The Los Angeles Rams crumbled 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII before the New England Patriots' empire.
The Rams -- particularly Sean McVay's offense -- looked ill-prepared for the biggest stage in sports. Now they'll spend the offseason using the experience to drive the offseason focus.
"You got a taste of it -- it's motivation, if anything it's motivation knowing that you fell short," Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald said Tuesday, via the team's official website.
The Rams' defense has little to hang its head about. Outside of one touchdown drive -- during which the Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski connection proved why it's headed to the Hall of Fame -- and not stuffing the run at the end of the contest, L.A.'s D stymied the Pats. Holding Brady to 13 points should be considered a glorious feat.
Donald is likely disappointed in his own Super Bowl performance, garnering just one QB hit on the day while getting double- and triple-teamed at times by the Pats' very good interior offensive line.
L.A. employs a boatload of young talent that should grow from the Super Bowl experience. Plenty of great NFL players failed in their first Super Bowl only to bounce back.
McVay poignantly noted that overcoming adversity is what mental champions are built upon.
"If you can't handle getting gut-punched and responding, then this business probably isn't for you and that's the only way that I know how to respond as a coach," the 33-year-old head man said.
The Rams got gut-punched. Now they'll spend the offseason licking that wound and striving to take that final step the next chance they get.
