The Date is February 16, 2022, and Rams fans are chanting "run it back" as Aaron Donald stands at the podium. After the Rams' Super Bowl win vs. the Bengals and seemingly "running it back" by resigning everyone they could, how could they possibly be one of the worst teams in the NFL just the next season?
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The Rise
The rise of the Los Angeles Rams began in March of 2021 when they sent QB Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for a star quarterback in Matthew Stafford. By this trade alone, the football world knew the Rams' front office was tired of consistently being contenders but never getting over the hump. As the season progressed, we saw that Stafford seemed to be the missing piece this team needed. The new quarterback also seemingly helped wide receiver Cooper Kupp rise into superstardom, being the fourth player to get the receiving triple crown in league history. But although LA already had Stafford, Kupp, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey, they weren't finished yet.
After Los Angeles had already established itself as a strong contender for the playoffs, they decided to send a 2022 second and third-round pick to the Denver Broncos for star Pass Rusher Von Miller on November 1st. Less than two weeks after surprising everyone with the acquisition of Miller, they went and signed three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to pair with Cooper Kupp. As you could imagine, this squad ran through the NFC in the playoffs and beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Los Angeles at Super Bowl LVI to become world champions.
The Fall
Coming off of the Super Bowl win, it felt like nobody would be able to take down the Rams come January. However, they did lose their two big additions from the season before in Odell Beckham Jr. (Torn ACL) and Von Miller (Signed with the Bills in Free Agency). Even though they lost big difference-makers, nobody thought this would stop them from making another run for the Lombardi trophy. The season of with a 31-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills on opening night, where the team didn't look how we all expected it to. They went on for a while beating the sub-par teams and losing to the playoff contenders.
However, QB Matthew Stafford injured his neck in week eleven, and WR Cooper Kupp injured his ankle in week 10 vs. the Cardinals. Couple this with Jalen Ramsey not playing up to his standards and Aaron Donald missing multiple games, and you have a team that is middle of the pack (at best). Of course, it already started to look like they wouldn't accomplish as much as they did last season long before the injuries began to pile up. Contrary to what some people may think, there have been a couple of good signs In LA this season. One of these was former first-overall pick Baker Mayfield being picked up by the Rams off waivers, and carrying them to a last-minute comeback two days later on Thursday night vs. the Raiders. Since then, Baker has performed like a solid quarterback for the Rams to help them win a couple more games on the season.
What's Next for the Rams?
After this disappointing season, it seems there are no plans to change much in Los Angeles. Aaron Donald has not spoken about his future in the league, and Matthew Stafford has stated he doesn't plan to retire yet. The QB situation becomes muddy with this news, for if Baker decides he wants to stay with the team, he would have to be okay with sitting behind Stafford until he decides to hang up the cleats. This would be good for Baker since he hasn't had a true veteran to learn from yet in his career.
On the other end of the franchise, it was recently reported that Head Coach Sean McVay will take time away from the team and assess his future with the organization. Should McVay choose to part ways with the Rams, there is no telling what effect it would have on the players we see on their 53-man roster next season.
Written by Adam Kerr
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