Head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff’s time together with the Los Angeles Rams did not end on a particularly friendly note. Now it comes to the reunion in the NFL. Before the clash with the Detroit Lions, for whom Goff now plays, McVay is trying to mend fences.

Los Angeles/Munich – Two and a half years ago they stood together in Super Bowl LIII with the Los Angeles Rams, now they meet as opponents in the NFL.

The relationship between head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff has broken down, now the latter leads the Detroit Lions onto the field. Next Sunday it comes to the reunion in the NFL. The Lions are guests of the Rams.

But there will be no bad blood before the return of the long-time Rams quarterback. On the contrary: Before the duel McVay tries to smooth the waters – and also takes a look at his own nose.

McVay: “I would have liked to have had better communication “

Up until the Super Bowl entry in 2019, things were actually going steadily uphill for McVay, Goff and the Rams. But the loss in that big game was a turning point in their collective trajectory.

After two difficult seasons in which Goff failed to shine at quarterback, the Rams traded their number-one pick from 2016 to Detroit before the current season. In return, Matthew Stafford made the trip to L.A.

However, even before this blockbuster trade, there was speculation about the troubled relationship between McVay and Goff. The head coach publicly criticised his quarterback after poor games. Now, ahead of the reunion with Goff, McVay described his regrets over that development.

“Yes, I wish there had been better, clearer communication,” the 35-year-old is quoted as saying by Bleacher Report. “To say it was handled perfectly from my side would not be entirely accurate,” he also repeatedly self-criticises.

Goff expressed surprise at trade

After the big-name quarterback swap, Goff described being caught off guard by the trade. There had been no prior discussions with Rams officials or McVay,

The head coach also tries to appease this development in retrospect, saying, “You don’t want to catch people off guard. It came together a lot quicker than anyone expected.”

The Rams would have wanted to take the opportunity to bring in such a player as Stafford. “Opportunities like this don’t come along very often,” the coach said, explaining the quick decision-making.

Rams vs. Lions: The duel of opposites

However, things have been anything but smooth sailing for Goff’s team so far. Despite mostly good performances, the Lions have lost all six games so far – the only team in the NFL to do so. The 27-year-old quarterback has had a good start to the season, but has not thrown a touchdown pass in the last two games.

The Rams, on the other hand, are a different story: The team from L.A. has had a fantastic start to the new season, losing only one of their first six games and is considered a hot candidate for the Super Bowl. Stafford hit the West Coast like a bomb: In six games, 16 of his passes found their way into the end zone. Behind Tom Brady, Derek Carr and Patrick Mahomes, the 33-year-old has thrown for the fourth most passing yards of all quarterbacks.

So the role of favourite before the direct encounter on Sunday is clearly assigned. But perhaps Jared Goff’s special motivation will also lead to a surprise. The Lions would certainly deserve their first win of the season.