The 10 greatest moments in Rams history since their return to L.A.
Rams coach Sean McVay holds the Lombardi Trophy after the team's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)The NFL approved the Rams' return to Los Angeles from St. Louis on Jan. 12, 2016. In the 10 years since, the franchise has enjoyed some historic moments.
Here are the top 10:
We're No. 1
Jared Goff poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected No. 1 overall by the Rams in the 2016 NFL draft.(Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)In a Los Angeles sports market dominated by the Dodgers and Lakers, the Rams needed to make a splash. They did it on April 14, 2016 when they traded up a record 14 spots for the opportunity to make the first pick in the NFL draft.
Rams general manager Les Snead sent two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks to the Tennessee Titans, portending a swing-for-the-fences mentality in trades that would lead to the Rams going seven years without making another first-round pick.
The Rams considered taking quarterbacks Jared Goff and Carson Wentz before selecting Goff.
Welcome back
Rams players run out of the tunnel before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at the Coliseum on Aug. 13, 2016.(AP)On an electric night, more than 89,000 filled the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Aug. 13, 2016 preseason opener between the Rams and Dallas Cowboys. It was the first NFL game at the venue since 1994 and the first time since 1979 the Rams played a home game within the city limits.
The game was the debut of Goff, who played two series in the second quarter, was inexplicably inactive for the season opener and did not play in the first nine games.
The game also served as a coming out party for a Cowboys rookie quarterback named Dak Prescott, who passed for two touchdowns and eventually displaced Tony Romo as the starter.
Wunderkind Sean McVay hired as coach
Rams coach Sean McVay smiles after his introductory news conference on Jan. 13, 2017.(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)On Jan. 12, 2017, a month after they fired coach Jeff Fisher, the Rams hired a 30-year-old with no head coaching experience.
It turned out to be the most pivotal hire in franchise history.
Sean McVay, now the winningest coach in Rams history with a 92-57 record, has led the Rams to two Super Bowls and one title and is pursuing another in the Rams' seventh playoff appearance in his nine seasons.
An emotional Monday night classic
Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam scores on an interception return against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Rams' 54-51 win at the Coliseum on Nov. 19, 2018.(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)On Nov. 19, 2018, the Rams and Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to play their Week 11 game in Mexico, but the game was moved to the Coliseum because of poor field conditions caused by a Shakira concert.
The Southland was mourning the victims of a mass shooting in Thousand Oaks and reeling from fires that ravaged much of the region.
With thousands of first responders in the crowd, the Rams and Chiefs put on a show, combining for 1,001 yards of offense. A long touchdown pass from Goff to tight end Gerald Everett with less than two minutes left gave the Rams a 54-51 victory.
A kick for the ages
Greg Zuerlein kicks a 57-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Rams to victory in the NFC championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans on Jan. 20, 2019.(Los Angeles Times)On Jan. 20, 2019, the Rams played the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Saints fans angrily recall it for Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman not being called for pass interference in the final two minutes of regulation.
Rams fans fondly remember John Johnson III's interception in overtime that set up Greg Zuerlein's 57-yard, winning field goal that sent the Rams to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2001 season, and the first time as a Los Angeles team since the 1979 season.
Super disappointing but still an achievement
Rams coach Sean McVay, left, shakes hands with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick after the Rams' loss in Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3, 2019.(Jamie Squire / Getty Images)Sure, the Rams lost to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. They scored only three points. And McVay was no match for Bill Belichick.
But the Rams played in the Super Bowl. Repeat that, please: The Rams played in the Super Bowl.
It was an incredible achievement for a second-year coach, and a franchise that had not played on the sport's biggest stage in nearly two decades.
Trading places
The Rams' Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions' Matthew Stafford after a game in 2018.(Associated Press)On Jan. 30, 2021, only two weeks after their season ended in a divisional-round loss at Green Bay, Snead and McVay agreed to send Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round pick to the Detroit Lions for veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Stafford was regarded as one of the NFL's top passers but had never won a playoff game. The Rams bet, correctly, that McVay could change that.
Stafford led them to victory in Super Bowl LVI, and at 37 he just completed a regular season that made him a favorite to win his first most valuable player award.
McVay finally 86s the 49ers
Rams coach Sean McVay hugs quarterback Matthew Stafford after a win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium on Jan. 30, 2022.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)McVay had struggled mightily against Kyle Shanahan, his mentor and friend who became coach of the San Francisco 49ers the same year the Rams hired McVay.
McVay had lost six straight games against the 49ers, who upset the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, giving the Rams an unexpected home game in the NFC Championship for the chance to return to the Super Bowl.
On Jan. 30, 2022, exactly one year after the Rams agreed to trade for Stafford, they pulled out a 20-17 victory.
Super sweet victory at SoFi
Rams defensive end Aaron Donald celebrates after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the final moments of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, 2022.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)Move the franchise back to Los Angeles. Build $5-billion SoFi Stadium. Host Super Bowl LVI. Hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
It could not have played out any better for owner Stan Kroenke, Snead, McVay, Stafford and the Rams.
On Feb. 13, 2022, Stafford passed for two touchdowns and Aaron Donald terrorized the Cincinnati Bengals in a 23-20 victory that delivered the team's first title since 2000.
Lifting spirits from Arizona
Rams running back Kyren Williams takes a selfie for a fan before a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 13, 2025.(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)The Rams earned home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs, but the tragedies and ongoing impact of the Eaton and Palisades fires caused the NFL to move the Monday night game to State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
McVay and his players said they aimed to at least temporarily lift the spirits of the fans that traveled to Arizona and the tens of thousands at home.
On Jan. 13, 2025 the Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 27-9, and advanced to the divisional round.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.