The Los Angeles Rams survived a gritty overtime win against the Chicago Bears in the snow on Sunday, but it wasn’t hard to see that the offense sputtered for long stretches. Head coach Sean McVay didn’t dance around that reality. Consistency matters to him, and after watching the tape, he pointed directly to mental lapses inside the locker room.

“The first drive of the game was excellent,” the head coach said. “Then, when you look at each of the next few series that we had, the second, third, and fourth, we had a self-inflicted wound that set ourselves back. It was mental mistakes that prevented us from doing what we’re capable of doing.”

McVay, though, never lets it stop there. He’s quick to take ownership, and he made it clear that if players weren’t seeing things clearly, that responsibility starts with him. He said the staff has to do a better job making sure the message and the play calls are clean and understood.

“It was mental mistakes that prevented us from doing what we’re capable of doing,” McVay said. “There were a lot of instances (where) I first look at myself and say, ‘All right, how can we provide clarity?’ You give Chicago credit because they did a great job, but it was stuff that we expect to be able to execute.”

From the opening kick, the offense never really found a flow. The Rams marched 85 yards on 14 plays on the opening drive and finished it with a touchdown, but that’s where it stopped. By the end of the third quarter, Los Angeles had just 174 total yards, their lowest mark at that point of a game all season.

It started with the quarterback, of course. Matthew Stafford was dealing with a sprained finger and never quite settled in. He finished 20-of-42 and missed more throws than we’re used to seeing from him. Eleven of his passes were charted as off-target; he went 0-for-9 on play-action, was sacked three times, and faced pressure on 37 percent of his dropbacks.

After the game, Stafford echoed what his coach was saying about the lack of rhythm.

“I definitely didn’t get into a great rhythm today, there’s no question about that… some things that made it tough. Obviously, I could be better,” Stafford said.

McVay later circled back to another point: the need to adjust faster when things aren’t clicking.

“If we aren’t having successful outcomes, let’s pivot a little bit quicker when the situation and the circumstances dictate,” he remarked.

He got that right. Of Stafford’s 12 incompletions in the first half, nine came on throws where he held the ball for more than three seconds after the snap. While the passing game labored, the run game found some balance. Kyren Williams carried the load with 21 rushes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Still, the usual balance between run and pass never quite materialized.

McVay also acknowledged the obvious variable, the weather.

Sean McVay’s stance on difficult weather conditions

It doesn’t take much for a clean idea on paper to turn messy when the temperature drops and everything stiffens up. That’s what prompted a question to Sean McVay about how those small details factor into play-calling when it’s bitterly cold.

“No question, and that’s part of it too. I think you might say it’s a good play based on whatever they’re doing. But is that a good play, also considering those elements? Those are things you have to be honest with yourself as a coach,” he said.

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The weather was always going to be part of the conversation in this one. And realistically, it was always going to be something the Los Angeles Rams had to manage carefully.

Before this matchup, the Chicago Bears had already played three games this season in temperatures at or below 32 degrees and won two of them. Under McVay, the Rams were 2–2 in similar conditions dating back to 2017. Matthew Stafford himself was 3–3 in those games.

McVay made it clear all week that the cold wouldn’t become an excuse or a headline inside the building. And in the end, it didn’t. The Rams fought through it and came away with a 20–17 overtime win. He also pointed out that the elements didn’t favor one side over the other.

If you go back and study each Rams possession, it’s hard to point to a single play and say the cold alone ruined it. Some players may not be as accustomed to those temperatures, but nothing completely unraveled because of it. And the Rams did plenty to prepare.

NBC’s Melissa Stark noted on the broadcast that some Rams players put cayenne pepper in their socks to help with circulation and keep their feet warm. The team also traveled with nearly 2,000 pounds of cold-weather gear, like wetsuits and thermal layers. It may sound extreme, but by the end of the night, it looked like the preparation paid off.

Sean McVay is right to take accountability for the offensive mediocrity, but he did just enough to come out with a win despite those conditions.