The Los Angeles Rams accomplished their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl after rallying late to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals and bring the first Lombardi Trophy to L.A.
It was the team’s second time playing in the Super Bowl in the last four years and a chance to get over the hump after losing Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots, missing the playoffs the following year, and losing to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round the next season.
Going into the 2021 offseason they decided to make a splash by acquiring Matthew Stafford. This placed the Rams among the Super Bowl favorites and their strategy continued throughout the season when they acquired Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr.
It was an aggressive plan and truly going “all-in” rarely works in any sport, but seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady appreciated the Rams’ willingness to go out and do whatever it takes to win the final game of the season, he said on the “Let’s Go!” podcast:
“I really believe in that – you gotta go for it. No one’s gonna hand-deliver you these trophies. I think so many people in the NFL think that their time will come. And the reality is you gotta make it happen. You gotta go out there and you gotta do whatever it takes to get the job done and to put yourself in the positions to win Super Bowls because these things are really hard to earn. You can’t buy ‘em, you gotta go earn ‘em. And when you watch the Rams approach and, you know, they could go the other way, but it’s not from lack of effort. That’s an organization that’s determined to go out there and win Super Bowls, and I have a lot of respect for that.
For an organization that got so close to winning multiple times, they could have just decided to stick with their current strategy, but in the end, they were determined to win a Super Bowl and they were able to accomplish that.
The strategy has also made general manager Les Snead famous for his willingness to trade high draft picks in exchange for Pro Bowl-caliber talent. And at that Super Bowl parade, he kept the joke going by wearing a shirt and talking about the famous meme surrounding him.
While there’s a chance their strategy could affect their team down the line, there just aren’t many opportunities to win a championship and titles last forever.
Stafford ‘so happy’ to be a champion
Prior to joining the Rams, Stafford did not win a playoff game in 12 years with the Detroit Lions. That changed this season as the 34-year-old played his best football when it mattered most to lead the Rams to their first title in L.A.
When asked to reflect on the accomplishment, Stafford noted it still doesn’t feel real to him but is thrilled to finally be a world champion.
