The Los Angeles Rams’ season didn’t end the way they hoped. While they may have exceeded expectations by making it to the divisional round of the playoffs, they had Super Bowl aspirations – and they came close to achieving them.

They came up just short against the Philadelphia Eagles, reaching the opposing 13-yard line with a chance to score a game-winning touchdown in the final minute. A couple of pressures by Jalen Carter derailed the drive and the Rams’ season, but it was still a successful campaign for such a young team.

Sean McVay was gutted after that loss and for the first time, the Rams shared behind-the-scenes footage of his message to the team in their final meeting before breaking for the offseason. It can be seen at the beginning of the season premiere of “Behind The Grind”, which aired this week.

“Number one, the first thing I would say is just thank you. When you believe so strongly in something, there’s no part of you that really thinks about the other end of it,” he said. “That game yesterday was such a reflection of some of the different things that have occurred throughout the season. Different elements, different adversity, different ways of having to be able to overcome certain things. No way there’s a chance that we’re not going to win that football game. You’re really 13 yards and a couple things away from us sitting here and we’re talking about hosting an NFC Championship. And what will last about this team forever, it’s not necessarily holding up that trophy, it’s the relationships and the memories in the midst of that journey. There is no doubt about it that this team right here and the relationships that have been formed, that lasts forever. You can’t take that away. It will be a very different team next year, and that’s the hard part about it. But that’s also the reality. This will forever be one of those memories and one of those seasons that I’ll cherish and that’s because of the men that I’m looking at right now. Give it up for yourselves. Love you guys, man. Appreciate it.”

It’s always been easy to see why players love playing for McVay and why the Rams have become a destination team. He always gets the most out of his players and coaches, and his end-of-season speech to the entire group shows how much coaching means to him.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ Sean McVay gave passionate speech at final team meeting of 2024