Personally, I was concerned about the mental state of the Rams if they won out the rest of the season after the 9'ers loss. The team just loses focus after big wins. They just do.
It reminds me of the Phil Jackson Lakers. Phil would sit silently and watch the team go through stretches in a game ignoring the plan Jackson put in place. He purposely allowed them to feel failure in spite of their superior talent.
I'm not saying McVay pulled a Phil Jackson against the Jets. I don't believe it's in his makeup. I believe he felt helpless watching the OLine get dismantled. I believe he said to himself,"WTF" as the defense blew coverages. His body language was strangely contemplative as he hugged his call sheet.
No, I don't believe Sean intentionally threw the game. But I do believe the result could be exactly what the Rams needed. Sean MUST protect the OLine (as he did most of the year). A weak pass defense DOES NOT mean you abandon the run in your initial gameplan. The defense has to account for the motion man. Staley has to continue mixing up the defensive calls between man and zone. The punt team has to adjust to an overloaded side. The offense has to adjust to the sudden focus of holding calls (that was actually the best officiated game we saw all year).
Sean McVay didn't throw the game. But he did need this one to launch the team into the real season that begins in Seattle.
