Sean McVay has only been a head coach for less than a year, but he acts as if he’s held the position for two decades. He does so with not only his offensive prowess but more importantly his willingness to deflect praise and accept blame.

He did that once again on Sunday after the Rams’ crushing 43-35 loss to the Eagles, blaming himself for the defeat – particularly for Jared Goff’s costly fumble in the fourth quarter.

One might wonder how that was McVay’s fault considering it’s the quarterback’s job to take care of the football. However, with Rob Havenstein out due to an ankle injury, McVay took a shot with a play-action pass deep down the field – a play that takes a while to develop.

Goff didn’t get the necessary protection and was stripped by Chris Long.

“We’ve got to make sure that we always do a great job taking care of the football,” McVay said after the game. “I think when you look at that play right there, it was a great rush by Chris Long – certainly not a great play selection by me – I’ve got to do a better job of putting our offense in better situations, be smart, have a little bit of situational awareness there and that was a mistake on my part.”

At that point in the game, the Rams were up 35-34 with 8:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. The play was on first-and-10 from the Rams’ 35-yard line, so it’s not as if they were driving down the field and in scoring position.

You can’t fault McVay for making that call in that moment, given the nature of the game. Points were being scored in bunches, and the Rams couldn’t put the game away by simply milking the clock and trying to come away with a field goal.

McVay doesn’t regret trying to be aggressive but did admit that he has to be situationally aware.

“I think the one thing that we’re always going to be is we’re going to be aggressive and we want to be smart when we are aggressive – understanding the defense, some of the things that they’re presenting, provided being mindful of whatever the situation is,” McVay added. “Up one in that spot, Rob had just gone out the previous play, so there were a lot of things. I don’t regret ever being aggressive, but being more situationally aware and how I can put our team in a better spot I would say is probably the more appropriate term and that’s something that I’ll learn from.”

McVay will certainly learn from his mistakes as he has all season with his clock management, timeout usage and play-calling. He didn’t even blame Goff in the slightest for holding on to the ball, saying the Eagles simply “made the play.”