The Los Angeles Rams have had their share of brutal playoff exits, but the ones that sting the most aren’t always the closest calls. Sometimes the disappointment comes from something simpler: the Rams arrived with real expectations, and then the game slipped away fast.
That was the case in 1985 against the Chicago Bears. Chicago was a 10.5-point favorite, but the Rams still had reason to believe they could keep things competitive.
Eric Dickerson had rushed for 1,234 yards during the regular season and had just put up a playoff-record 248 yards the week before against the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the Bears’ defense swallowed him up.
Dickerson managed only 46 yards, and the Rams were shut out.
A similar letdown showed up in 1978, when the Rams finally got past the Minnesota Vikings after losing to them in the previous two postseasons. Los Angeles handled Minnesota 34-10 in the Divisional Round and then met the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The Rams had beaten Dallas 27-14 in Week 3, and this one was tied at halftime. Then the second half turned ugly.
Two interceptions helped spark a blowout, and the Rams suffered their fourth NFC Championship Game loss in five seasons.
The 2017 postseason brought a different kind of disappointment. It was the Rams’ first trip to the playoffs since 2004, and they ran into an Atlanta Falcons team that had reached the Super Bowl the year before.
Los Angeles trailed 13-10 at halftime, but the game never tilted in its favor. The Rams ended up losing 26-13.
Then there was the 1989 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, a team widely viewed as one of the best ever. The Rams had already beaten the 49ers in Week 4 and played them tightly again in Week 14, so there was at least a case for optimism.
They even held a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead before letting it go. With the Rams down 7-3 earlier in the game, Jim Everett went deep to Henry Ellard, but the throw came late.
What could have been a completion and a chance to move into scoring position instead became an interception. San Francisco scored after that, and the game was never close again.
The most disappointing performance of all may have come in the Rams’ 13-3 loss in the Super Bowl after the 2018 season. Jared Goff and Todd Gurley led a young team that finished 13-3 and had already won an overtime NFC Championship Game on the road against the New Orleans Saints.
But this was not Sean McVay’s sharpest night, Goff had one of the worst games of his career, and Gurley was not at 100 percent because of his knee. The Rams leaned on Gurley all season, but they never found that rhythm here.
They rarely looked like they were in the game.
In Other News...
Rams Backup Quarterback Debate Just Took A Serious Turn
The Rams backup quarterback conversation has moved from a quiet roster concern to a more pointed debate, thanks to former NFL scout Daniel Kelly. His case is simple enough: Matthew Stafford is still the clear starter, but the depth chart behind him is built on inexperience, with Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett having no NFL snaps to their names.
Kellys answer is to look outside the building and add a passer who has already handled real game pressure. He points to a young quarterback in New Orleans with 14 NFL starts and an 8-game run in 2025, arguing that the Rams need someone more established if they want to avoid scrambling later. For now, its only a recommendation, but it has put a real name into a job the Rams cant afford to ignore for long. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Staffords Role In Ty Simpsons Future Just Got More Interesting
Matthew Staffords presence in the Rams quarterback room has taken on a bigger feel as Ty Simpson settles into life behind the veteran. The first-round pick is still in the early part of his development, and the value of learning from a proven starter goes beyond the playbook. In a league where young quarterbacks are often rushed, Los Angeles has a setup that gives Simpson time, structure and a steady example to follow.
Simpson has been getting support from Stafford as he works through the transition, with the veteran helping him navigate the daily details that can shape a young passers growth. It is the kind of arrangement teams hope can pay off later, especially when a rookie is trying to absorb everything at once. For the Rams, the interesting part now is not just what Simpson can become, but how much Staffords guidance can speed up the process. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Fans Are Starting To Fear Les Snead Went Too Far
Les Snead has made a career of treating draft picks like currency, and Rams fans have gotten used to the aggressive logic behind it. The franchises recent run of headline trades brought in stars such as Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, Myles Garrett, Jalen Ramsey, Trent McDuffie and Sony Michel, while sending out premium picks and even notable former players like Jared Goff and Ernest Jones IV. It has been a defining team-building philosophy in Los Angeles, one that helped deliver a championship and kept the Rams in the conversation even when the roster looked thin on paper.
The concern now is less about whether the approach can produce talent and more about how much margin for error it leaves behind. A top-heavy roster can look formidable when the stars are healthy, but it can also become vulnerable fast if injuries hit at the wrong time or if a few key pieces start to age out. With so much future draft capital already spent, the Rams are left trying to keep the window open while knowing the next rebuild could be a lot harder to navigate. [Read more 🡒]