By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Bill Belichick has a way of summing things up, more bluntly than most. Usually it’s the standard “We got outplayed, outcoached, have to do everything better.” It takes intimate mic’d up moments with other coaches and players to get the good stuff, though.
Well maybe your definition of “good” is different. Because it’s never fun to watch your own team get outclassed in all phases, including coaching. That’s especially true for Patriots fans when Belichick and his staff get clearly out-coached. But there’s no shame in losing to Sean McVay and the Rams, who had the more talented roster and arguably the first coach you’d take to run your team after Belichick.
Belichick himself wasn’t ashamed to admit to McVay after the game: “Great job, you [expletive] killed us, you had a great plan.” Watch the (censored) video below from NFL Films, via Dov Kleiman (with a “bonus” Bruce Arians/Tom Brady clip).
The post-game exchange between McVay and Belichick after the #Rams essentially ended the #Patriots chances of making the playoffs.pic.twitter.com/51I9DNIB88
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 16, 2020
And Belichick is certainly not wrong. McVay learned his lesson from Super Bowl LIII and threw the Patriots a curveball offensively, running more 12 personnel (two tight ends, two receivers) than usual and exploiting the edge in the run game. The Rams typically run out of 11 personnel (three receivers), so they did a good job showing the Patriots something they weren’t as prepared to face.
It worked big-time, to the tune of 171 rushing yards for dynamic rookie Cam Akers and a ground game that helped set up the only touchdowns they needed on offense. And defensively, they exploited left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor by parking Aaron Donald over there fairly often, and to call that a mismatch would be the understatement of the millennium.
MORE: Bill Belichick raves about high school football coach
It was certainly a disappointing loss and likely the end of The Path™ in a disappointing season for the Patriots. But it’s always interesting to hear what Belichick and others have to say when it’s not the media talking to them.
Ty Anderson and I talked about big-picture issues with Thursday Night Football in the newest episode of the Sidelines podcast on 985TheSportsHub.com. Have a listen below.
In addition, our own Toucher and Rich talked about the Bill Belichick-Sean McVay clip in hour 1 of Thursday’s show.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff or send him a nasty email at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.