Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay stands on the sidelines against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Rams Sean McVay Talks Wild Card Result Against Panthers

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 11:34 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, NC. The Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, kicking off the 2026 NFL Playoffs against a team the Rams hoped to get revenge against a team who defeated them in the regular season.

The Rams entered this game as the fifth seed and a win would put them in good position to play another team who defeated them during the regular season, based on how the rest of the games finished.

With a 34-31 victory in the books, Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams , and Colby Parkinson spoke from the podium while Nate Landman, Kobie Turner, Cobie Durant, and Puka Nacua were amongst the others who shared their thoughts and opinions from the locker room.

Watch Sean McVay's Press Conference Below

Practice Makes Perfect

During McVay's presser, he doubled down on the process of experiencing these moments and building calluses. Earlier in the week, he spoke on how the team understands taking things one play at a time and how to learn from mistakes.

When asked about the concept of every play matters, as he did in his presser, McVay spoke about the play itself and not sabotaging success in pursuit of the perfect play.

“I think you lean into it," stated McVay. "I think the best thing is these guys have had experience. We might be a young team or have a lot of younger guys, but they've accumulated a lot of experience. You're talking about these guys that are in their third year, this will be their fourth playoff game and that's really valuable and beneficial. What I don't want to have is guys reach and press. In every single game, we talk about it all the time, it offers an opportunity to maintain momentum or snatch it right back."

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"So, how can you be present? How can you do the next right thing? Whether the previous play was what we wanted or whether it wasn't, let's learn from it. Let's move on. Let's be present and let's continue to do the things that we're capable of. I think we've used the season as a learning ‘op’. I've talked to you guys about some of the scars. I think that we've been calloused from the 17 games that we've had to understand, what does it look like when we're at our best? How do we try to be able to mimic and emulate that when we get these precious opportunities knowing that the enemy does have a say? This week will offer an opportunity for us to go swing.”

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