The Greatest Show on Turf

  In the NFL it is hard to establish dominance from year to year. Some teams like the San Francisco 49ers and The Dallas Cowboys have won multiple Super Bowls in the 80s and 90s, and everyone knows about the New England Patriots’ 5 Super Bowl victories in 15 years. Some teams only become one “win” wonders, like the Philadelphia Eagles or the Los Angeles Rams.

  The Rams may be trying to win their second ring this season, winning 11 games and losing 3 and trying to skip the first round of the playoffs. The only three teams they lost to this season are the New Orleans Saints (12-2) and the Chicago bears (10-4), and the Philadelphia Eagles (7-7). They even beat the AFC (American Football Conference) leader, the Kansas City Chiefs, in their biggest game of the year.

 Their rush-heavy offense is led by Coach Sean McVay, RB Todd Gurley, and QB Jared Goff. Their offense shines when they can have more than 5 minute drives, and force the opposing team to score quickly to get the ball back.

  You can’t win games unless you have a good defense, and the Rams’ defense can be relied on in critical situations. In the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, two late 4th quarter interceptions shut down the Chiefs’ offense and kept them at bay, 54-51.

  This is very similar to the St. Louis Rams at the turn of the millennium. They finished 13-3 and fought their way all the way to the Super Bowl XXXIV, where they defeated the Tennessee Titans with the famous one-yard short play.

  The Rams were led by Pro Bowl Quarter Back Kurt Warner and future hall of fame Running Back Marshall Faulk. They had an amazing receiving core with the likes of Torry Holt and Pro Bowler Isaac Bruce. Their defense was led by Pro Bowl Defensive End Kevin Carter and Corner Back Todd Lyght.

They would dominate the 2000 NFL season where they would go 10-6 and lose in the first playoff round against the New Orleans Saints. In the 2001 NFL season they fought all the way to Super Bowl XXXVI, and it was against the next football dynasty the New England Patriots. In the 4th quarter the game was tied 17-17 and the Patriots, led by Tom Brady, would drive down the field with no time-outs and allow Adam Vinatieri to kick a 48 yard field goal to win the game 20-17. After that the Rams seemingly fell of the face of the earth and failed to go far in the playoffs.

  The Los Angeles Rams share a lot of similarities with the St. Louis Rams, both teams having star running backs and establishing dominance in their divisions. The Rams Will eventually have to overcome the New Orleans Saints and many other amazing teams to get to Super Bowl LIII and prove that they can return to glory.