Hope For Rams Fans

Sunday, Feb. 3, the Los Angeles Rams will take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. Over the last two seasons, the Rams have gone from one of the laughing stocks of the National Football League to potential world champions. As a lifelong Rams fan, I can’t tell you how surreal this is.

As many Rams fans will attest, there have too many, painful seasons that we had to endure.

Prior to the team’s turn around in 2017, the Rams haven’t posted a winning season since 2003. Way back when quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson were roaming the gridiron. Between 2004 and 2017, the Rams never won more than eight games in a season.

Concerns For the Rams

Coming off a 4-12 record after the 2016 season, there were legitimate concerns about the state of the franchise. It was the team’s first season back in LA after spending the previous 21 years in St. Louis.

At first, there was a lot of excitement for the return of football to Tinseltown. Four weeks into the season and the Rams were sitting pretty at 3-1 and in first place of their division.

But all that enthusiasm died fast once the losses started piling up. When the Rams lost four in a row and were 3-5, it didn’t seem like it was time to push the panic button just yet. They lost those games by an average of six points, so things were still cool in SoCal.

Over the next eight weeks, the Rams would only win one game and lost seven straight. And these were not close losses either. They were thoroughly manhandled, losing these games by an average of 19.2 points. They finished the season ranked dead last in scoring offense, and there were concerns over rookie Jared Goff developing into a franchise quarterback. Star running back Todd Gurley had a horrible season, and even went as far as criticizing the offense.

“We looked like a middle school offense out there,” Gurley said after a 42-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons Dec. 11, 2016, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “I mean, I’m going to be quiet. My mom said if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t even say it. I’m just going to leave it at that.”

A Change For The Rams

Fast forward to January 12, 2017, a day Rams fans will celebrate for years to come and attempt to make a national holiday: the day the team hired Sean McVay as its new head coach.

McVay spent the previous 3 seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins. In his first season as head honcho, McVay led the Rams to an 11-5 record and a trip to the playoffs. In just his second season, he’s guided the team to a 13-3 record, and are now on the brink of winning the franchise’s second Lombardi Trophy.

Now, the Rams have an opportunity to start a dynasty and avenge the loss that kick-started New England’s. The Rams last Super Bowl appearance was 17 years ago, which ended in a 20-17 loss to the New England Patriots. That loss was the beginning of, arguably, the greatest dynasty in sports history, and launched Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s legacy as the game’s greatest QB ever.

To get the ball rolling, youngsters Goff and McVay will have to outmatch veterans Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to complete the journey of a lifetime.

Kickoff for the Super Bowl will be set at 3:30 PT and will be aired on CBS. Maroon 5 will be joining Travis Scott and Big Boi for the halftime show. be