With the NFL playoffs set to get underway with Wild Card weekend on Saturday, the path to the Super Bowl is as wide open as any season in recent memory. But the Los Angeles Rams have to be considered one of, if not the, favorites to make the Big Game. Sure, they're only the NFC's No. 5 seed, but Sean McVay's team has frequently looked like an absolute freight train — electric on offense behind Matthew Stafford, just opportunistic enough on defense to capitalize on their strong pass rush.
We'll find out soon enough whether Los Angeles can put it together for three or four wins in a row. Before then, though, we can look back at what history has to say. Whether in Cleveland, St. Louis or L.A., the Rams boast as much history as any franchise in the sport, including some of the most memorable Super Bowl appearances ever.
Every Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl win, listed
Super Bowl XXXIV (1999)
After nearly a full decade in the wilderness — the team made the playoffs seven times in the 1980s but began the 90s with nine consecutive losing seasons — the Rams came out of nowhere to shock the world in 1999, riding Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and Co. to arguably the greatest offensive season in NFL history.
Behind the Greatest Show on Turf, the Rams went 13-3 and rolled to the NFC West title, then survived a slugfest with the Tampa Bay Bucs to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 20 years. What seemed like a coronation got awfully uncomfortable, as the Tennessee Titans trimmed a 16-0 deficit to just 23-16 in the game's final minutes. But linebacker Mike Jones' game-ending tackle on Kevin Dyson stopped Tennessee one yard short and secured a title for the Rams.
Super Bowl LVI (2021)
Two years after being humbled by the New England Patriots on the Super Bowl stage, Sean McVay led the Rams back to the Big Game — this time with a new quarterback in Matthew Stafford. And that, combined with an all-time performance from Aaron Donald, proved to be all the difference against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stafford threw for 283 yards and three scores, including the final one to Cooper Kupp to give L.A. the lead with just 1:25 to play. Donald took it from there, harassing Joe Burrow on the decisive fourth down as the Rams defense held on for the second Super Bowl win in franchise history.
How many times have the Rams gone to the Super Bowl?
Those remain the only two Super Bowl titles in Rams franchise history. (Though there are also two NFL Championships in the trophy case, one in 1945 while the team was still in Cleveland and another after the move to Los Angeles in 1951.) That's hardly the extent of L.A.'s history in the Big Game, however.
In fact, the Rams have played in the Super Bowl five times, tied for seventh-most in league history alongside the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. The team's record in those games is 3-2, with a loss to the Steel Curtain in 1979 followed by a pair of wins and losses in the 21st century.
Year | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
1979 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Loss, 31-19 |
1999* | Tennessee Titans | Win, 23-16 |
2001* | New England Patriots | Loss, 20-17 |
2018 | New England Patriots | Loss, 13-3 |
2021 | Cincinnati Bengals | Win, 23-20 |
*while team was in St. Louis
Predicting how many more Super Bowls Sean McVay can bring the Rams
Remember not too long ago, when the prospect of McVay walking into retirement was seemingly an open question every offseason? The Rams sure are glad those days seem to be behind us: McVay still hasn't even turned 40 yet, and he's already on a Hall of Fame path, with a 92-57 overall record and eight winning seasons (with seven playoff appearances) in his nine years at the helm in Los Angeles.
McVay has proven that he's much more than a flash in the pan, and that he brings much more to the table than simply schematic prowess. His offenses have remained at the cutting edge of what the league is doing, and his ability to maintain a pipeline of coaching talent — not just on offense, but on defense as well — has allowed the Rams to seamlessly transition into a new window of contention after the Aaron Donald era came to a close.
At this point, there are really just two questions when it comes to McVay and the Rams moving forward. The first: How big of a dropoff can the team expect once Stafford inevitably decides to call it a career (possibly as soon as this offseason)? The second: Just how long is McVay set on being an NFL head coach?
He's already said he has no intention of doing this until he's 60 years old, and his prior flirtations with retirement (and a career in broadcasting) back that up. McVay will celebrate his 40th birthday later this month; while he seems as invigorated as he's ever been by the Rams' recent success, it feels foolish to assume he has anything more than a decade or so left to rack up Super Bowl titles.
Which brings us to the second question. The Rams might well win McVay's second title this season, but if they do, it's more than likely that Stafford will ride off into the sunset. As great a coach as McVay is, it's hard to overstate how crucial Stafford has been to this recent run of success, and while GM Les Snead is as aggressive as any executive in the league, franchise QBs don't exactly grow on trees. In the end, I do think McVay becomes the 15th coach in NFL history with multiple rings — either this year or at some point down the line. But right now I'd set the over/under at 2.5; championships are awfully hard to come by, and combined with the uncertainty around both Stafford and McVay's futures, a third Super Bowl victory feels like gravy.