Rams coach Sean McVay says he prepared too much for Patriots in Super Bowl LIII

May 8 (UPI) -- Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay says he over-prepared for the New England Patriots before Super Bowl LIII.

McVay, 33, was the youngest head coach to ever man the sidelines on the NFL's biggest stage. He faced future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick, 67, and watched his team be dismantled 13-3 by the New England Patriots on Feb. 3 in Atlanta.

The Rams entered the game with the best offense in the NFC. They finished the Super Bowl with 260 yards and didn't score a touchdown, despite McVay being widely-regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the game.

McVay told Sports Illustrated that he didn't operate with enough "urgency" after the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints in the dramatic NFC Championship game on Jan. 20. The Rams had a week off before taking the stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

"In the back of my mind, I operated knowing I had another week," McVay said. "That urgency to completely finalize the game plan wasn't quite there, and that led to me watching so much film that you can almost water down your thought process."

McVay said he re-watched the game at home on the Monday after the loss. He has since watched the game again.

"...You have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there," McVay said. "I watched every game from New England's season. You see stuff that worked in, say, Week 3, but you forget about the amount of stuff that's taken place since Week 3. You can watch so much film that you lose perspective. You have 18 games of film you can pore over. And then I even watched the Philly and Atlanta Super Bowls closely."

McVay owns a 24-8 regular season record in his two seasons as the Rams' coach. He is 4-2 in the playoffs. The Rams don't face the Patriots during the 2019 regular season, but do have a rematch against the New Orleans Saints on Sep. 15 in Los Angeles.