Sean McVay's offense was a shell of its former self in Super Bowl LIII.
The Rams'
offense that thrived off creativity and Todd Gurley's
All-Pro ability during the regular season was all out of sorts against
the Patriots.
A unit that scored 32.9 points per game in the regular season was held to just
three (!) on Sunday.
How does that happen? It's simple. The Rams hit
somewhat of an identity crisis in that game. McVay explained Monday the game
plan was to get both Gurley and C.J. Anderson involved.
Look, I get that Anderson played well over the last month, but it's hard for me
to understand how Gurley, who was in the MVP conversation for most of the season
and scored 21 scrimmage touchdowns, wasn't the focal point of
the Rams'
attack in the biggest game of the season, especially considering he was
healthy going into the contest. Sunday's offensive
showing lacked rhythm,
creativity and an up-tempo nature that it previously thrived on.
Heading into Championship Sunday, I wrote that McVay has the
tendency to get caught up in the "I'm a
good play-caller" trap. That's exactly what happened Sunday,
and McVay agreed in his postgame press conference.
"I was not pleased at all with my feel for the flow of
the game and kind of making some adjustments as the game unfolded and with
giving ourselves a chance at some success and put some points on the board.
Credit to them, they did a good job, and I certainly didn't do enough for
us."
The Rams strayed
from what got them to this point: A consistent running game and a prolific
play-action attack. Hopefully, McVay and this young Rams’ offense will
learn from Sunday's mistakes and get back to their identity in 2019.
The Rams were
by no means the only team to lose its way on offense by season's end. Here are
five other units suffering from an offensive identity crisis heading into the
offseason:
PITTSBURGH
STEELERS
The Steelers'
locker room feels like it's been in a crisis for quite some time. It's never a
good sign when teammates start pointing fingers and taking issues public, and
it happened almost weekly in Pittsburgh this season. Like when Ramon Foster and Pouncey
called early in the season or when teammates raided Bell's
locker when it was clear the running back wasn't returning to
the team this year. To make matters worse, Ben
Roethlisberger publically
criticized teammates, and Antonio Brown's
status with the Steelers is unknown following
a weird Week 17, when Brown failed to communicate or show up prior to the game
and ultimately led to him being inactive for a must-win contest.
Most of Pittsburgh's issues are internal because it seems
like no one is on the same page. But some concerns lie on the field. Bell, one
of the best running backs in the league, will likely hit free agency in March,
and it's possible that Brown could be elsewhere before the start of the season,
too. The Killer B's that were once so dominant could all be wearing different
uniforms before long.
JACKSONVILLE
JAGUARS
When the Jaguars drafted
running back Leonard
Fournette No. 4 overall in 2017, they envisioned being a team
led by a dominant defense and a powerful run game. The offensive strategy was
run, run and run some more. But Fournette's injuries -- and
suspension -- have prevented the offense from keeping up its
end of the deal, and the Jags faltered in 2018 when leaning on Blake Bortles (who
was benched) and the passing game to carry the load. The Jaguars can't
rely on Fournette to stay on the field, and their quarterback situation is dicey
with Bortles failing to fit the bill after signing a three-year,
$54 million contract last offseason. It's not an ideal
situation to have major questions surrounding the two most important offensive
positions heading into the offseason.
MIAMI DOLPHINS
The Dolphins introduced
new head coach Brian Flores on Monday and it appears Ryan
Tannehill might not be part of the picture in the near future.
General manager Chris Grier told
reporters that while no decision has been made on Tannehill,
Miami will consider drafting a quarterback in April. With Chad O'Shea expected
to be the new offensive coordinator, per the Miami Herald, it makes sense why Tannehill could be on the
outs. O'Shea spent the last 10 years in New England as the wide receivers
coach, and Tannehill is not the same mold as Tom Brady.
The Patriots'
offense requires the quarterback to do a lot at the line of scrimmage, and
although Tannehill is a good athlete, he is not even close to the field general
that Brady is. Without a solid foundation and relationship between a
coordinator and quarterback, it doesn't matter how many other weapons are on
the field.
TENNESSEE TITANS
With an exquisite ground game led by
Derrick Henry, which looks to continue under new offensive
coordinator Arthur Smith, the Titans'
biggest issue lies in Marcus
Mariota. He's not a traditional pocket passer, but a player who can
beat you with his arms and his legs. But, as dynamic a runner as he
is, using him in the run game increases the possibility of him taking big hits.
(We've seen this before with mobile quarterbacks, such as Robert
Griffin III.) It's a conundrum that the Titans haven't
quite figured out how to resolve. Last season, Matt LaFleur tried to fit
Mariota into this mold of a dropback passer, and while Mariota improved his
game in the pocket, he wasn't nearly as effective. If the Titans don't
use him as part of the ground game, he'll be mediocre for six or seven seasons.
If they do, he could max out his potential and have a few great seasons -- of
course, that comes with a potentially higher risk of injury for a guy who's yet
to play an entire 16-game season. But, in my opinion, Mariota should be
exhausted after every game because he should be making a decision to keep the
ball or throw it on almost every play. That's what made him so successful at
Oregon.
WASHINGTON
REDSKINS
The Redskins'
offense looked bleak by season's end with a plethora of players on IR,
including quarterbacks Smithland Colt McCoy,
tight end Jordan Reed,
receiver Paul
Richardson and several members of the offensive line. Now, it's
unclear when Smith will play
again, if at all. Jay Gruden is back at square one after finally
landing his QB of choice a year ago. With a glaring question mark under center,
the running back position is also up in the air, with Peterson set to hit
free agency and Derrius Guice coming
off an ACL injury.
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