There is no bigger regular-season test for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams than the San Francisco 49ers. Despite having the overall edge in winning percentage over Kyle Shanahan (.609 to .557) and a Super Bowl ring, the Rams have only won 5 of 15 meetings since 2017.
For several reasons, joint practices have become McVay’s preferred method to assess his talent and scheme. There is a lower risk of injury and there is no game tape for other teams to pick apart. But with the Houston Texans, McVay recognized that he could get some practice against a team that is schematically similar to the 49ers.
Sean McVay Uses Joint Practice To Prepare for 49ers-like Team
Sean McVay was asked during his appearance on the ABC – 7 broadcast by Andrew Siciliano if the 49ers were on his mind when he scheduled the practice to be held in the sweltering heat of south Texas. McVay confirmed he was using it to prepare for the NFC Champions.
Last season, the Houston Texans hired former San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans as their head coach after he coached the 49ers’ defense to the best unit in the league. Subsequently, Ryans hired Bobby Slowik, who was the 49ers’ offensive passing game coordinator in 2022. Slowik rose quickly up the coaching ladder in San Francisco. In 2018, he was a quality control assistant.
The joint practice itself reflected the competitive risk-reduced game-like experience, McVay was looking for. By all accounts, it was a back-and-forth slugfest.
“I thought DeMeco and his group was first class.” said after the joint practice with the Texans. “We got a lot of good work today and that was exactly what we hoped. I thought our guys push through. There’s going to be a lot of teaching. We don’t really game plan any of these things so there was a lot of good stuff and there’s a lot of learning opportunities and that’s exactly why we do these.”
Sean McVay and the Rams will take on the 49ers on September 22nd in Week 3 and on December 12th in Week 15.
