The Rams had a chance to cut into the 49ers’ lead just before halftime. They were down 21-7 and had the ball at San Francisco’s 17-yard line. It would’ve been a chip-shot field goal for Matt Gay, likely making it an 11-point game before the break.
But instead of taking the easy three points, Sean McVay called a fake field goal. Johnny Hekker took the snap, rolled out to his right and completed a pass to Kendall Blanton, but it only went for 2 yards when the Rams needed 8. So instead of cutting the 49ers’ lead to 11 points or going for it with Matthew Stafford and the offense on the field, the Rams came away with nothing.
After the loss, McVay admitted it was a bad decision on his part.
“In hindsight, it wasn’t a good decision,” he said.
Even if the Rams had converted, they would’ve had about 10 seconds left on the clock inside the 10-yard line. They would’ve had one or two shots at the end zone before ultimately settling for a field goal.
The risk wasn’t necessarily worth the reward, which is why fans were so baffled by the decision. It didn’t end up mattering much considering the Rams were blown out 31-10, but McVay should’ve come up with something better in that situation.
