The Los Angeles Rams have been to two Super Bowls with Sean McVay as head coach, and his offensive prowess has left a lasting impression across the league. Not only has that shown up in an already-expansive coaching tree, but also in rivals’ assessments of McVay.
Heading into the 2025 season, with his quarterback in Matthew Stafford and a reinforced arsenal of skill players, McVay is poised to continue adding to his impressive resume.
It also starts up top for the Rams’ head coach.
Rival Praises Rams HC Sean McVay’s Mental Recall
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay speaks with quarterback Matthew Stafford during organized team activities.
McVay took over the Rams’ HC post in 2017. Since then, McVay has led the Rams to double-digit wins six times, two NFC Championships, two Super Bowl berths, and won the franchise’s second title by his fifth season.
From a field-level view, McVay’s success makes sense, given that he has an uncommon edge in his ability to recall from experience.
An anonymous defensive coordinator believes McVay “can just see it live the best.”
“He has a full Rolodex of plays. He can get to anything on his call sheet, but he can also get to anything in his head. If he needs to adjust in-game, he can completely come up with a new game plan on the spot,” the coach said, per The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen on September 2.
“It’s almost to the point now where he’s seen a lot. He has such a good memory of everything, with 12 years of experience calling plays and reacting to stuff. If you’re playing this (defense), he’s going to go to this … and he can do it in a second. That’s weird that he can just adjust so easily.”
Under McVay, the Rams’ offense has ranked in the top 10 five times, and they have been in the top 10 in scoring four times.
McVay’s Rams have an 11th-place finish in 2019 to boot.
Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay ‘1a & 1b’ Play-Callers
GettyLos Angles Rams head coach Sean McVay greets San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after a game.
According to Nguyen, “many coaches” believe San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and McVay, his former colleague with the Washington Commanders organization, are “1a and 1b” in terms of play calling, citing the Rams HC’s ability to overcome injuries and roster shuffles.
“The Rams remained efficient, finishing eighth in success rate and 10th in DVOA,” Nguyen wrote. “McVay has drastically evolved his offense from a highly systemized and coach-controlled outside zone, play-action system into a gap scheme, quarterback-centered, more spread-out system with Matthew Stafford at the helm. Coaches surveyed gave McVay a lot of credit for giving Stafford the tools to weaponize his football IQ at the line of scrimmage.”
Nguyen lauded McVay for overcoming the “low point” in his career, his first Super Bowl appearance with the Rams against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
McVay’s Rams scored 3 points against head coach Bill Belichick’s game plan.
However, the coach, who ranked No. 2 on the 2025 list, has bounced back tremendously as a play-caller since then. Nguyen noted that “McVay’s ability to adjust is now levels above where it was early in his career.”
Rams’ ‘Biggest Weakness’ Looms Large for Sean McVay
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 and Stetson Bennett IV #13 listen to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay against the Dallas Cowboys.
For all of McVay’s play-calling prowess, and even with his faith in QB2 Jimmy Garoppolo and the strong preseason Stetson Bennett had, the Rams need Stafford to achieve their goals.
That makes Stafford’s back issue from this offseason the Rams’ “biggest weakness.”
“The Rams quarterback … is dealing with an aggravated disk in his back and missed nearly the first month of training camp,” ESPN’s Sarah Barshop wrote on August 27. “Though Stafford could still play in the Rams’ season opener against the Texans, there’s a chance this back injury is something the quarterback and the Rams will have to manage all season.”
“If he doesn’t play, they’re cooked… The offense won’t work without Stafford.”
McVay announced that Stafford will start Week 1, and he has also said the 37-year-old passer was without limitation during his comeback to end the preseason. Still, questions about Stafford’s back will linger over him, McVay, and the Rams for the rest of the season.
Rival Coach Points Out Rams HC Sean McVay’s ‘Weird’ Advantage