Sean McVay is giving the Los Angeles Rams the best performance of his career in 2025. It’s an effort worth consideration for the NFL’s coach of the year award, though this is usually a sign of doom for winners.
The Rams added new(ish) wrinkles with a frequent deployment of 13 and heavier personnel, a hybrid run game that utilizes both gap and zone concepts, sending pass catchers through the line to spring them open down the field, and fixing the team’s red zone woes by relying heavily on a match made in heaven between Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams.
McVay’s offensive game plans are works of art. He knows who will likely be fooled by the team’s use of heavier personnel and respond by putting linebackers on the field. It’s a changeup that worked to perfection against the San Francisco 49ers where TE’s combined for 114 yards and two touchdowns. McVay was wise enough to know that the Seattle Seahawks deploy a similar strategy and would not fall for the same trick defensively. In Week 11, the Rams used multiple tight-ends on only 20 plays.
Rams’ play action is working better than ever
Of all quarterbacks with at least 258 drop backs, Matthew Stafford has posted the following measures with play action (according to Pro Football Focus):
- The most attempts with 151 passes (leads NFL at 37.5% play action rate)
- The most completions with 101 (69.5%)
- Ranks first in PFF passing grade at 92.4
- Is second behind Sam Darnold in big-time throw rate at 7.6% (Darnold at 12.6%)
- Is second behind Mac Jones in turnover-worthy play rate at 0.6% (Jones at 0.0%)
- Ranks 11th in adjusted completion rate at 79.4%
Passes without play action are generally considered a more stable metric of quarterback performance. Play action is an offensive easy button that offensive play callers can use to the point where it becomes a crutch and/or covers up deficiency at the signal caller position. In McVay’s case, he’s making the most of his team’s talent and capitalizing on Stafford’s hot streak.
When you take play action away, Stafford still ranks towards the top of the NFL in most metrics but does suffer a bit of a regression. If the veteran continues to play more like he did last week against the Carolina Panthers than how he started the year, it could be because McVay is unable to scheme up the same advantages. It happens every year to some offenses as the calendar flips to December.
- Stafford is 17th in passes without play action and 16th in completions
- His 64.4% completion rate ranks 17th
- All four of Stafford’s interceptions have come on passes without play action
- Stafford ranks second in PFF passing grade at 87.8 behind Jordan Love (88.3)
- He’s tied with Sam Darnold in fifth place in terms of big-time throw rate at 5.2% (14)
- Is 13th in turnover-worthy play rate at 3.2% (9)
- Stafford is 23rd in adjusted completion rate at 72.6%
This is not an indictment of Stafford, though it will likely be taken that way. McVay’s quarterback simply is better in almost every metric when play action is involved, and it’s a fine job of the head coach to lean into what his signal caller does well. Not all quarterbacks get the benefit of working with a play caller that maximize their strengths.
But in December and January football, defenses have ample film on opposing offenses and misdirection often becomes less effective deep into the season. Teams must win on the edges with traditional drop back passing game and by relying on their star playmakers.
If Stafford is going to bounce back from his performance against the Panthers, he needs to fare better without the crutch of play action.
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