The Los Angeles Rams are two wins away from making the playoffs in a year when very few people expected them to. They had the sixth-worst Super Bowl odds before the season began, getting overlooked by just about every expert. Even Rams fans expected this to be a rough year for their team.
Yet, here they are with a shot at the playoffs thanks to a remarkable second-half turnaround.
The leader of it all? Sean McVay. Between his offensive adjustments, personnel changes on offense and defense, and overall play calling, the Rams have a chance to surprise everyone and make some noise in the NFC.
Given the pre-season expectations, the Rams have already had a much better season than most anticipated. It makes you wonder why McVay isn’t getting more consideration for Coach of the Year.
There are a lot of strong candidates, from Dan Campbell to DeMeco Ryans to Shane Steichen, but McVay has to be in the conversation, as well. Regardless of how the Rams finish the season, though, he’s unlikely to win it.
According to BetMGM, McVay is tied for the ninth-best odds to win Coach of the Year at +3000. Campbell is the favorite at +275, with Ryans and Steichen tied for second at +300.
So why isn’t McVay being given a better chance to win the award? It can’t be due to voter fatigue because despite the fact that he won it in 2017, Kevin Stefanski and John Harbaugh both won it more recently and they have better odds than McVay.
Yes, Stefanski has done a great job with the Browns amid all their quarterback injuries and shuffling. Harbaugh also has the Ravens looking like one of the best teams in football, but that’s not terribly surprising given all the talent they have.
The likeliest reason for McVay’s long odds is the Rams’ record. If they split their next two games, they’ll finish 9-8. Only one coach since 1991 has won Coach of the Year with fewer than 10 wins, and that was Brian Daboll last year when the Giants went 9-7-1.
McVay’s odds will improve if the Rams beat the Giants and 49ers in the last two weeks, but even that’s unlikely to be enough. There are a lot of strong candidates and McVay is one of them, but don’t expect him to get many votes for Coach of the Year – as wrong as that may be.
