As the Los Angeles Rams gear up for the 2025 season, they find themselves once again among the NFC West favorites. But with familiar faces like Matthew Stafford and Tyler Higbee still in place—and others, including Cooper Kupp, now gone—it’s a fitting time to reflect on the last Rams team to win it all. That 2021 squad lifted the Lombardi Trophy, but according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, they may have done so with more help from timing and circumstance than elite performance.
In Barnwell’s recent ranking of the best NFL teams of the past 25 years, the 2021 Rams didn’t crack the top 25. He listed them as an honorable mention, suggesting they were “the last good team standing” rather than a dominant force. The Rams entered the playoffs as a No. 4 seed after a 12-5 regular season and went just 2-5 against playoff teams. They blew a 27-6 lead in the divisional round against the Buccaneers and needed a last-minute touchdown to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl after trailing most of the second half.
Were the 2021 Rams Great—or Just Lucky? Revisiting a Super Bowl Team That Got the Right Breaks
Barnwell pointed out the unusually favorable playoff bracket the Rams navigated. The top-seeded Packers and second-seeded Buccaneers both exited earlier than expected, clearing the way for Los Angeles to host the NFC Championship Game against the sixth-seeded 49ers. On the AFC side, the Rams avoided powerhouses like the Chiefs and Bills, instead facing a Cincinnati team that pulled off its own surprise run. The path to a title had opened, and the Rams walked through it.
But the real turning point for the 2021 Rams may have come before the playoffs. At midseason, general manager Les Snead capitalized on two rare opportunities: signing Odell Beckham Jr. after a messy breakup with the Browns and trading for Von Miller, who was quietly pushing his way out of Denver. Both stars played crucial roles in the postseason. Beckham scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl before leaving with an ACL tear, and Miller was a game-wrecker off the edge, including two sacks in the championship game. These weren’t roster moves rooted in long-term team building—they were strikes of perfect timing.
Still, it’s worth noting the star power that surrounded Stafford in his first year as a Ram. Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Andrew Whitworth, Cooper Kupp—all played at All-Pro levels. Kupp in particular delivered a historic campaign, winning the receiving triple crown, Offensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP. It was arguably the most dominant season by a wide receiver in modern NFL history.
In ESPN’s Aaron Schatz’s recent ranking of all 58 Super Bowl winners, the 2021 Rams came in at No. 34. Echoing Barnwell, Schatz noted their run wasn’t dominant, but it was resilient. “They won the games they had to win — barely — and rode timely execution and top-tier stars to the title.”
The current 2025 Rams bear a different identity. Kupp is gone. Donald is retired. Beckham and Miller moved on long ago. Yet Stafford remains the engine, joined by young stars like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams, along with a defense anchored by up-and-comers. At 9-6, the Rams are poised for another playoff push, even if this season hasn’t come with the same high-end talent across the roster.
One thing the 2021 and 2025 teams do share, though, is Sean McVay. His ability to recalibrate on the fly has kept Los Angeles relevant through injuries, retirements, and cap resets. The 2021 team might not have been historically great—but they won when it mattered, and McVay had the guts to chase a title with veteran stars in place of long-term picks.
Even Barnwell, who ranked the 2018 Rams and 1999 “Greatest Show on Turf” among the top 25, couldn’t ignore that 2021’s winning formula worked. Lucky or not, it ended in confetti.
And if the 2025 Rams want to repeat history, it might take another bit of that same magic.
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