Sean McVay Details Final Preparations For Eagles Contest

When the Rams take on the Eagles, many are focused on the narratives driven by the play of stars like Jared Verse and Saquon Barkley. For McVay, it's all about make smart decisions against an opponent who will make you pay for poor ones. McVay went into those decisions.

McVay spoke about the decision to start Justin Dedich last week as Steve Avila remains doubtful for the game.

“I thought [Offensive Lineman] Coleman [Shelton] said it pretty well earlier. He didn't play it safe. He goes for it. He throws his hands. He's a tough competitor. He plays to his strengths. I think he has a good understanding and ownership of what we're trying to get done, whether that's protection oriented or in the run game with how we're hitting combinations, how we're blocking different front structures based on the concepts that we activate. He's done a good job. I like everything that he's about. We’ll look forward to maybe having Steve this week and moving forward. He's doing a great job of attacking his rehab for his ankle.”

McVay also spoke about the challenges Jalen Carter presents.

You have to be aware of him, but they have impact players all over this defense. That's what makes them great. It’s as good a coach as you can go against in terms of understanding how to put them in the right spots, playing to their strengths and the feel for the flow of a game. Jalen is excellent. I have a lot of respect for him going against him twice last year. You look at the resume and the body of work that he has, but you could go through their front, their second level and their backend. They are the real deal. We're excited about it, but he's awesome.”

How McVay manages these factors will determine a lot during the course of the game but when push comes to shove, it will be up to the will of the players in the end.