A Brief Rams History Lesson Before Looking Ahead
A History Lesson
Your Los Angeles Rams are set to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 56. The Rams will square up against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, February 13th at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. After a spectacular (and blood-pressure-spiking) playoff run, the Rams are now poised to play in their fifth Super Bowl in franchise history. This article will briefly cover that history, and ultimately highlight what is at stake next weekend for this incredible team.
The Rams currently sit at a 1-3 overall record in Super Bowl performances, not the best record by any stretch, but it is important to note that the team won 2 NFL Championships (before the NFL entered the Super Bowl era) in 1945 and 1951.
The NFL, and modern-day fans, do not seem to acknowledge these championships, but I found them worth noting. The then Cleveland Rams defeated Washington to win the 1945 NFL Championship. A few years later in 1951, the new Los Angeles Rams took down the Cleveland Browns to win their second chip.
Super Bowl Era
The Rams first Super Bowl appearance took place in 1980 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Super Bowl 24 was not the LA Rams best outing, as the team lost 31 to 19.
The Rams second Super Bowl appearance, in 2000, was a far better showing. The then St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 23 to 16 in Super Bowl 34. We all know this era was dubbed “The Greatest Show on Turf” led by none other than Kurt Warner.
Only 2 seasons later, the St. Louis Rams found themselves back in the big game. In 2002, the Rams lost to the New England Patriots 20 to 17 in a heart-breaking matchup. This game is said to have been a dagger in a potential Rams dynasty, and the start of the Patriots dynasty that lasted nearly two decades.
The Rams would soon after fall into quite a dark period, with the team not finding any real success until Coach Sean McVay came aboard in 2017.
McVay took a losing team and quickly turned them into a playoff-ready group. After a playoff appearance in the 2017 season, the Rams found themselves Super Bowl primed during the 2018 season. The Rams were back in the big game, and their opponent was none other than the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, often dubbed as the most boring Super Bowl in recent history, the Rams lost 13 to 3.
Looking Forward
It pains me to highlight the shortcomings of the Rams, but it is merely to set the stage for next weekend’s matchup. This history illustrates how difficult it is to even make a Super Bowl, let alone win one. Rams fans should be ecstatic that the team managed to make it back to the big game so quickly. In fact, Coach Sean McVay has now been to the Super Bowl 2 out of the 5 seasons he has been in LA, that is a tremendous feat.
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That brings us to the question, what is at stake here for the LA Rams? To put it simply; the world!
The Los Angeles Rams have a chance to capitalize on everything they have done the last few years. They can justify all the risky moves and flashy trades, all the money spent and draft picks leveraged. The LA Rams can erase the bitter taste from Super Bowl 53, they can start fresh as a team worth loads of backing. The Rams can win AT HOME in LA at SoFi Stadium, and show the city they play in, a city that is incredibly difficult to win over, that the Rams are worth their attention.
The Rams have an incredible opportunity ahead of them, it is time to finish what they started. While history is important, there is nothing more important than what you do next. Let’s go win a ring.