Sean McVay reflects on lessons learned from Super Bowl loss to Patriots

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The Los Angeles Rams will soon make their second Super Bowl appearance under head coach Sean McVay, and he's hoping for a much better outcome this time around.

Three years ago the Rams played awful offensively and generated only a field goal in a 13-3 loss to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. McVay also was considerably outcoached by Bill Belichick that night in Atlanta.

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It was a tough experience for McVay, but he's using the lessons learned from that game to help him prepare for Sunday's Super Bowl LVI matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I think what you do to get over it is you look at yourself in the mirror, you take accountability and then you keep it moving,” McVay told reporters during Super Bowl LVI Opening Night on Monday. “I think as a competitor, you have to be able to handle those tough moments, and I’ll never run away from the fact that I didn’t do a good enough job for our team within what I feel like my role and responsibility is to these guys.

“I think you say, OK, if you had it differently, what are the things that you learn as far as the decision-making, the adjustability, the ability to be totally in the moment during the game and be able to make those adjustments quicker than what we were able to do, and how you approach the two weeks of preparation.

“But whether it was a game like that or whether it was a game from a couple weeks ago, you’re always trying to learn, you’re always trying to evolve, and I think you want to be able to learn from previous experiences but not allow it to inhibit your ability to be able to move forward.”

Luckily for McVay, he doesn't have to face Brady or Belichick this time around. His Rams will be going up against a Cincinnati Bengals team with most of its players about to make their first Super Bowl appearance.

McVay also has a much better quarterback for this Super Bowl compared with 2018. Matthew Stafford has been a huge success in his first season with the Rams, and a Super Bowl win would be the cherry on top of a career resume that might one day be recognized in the Hall of Fame. Jared Goff wasn't able to generate much of anything against the Patriots defense in Super Bowl LIII, and his fourth-quarter interception was a pivotal moment in the loss.

Kickoff in Super Bowl LVI is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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