THOUSAND OAKS, California (Reuters) – Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said the lessons learned from their defeat to New England in the Super Bowl three years ago will give them an extra edge against the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday’s NFL title decider.
McVay, who was at the helm when the Rams lost 13-3 to the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2019, said his team would be better prepared this time around.
“Experience gives you an opportunity to feel a little bit more confident and comfortable in these settings,” McVay told reporters on Friday at a practice field in Thousand Oaks, California.
In addition to feeling more comfortable with the preparations during the two weeks ahead of the Super Bowl, McVay said they would also know how to “demonstrate a little bit more flexibility and adaptability” as Sunday’s game unfolds.
“I know the way that our players have worked, gotten better since then,” he said. “But it’s about playing our best football on that three-and-a-half hour window.”
The Rams will have to find a way to stop Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday, though they will have the added advantage of playing at their home SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles, with the venue selected several years ago.
The Rams have a different quarterback for this Super Bowl, trading for veteran Matthew Stafford last year.
“There’s a lot of good positive juice,” Stafford said.
“Everybody is excited about this. We have plenty of guys who have played in this game before on our team, and we have some guys that have never played in it. It’s a great mix.”
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
