Sean McVay is actually more run-heavy in the red zone than expected

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has been known as one of the great offensive minds in the NFL during his tenure leading the Rams. His team's offenses have consistently been at the top of the league and he's produced some remarkable offensive seasons for his quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and even Jared Goff.

But when it comes to play-calling in the red zone, McVay has started to shift more towards running the ball. He had a negative pass rate over expectation (PROE) inside the 20-yard line this past season, according to @fball_insights.

Now, his -1.8% PROE inside the 20 and -1.1% insider the five isn't low by league standards, it is low for McVay. He had a 0.3% overall PROE, meaning he was more balanced as a play-caller but still skewed toward the run.

But in an ironic twist, McVay's situational PROE leaned into the run when on shorter down-and-distances, especially third-down. What this means is McVay trusts his offensive line and his running backs to get the job down in close quarters, which extends to the red zone.

The combo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum proved McVay's decisions right in 2025. They finished with 15 total rushing touchdowns that were fewer than 15 yards on the ground. The Rams only had two other rushing touchdowns that were longer — a 48-yarder from Corum and a 45-yarder from Puka Nacua.

Running in the red zone was smart, as it helped the Rams finish with a 63.2% red zone touchdown conversion rate — which ranked seventh in the league.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay is actually more run-heavy in the red zone than expected