Top 5 Rams Teams Of Matthew Stafford Era

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It’s time to call it what it was: a Super Bowl hangover. The Los Angeles Rams had won the Super Bowl the year prior, playing a month of extra football than many other franchises, and that caught up to the older roster in 2022, with seemingly all of the team’s biggest stars missing significant time.

The offensive line got off on the wrong foot, losing members it injury in Week 1. That trend continued all season long. Cooper Kupp missed about half of the season, Stafford missed just as long, and the team crumbled from there. In the end, the unit finished 5-12 in what some would call the worst season in both the Sean McVay and Jeff Fisher eras. Luckily, there was only one year like this between picking up Stafford and 2025.

#4 – 2023: Rebuilt On The Fly

The 2023 Los Angeles Rams started the year where they left 2022 with a 3-6 record heading into Week 10. Many fans feared that the end of the Stafford ride was nearing. However, just when all hope was fading, the Rams flipped a switch, ripping off seven wins in their next eight games with their only regular-season loss coming in overtime.

The team reached the postseason, but lost to Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in the Rams’ first playoff game since the Super Bowl victory. Overall, the season was a roller coaster and encouraging, but the slow start raised questions about whether the Super Bowl window was still open for the franchise after winning in 2021.

#3 – 2024: The Playoff Push

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The 2024 Los Angeles Rams were reminiscent of the 2023 version in how they started the year. In both seasons, the team failed to finish September above .500. They opened their season with a 1-4 record, raising questions about Sean McVay’s yearly choice to keep starters out of the preseason.

Much like in 2023, the Rams rebounded partway through the year, salvaging a 10-7 record and a playoff run thanks to a clutch December performance. The team defeated Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings, marking their first playoff win since Super Bowl LVI. They pushed the Eagles to the brink in the NFC conference championship, but fell short on the final drive.

#2 – 2025: Everything Falls Into Place

The season isn’t over, but Rams fans have to feel good about what they’ve seen from their team. There were questions about whether Davante Adams could serve as an upgrade over Cooper Kupp heading into the year, but they were rapidly silenced.

Stafford hasn’t thrown an interception since September and has already thrown for more touchdowns heading into Week 11 than all but one season in his career with the Rams. Things can always turn sideways in the final half of any season, but the franchise has managed to avoid the slow starts of 2023 and 2024 and the disastrous injury troubles of 2022. Will the Rams make good or find themselves sliding in the coming weeks? For now, optimism reigns supreme.

#1 – 2021: Super Bowl Win

Like most Hollywood blockbusters of the 1980s, the best iteration of the Matthew Stafford era was the first one. The Rams were in their “F them picks” era, and there was no greater example than trading Jared Goff for Stafford. General manager Les Snead didn’t shy away from the motto, wearing such a shirt carrying the famous line in February 2022, per NBC Sports. Long-time Rams fans know why Snead was so confident in that moment.

Goff, who had reached the Super Bowl in 2018, was dealt to help kick off the 2020s in Los Angeles, and the Rams didn’t have to wait long to receive dividends from their new quarterback. Armed with pass rusher Aaron Donald, Stafford, and Cooper Kupp in his best season ever, the Rams marched. With little drama, they continued their way through the NFC West, through the playoffs, and into the Super Bowl, taking home the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 1999.