Sean McVay took the heat after the Rams’ season opener in Australia, but the loudest criticism came from a familiar NFL voice who didn’t hold back on how Los Angeles used Matthew Stafford.
The Rams were rolled 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, and former Green Bay Packers wideout James Jones unloaded on McVay’s game plan during an appearance on the “Speakeasy” show.
"Sean McVay, what are we doing?" Jones said on the "Speakeasy" show on Thursday.
"You have the MVP quarterback & you're running the ball? ... You have a pure passer at the quarterback position, and you are in jumbo formation with Davante Adams on the sideline.
You're not getting Puka (Nacua) involved in this game. ... This whole loss is on McVay, he didn't even let Stafford play."
Jones spent nine seasons in the NFL and was part of the Packers’ Super Bowl-winning team in 2012.
Stafford finished 15 of 25 for 155 yards with one interception, while Kyren Williams handled 10 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. On the other side, Brock Purdy was efficient and steady, going 25 of 34 for 205 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
McVay, for his part, didn’t dodge the blame. He said the loss landed squarely on him when he spoke with reporters after the game.
"I didn't do nearly a good enough job," McVay said. "This is a humbling day for us.
This will define us only if we allow it to, and today was one of those days. I always look inside out; I didn't do a good enough job getting us ready to go.
"There were some opportunities where maybe the game could've flipped, but they deserve the win. They were ready to go.
We'll look at it; we'll see where we can improve and be better moving forward. This is a good, humbling day."
The Rams came into the 2026 season as one of the teams expected to contend for the Super Bowl, but the opener was a rough start. They’ll try to get things moving again in Week 2 when they host the New York Giants on Sept. 21.
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