Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan will always be inextricably linked. They share too many ties that bind them together. They were hired as head coaches in the same year, both as young offensive geniuses born from the same lineage.
These ties invite comparison, which is exactly what ESPN’s Ben Solak does in his new tome, Ranking all 32 NFL teams’ coaching staffs, coordinators in 2024.
Sean McVay Given The Edge Vs. Kyle Shanahan
In the article, Solak ranks the Rams coaching staff as the third-best in the league, behind the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions, but one ahead of the San Francisco 49ers. He compares the two 8th-year coaches after highlighting the “self-documented evolution as a coach and as an individual” McVay went through, as well as, his offensive schematic shift over the last two years, something Solak doesn’t see in Shanahan.
“That personal growth and emotional intelligence is a key factor when differentiating McVay from his contemporary, Shanahan.” Solak writes, “It’s a matter of inches, but I think Shanahan is the slightly better offensive mind — but McVay seems to get along better with his players and lets his personnel department work for him, which produces a better team overall. It’s not fair to say Stafford chose Los Angeles over San Francisco because he favored McVay over Shanahan, but the fact of the matter is McVay got Stafford into the building and has the hardware to show for it.”
Of course, the head-to-head record must be brought up. Shanahan has the upper hand winning 10 of the 15 matchups against McVay. Although one of his five losses was in an NFC Championship game, ultimately resulting in a Rams Super Bowl win.
McVay also bears a better career win-loss percentage. His .609 holds a six-game advantage over Shanahan, .557
