It would be rather apt to describe these past four years as “a roller coaster” for the artists formerly known as the St. Louis Rams. Even prior to the infamous move to Los Angeles in 2016, the team had missed the playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons, and no bright spots were seen on the horizon. The move itself was met with a slew of vitriol, most of which came straight from downtown St. Louis itself.
Even the city of Los Angeles seemed casually disinterested in acquiring an NFL franchise. They already partook in the joys of perennial contenders across every other major sport in the Lakers, Dodgers, and Kings; what could the wayward Rams franchise possibly give them?
The situation was only made worse when the team opted to give up six draft picks to move up to the 1st overall spot in the 2016 draft and select former Cal quarterback Jared Goff. Goff’s first year under the Jeff Fisher regime showed all the hallmarks of a young player overwhelmed by the NFL as he struggled with inconsistency and accuracy issues to the tune of a 4-12 record in his rookie campaign.
However, in 2017, the greener pastures could finally be spotted. The Rams shocked the league by hiring a 30-year old former offensive coordinator named Sean McVay as their new head coach, and his offensive brilliance was immediately on display. Goff’s efficiency exploded as he showed vast improvements in every major offensive category, and LA went from a 4-12 mess to a division winner and playoff participant.
As the expectations continued to build, LA found themselves at the precipice of greatness the following season with a 2018 Super Bowl appearance. Despite becoming yet another piece of the road to Tom Brady’s GOAT status in a 13-3 loss, many expected the Rams to find themselves right back there in 2019. But thanks to some regression from Goff and star running back Todd Gurley, as well as a distinctly subpar season from Brandin Cooks, the team missed the playoffs in 2019 as many found themselves wondering if the league had figured McVay out.
This season, fans will expect to see a major resurgence from a team that was expected to contend for multiple titles. Let’s establish a few goals for LA in 2020.
