Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur are good friends and up to this point, they’ve both enjoyed a ton of success as head coaches in the NFL. But this season has not gone according to plan for either coach as the Rams and Packers have both limped to sub-.500 records through 13 games.
On Monday night, McVay and LaFleur will square off on opposing sidelines once again and as badly as they want to beat each other, McVay appreciates having LaFleur as a friend during this difficult season. They’ve remained close since LaFleur was on McVay’s staff in 2017, but their friendship dates back even further.
“It’s cool to have because he’s one of my closest friends and sometimes the things that you go through, you can relate to one another, and we have similar values,” McVay said. “We’ve been both very fortunate that things have gone relatively well and I think it’s helpful to be able to lean on somebody. Sometimes they say what, misery loves company? You’ve got another great friend that whether it’s good for them or they’ve had some struggles or vice versa for us, just being able to have somebody that you can talk to that you’ve had a great relationship with for a long time. He’s handled it really well. I’ve said to him, I’ve been so impressed with just watching the consistency and the steadiness at which he’s handled things and I think it’s reflected with the way that they’ve responded and in a lot of good instances based on some of the things that they’ve gone through as well. Love Matt, he’s a good friend of mine.”
The Rams will be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Packers on Monday night, while a win by Green Bay will keep their season alive as they push for a playoff spot. These teams met in the divisional round following the 2020 season, and as fun as it would be to see them in the playoffs again, it’s not in the cards this year.
In all likelihood, McVay and LaFleur’s season will end at the same time when the final whistle is blown in their Week 18 games.
