When are teams going to learn that the 2017 Eagles were a unique beast and their unreal accomplishments should never be attempted again?
Apparently, Sean McVay and the Rams still haven't learned that lesson.
McVay drew up a Philly Special-adjacent trick play in the third quarter of Super Bowl LVI on Sunday night vs. the Bengals in an attempt to gin up some momentum after Cincinnati had clearly turned the tide with some big splash plays.
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It wasn't a direct replica of the fated Eagles play vs. the Patriots in Super Bowl LII - the QB took the direct snap instead of the running back - but McVay tried an end-around leading to a throw to the QB. It was fairly similar.
And uh... it didn't work:
Oooof. Ugly.
Basically every part of the play backfired. The offensive line got absolutely trucked, pushing things back towards the play as it developed; Cooper Kupp's throw was hilariously errant, despite his being under no pressure at all; and Stafford's attempt at a catch was even funnier than Tom Brady's whiff against the Eagles.
NFL
All around, a complete disaster. You hate to see it.
Really, teams should retire the idea unless they are completely sure they can nail it. It's just a disaster waiting to happen, and a total momentum-killer when it fails.
Also, it's pretty vindicating to see McVay's call fail when he stole the Coach of the Year award away from the more-deserving Doug Pederson in 2017. Just saying.