Since taking over as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVay has also been the team’s primary play-caller. In only rare instances has McVay not called plays for the Rams offense. That has primarily been the case in the preseason when McVay hands off that and head coach responsibility to an assistant as well as Week 18 games in which the Rams are resting their starters.
It also happened during a disastrous 2022 season that saw McVay manage mental struggles. In Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Liam Coen took over play-calling duties. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue detailed this and said,
“The low point came when the Rams traveled to Kansas City in Week 12. McVay gave up play-calling, handing off duties to Coen. McVay wanted to see if ceding control could ease some stress…As McVay stood on the sidelines in Kansas City, his shoulders knotted and his jaw set, he could hear the game unfolding in his headset and see it on the field. But not calling the game made him feel more distant than ever from his players — and from himself.”
That was the only instance until last week against the Arizona Cardinals. While it was McVay that took criticism for throwing three straight times in the red zone, following the game, it was discovered that Mike LaFleur had actually been calling plays.
With LaFleur calling the plays, the Rams had a 70 percent success rate before garbage time. It was also the first time that the Rams had three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in the same game since 2001. Wide receiver Puka Nacua had his first multi-touchdown game while Blake Corum hit 100 yards for the first time in his career.
It wasn’t the first time that LaFleur has called plays. He was also the team’s primary play-caller in the Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks last season and the win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. However, this was the first time he got to call plays with Matthew Stafford under center and in a game that actually mattered.
If anything, it’s a testament to how much LaFleur is trusted by McVay. As much as the “Detroit stink” gets talked about regarding Stafford, the same could probably be said about LaFleur and the “Jets stink”. LaFleur is the longest-tenured offensive coordinator that McVay has had. It’s fair to say that LaFleur does a lot more in the offense than some might suggest.
With LaFleur calling plays, the Rams offense has performed well. In the 2023 game against the 49ers that featured Carson Wentz at quarterback, the Rams offense averaged 0.05 EPA per play. It was the 10th-best for the week. LaFleur used Wentz as a featured player in the run game. His 17 rushing attempts are still a career high as he ran for 56 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
In Week 18 last year, the Rams offense averaged 0.04 EPA per play which was also the 10th-best for the week. The Rams were in position to win the game late as the offense got inside the 10-yard line with 21 seconds to play. While not necessarily an equal comparison, the Rams offense performed better with LaFleur calling plays against the Seahawks than they did in Week 9 with McVay.
Per The Athletic’s Nate Atkins, LaFleur said last Friday,
“It’s a fun job…The play calls matter. The detail within the week matters. The players going out and executing matters, the players making us right when we’re wrong with the play call. All of it. It goes hand in hand in this league. That’s why it’s so fun. With that being said, that’s not where my focus is right now. This is an awesome job that I have. I love being here. I love being in this organization. I love being with these guys. I love being with the quarterbacks every single day. It’s nothing that I think about. Whatever happens, happens.”
As it stands, it’s unlikely that McVay would give up calling plays, especially with the offense performing as well as it has. However, it’s not something that other play-calling head coaches haven’t given up in the past. Andy Reid has given up play-calling duties to Matt Nagy and Doug Pederson. He’s always taken them back, but he’s had breaks. Kevin Stefanski has given up play-calling for a short period as well.
Again, there’s no reason to change what’s working and McVay hasn’t lost the right to call plays. Outside of the occasional mistake, McVay is still one of the best offensive play callers in the NFL.
Either way, Sunday was a good experience for LaFleur, especially as he gets more head coach consideration in the coming months. The fact that McVay trusts LaFleur to call plays during a week in which he’s been sick and hasn’t been able to prepare as fully says a lot about that trust level. LaFleur may not get an opportunity to call plays full time with the Rams, but the fact that he has that experience and is someone to fall back on is a good thing.
