After a successful 2017 season for the Los Angeles Rams, the goal was to move up and get better. They gave us an off-season to remember. The first domino that fell was when they acquired Marcus Peters from the Kansas City Chiefs. After him, they signed Aqib Talib to improve that secondary. You thought they were done? They needed a true number one receiver to make plays down the field. They would eventually acquire Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots. They still weren’t done! To beef up the defensive line, they added Ndamukong Suh to pair up with Aaron Donald. I know, a scary sight. The Rams won the NFC West for the second straight year, the two seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye. Let’s look back their 2018 season.
1. Week Three, vs L.A. Chargers– The battle of Los Angeles had my attention in week three. The Rams were off to a hot start and the Chargers had just won their first game the week before. Gurley rushed for 105 yards, but this was the game that Jared Goff took matters into his own hands. He threw for 354 yards and three touchdown passes to win the battle of California and improve the Rams record to 3-0 on the young season.
2. Week Four, vs. Minnesota– Finally, a Thursday night game worth watch. You had the team that was a game away from a Super Bowl appearance the season before against a team who was a favorite to get there this year. If you are a fan of offense, this was the game for you. Jared Goff had the best game of his young career completing 26 of 33 passes, throwing for 465 yards and a career high, five touchdowns. The Rams did get everything they could handle from Minnesota, but in the end, it was too much L.A.
3. Week Eight, vs. Green Bay– This was the first ever meeting between Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff, two quarterbacks from the University of California. Everyone thought the Rams would run away with this game. That wasn’t the case because the Rams were in a battle with Green Bay. The Packers would eventually fumble the ball and the Rams recovered. Another week, another win. The Rams were 8-0, the only undefeated team in the league.
4. Week Nine, at New Orleans– This was a marquee matchup. Arguably the two best teams in the NFC were finally going to battle. The Superdome has always been such a tough place to play. The Saints got off to a quick start and never looked back. The Rams were basically playing catch up all game long. This was their first loss of the season. Would this be the preview of a potential playoff preview?
5. Week Ten, vs Seattle– This division battles are always tough. The Rams entered this one after losing their first game of the season the previous week in New Orleans. Although the Rams would bounce back and win this game, they suffered a huge loss with the ACL tear of Cooper Kupp, a very valuable weapon for this Rams offense.
6. Week 11, vs Kansas City– This game was supposed to be played in Mexico City. Because of the field conditions, the game was moved back to Los Angeles. What a game this was! I can watch the repeat of this repeatedly. This was the best game I had seen all year long. It was back and forth, and these two young quarterbacks didn’t disappoint. 50 points were needed to decide this one and the Rams won, 54-51 becoming the first team in the league to win ten games.
7. Week 14, at Chicago– This was a huge game in the NFC between two of the best in the conference. The weather was a factor. This was also the first ever matchup between Jared Goff and Mitchell Tribusky. This was the Rams worst performance of the year. The offense couldn’t function, and Goff turned the ball over four times. The Rams defense kept them in the game for most of it, but it wasn’t enough.
8. Week 15, vs Philadelphia– These two teams were facing each other again. It really felt like deja vu all over again because Carson Wentz was out, and Nick Foles was filling in for him. The Rams were looking to bounce back after losing the previous week in Chicago. It didn’t look good for the Rams and the concerns were piling up. They had lost back to back games for the first time all season.
Postseason
9. Divisional Round, vs Dallas– Saturday night, California, the stars were in attendance and the Cowboys were in town. Both Prescott and Goff will forever be linked to each other because they were both drafted in 2016. The Cowboys scored first, and it looked to be a long night for the Rams. Not so fast my friends! They adjusted and stuck to their game plan. Gurley and C.J. Anderson got their runs and the Rams defense showed up and shut down one of the best running backs in Ezekiel Elliott. They won the game and advanced to their first conference title game.
10. NFC Championship, at New Orleans– Didn’t I tell you they’d be here again, and they would see the Saints come playoff time? The regular season showdown was in the books and this one was worth more. What would happen in round two? The Rams defense was ready to play once again because they held the Saints to field goals early on along with controlling the tempo of the game. What this game will be remembered for is the blown call that should’ve resulted in a flag. Give credit to the Rams because they were able to stay in this game unlike the first showdown. The defense pressured Brees and they kept Michael Thomas from having a big game. The Rams shocked the world and upset the Saints in New Orleans to advance to their first Super Bowl since 2001-02.
