Sean McVay can disappear from view when surrounded by his helmeted players on the sideline.
But at 5-foot-10, the Los Angeles Rams coach has emerged as the team’s most visible problem during a 2-4 start.
Suspect play calling. Questionable hiring. Absurd travel strategy. McVay has failed in a variety of ways.
In fact, McVay's coaching performance ranks as the most disappointing of the 2026 season.
This is not to say McVay has regressed from boy wonder into a substandard head coach. Hardly. In his 10th year with the Rams, he has led the team to the Super Bowls twice, guided them to the Super Bowl title in 2021 and amassed a regular-season record of 95-60 and a postseason record of 10-6.
Other highly regarded coaches have done worse jobs than McVay this season. (We’re looking at you, Jim Harbaugh.)
But so far McVay’s performance ranks as the most bafflingly bad in the NFL.
Rams' inept special teams
It was hard to argue McVay’s decision to release kicker Harrison Mevis after he missed two field goals in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills Oct. 12.
But it distracted attention from the bigger problem, one that dates back to last year.
With two games left in the 2025 season, McVay fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. The Rams finished the season 26th among NFL teams in special teams play as measured by the respected metric DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).
McVay had ample time to hire a new special teams coordinator. He settled on Bubba Ventrone. Somehow, the Rams special teams has gotten even worse.
Through five games, the most recent rankings, the Rams rank dead last with a -15.3% special teams DVOA.
The painful comedy of errors continued during the Rams’ 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Oct. 18. Poor kickoff coverage forced new kicker, Blake Grupe, to make a touchdown-saving tackle. On the play, Grupe suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
That’s right, the inept Rams’ special teams cost the team one of its most important special teams players.
Rams' inexplicable play calls
McVay calls the offensive plays for the Rams, and some regard him as a genius.
His stock has fallen during the 2026 season.
McVay’s most infamous play call came against the Bills. With the Rams facing third-and-5 at the Bills’ 30-yard line in overtime, he could have put the ball in the hands of quarterback Matthew Stafford, the NFL’s reigning MVP. Instead called for a run play.
The Rams got stuffed. It left them with a 48-yard field goal. The kick was blocked and the Bills prevailed, 37-34.
It was inexplicable.
But not the only one.
In the second half of their game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams faced fourth-and-1 on Arizona’s 27. With a variety of options galore, McVay called for tight end David Allen to run a fullback dive.
He got stuffed. The Rams turned the ball over on downs. The play haunted the Rams in an 18-16 loss.
Assessing McVay’s mistakes is simpler than dissecting plays that backfired.
The Rams managed just 16 points against the Cardinals, who entered the game last in scoring defense while giving up an average of 32.4 points per game. The Rams managed 286 yards against the Cardinals, who entered the game allowing an average of 350.5 yards per game.
The Rams ranked 20th in scoring offense with 22.5 points per game.
Rams biggest issues: Age, injuries and more
The circumstances around the Rams have only magnified McVay’s mistakes.
Stafford, 38, has high mileage on his odometer.
Aaron Donald came out of retirement but there are no guarantees against him re-retiring before the 2027 season.
Injuries to Myles Garrett and now Davante Adams create even less margin for error.
The Rams were preseason favorites to win the Super Bowl, but that chance has been squandered.
So instead of playing for a berth in the Super Bowl, McVay has the Rams in position to start focusing on something else.
The 2027 NFL draft.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sean McVay has been the Rams’ biggest disappointment in 2026 | Opinion