The Los Angeles Rams (5-5) will face a familiar individual this week when they stack up against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) on Sunday Night Football at SoFi Stadium. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and Rams head coach Sean McVay have met in the past and Fangio got the upper hand.
Back in 2018 when Fangio was the defensive mind for the Chicago Bears, he went against McVay in the Windy City. Fangio's defense thrived in the matchup, allowing just six points on a pair of field goal and forcing four interceptions from quarterback Jared Goff.
McVay spoke to the media earlier this week and was asked about what he learned about himself and his team after a flat performance in the loss against a Fangio coached defense.
“I think more than anything you learn that that was a really humbling night," McVay said. "They did a great job. I think very similar to what I talked about that year in the Super Bowl, [I’m] not afraid to admit, there were things that I didn't do a good enough job of putting our players in spots. I give the
players for the opposing teams a ton of credit. I thought [Eagles Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio] and his coaching staff put together an outstanding game plan, regulated a lot of the things that we were doing at the time and it forced a lot of reflection. That was a good learning experience for me, and you try to apply those things whether you win or lose. There have been a lot of instances where teams have tried to replicate similar things to what was on display that night. What I have a lot of respect for with Coach Fangio is that he has an adaptability of flexibility and an identity that is whatever suits that game, that game plan or that team that he's on. You always bring the sunshine. It was a great night for us. It was a good learning op though, but very humbling.”
The Rams' head coach was in his first season with the organization and has learned a ton since that game. He will see Fangio once again and was able to reflect on the loss early in his head coaching career and the growth that can be made this week in a rematch.
“It doesn't feel fun at the moment, but the only real growth occurs when you go through those challenging things if you're able to use it for the right reasons. I think in a lot of instances we've been able to do that."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Rams' McVay Faces Familiar Foe In Week 12.