rams had a chance to seal the game in overtime. But Greg Rousseau rained on their party by coming with a crucial block on Mevis’ field-goal attempt, keeping Buffalo alive.
In the post-game presser, he again took accountability for his mistake and snubbing Stafford.
“If I would’ve kno– yeah, I wish I would’ve had a better play call and gone for it and gotten it a lot tighter,” he said. “I’m sick right now with myself, and I’m so proud of that group. This is the tough part of sports, but I’m proud of that team. I’m proud of the way that we battled. And I’m sick that we came up short. I’ll be regretting kicking that and not having a better call to be able to go for it on third down and go to fourth or whatever it was. It’s on me.”
For McVay, regret will only take him so long. The special teams need to show improvement and the time is now.