This might sound hard to believe, but the Rams have only won one championship in Los Angeles. They have a chance to double that number in Super Bowl 56. Amazingly, the opportunity comes on the 70th Anniversary of the 1951 Los Angeles Rams NFL championship.
Rams win NFC, to play Bengals in Super Bowl
The Los Angeles Rams won the 2021 National Football Conference title with a 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFC Championship Game. That set the Rams up to play the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56, a full 70 years after the 1951 Los Angeles Rams won the NFL Championship.
The Rams Franchise Has Won Three Championships
Despite the Rams owning a respectable number of winning seasons and playoff appearances, the team has only won three championships. The Rams won the 1945 NFL Championship when they were the Cleveland Rams. The team won Super Bowl 34 as the St. Louis Rams. They won the 1951 NFL Championship as the Los Angeles Rams.
Although the Rams won a Super Bowl title during the franchise’s stint in St. Louis, the Rams have only one league championship to their credit in Los Angeles – 1951. The 1951 Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cleveland Browns in the 1951 NFL Championship Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 24-17. Headed into Super Bowl 56, the 1951 Los Angeles Rams are the only Rams team to win the NFL title with Los Angeles as their home base.
Before 2021, the Rams won two NFC titles in Los Angeles, however, they lost both Super Bowls. Super Bowl 56 is the third time the Rams have made the Super Bowl based in Los Angeles. The franchise reached the NFL Championship Game four times in the pre-Super Bowl era while in Los Angeles. The Rams lost three of those four games.
1951 Los Angeles Rams
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 1951 Los Angeles Rams season got off to an historic start. Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin set the NFL single-game passing record, a record which still stands at the close of the 2021 NFL season. The Rams set an NFL record for most team yards in a game with 722. That record also still stands going into Super Bowl 56. The Rams won their first game easily, 54-14. Norm Van Brocklin threw for five touchdowns and ran for one touchdown.
The Rams faced the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 of the 1951 NFL season. Despite breaking Johnny Lujack’s passing record in Week 1, Van Brocklin split the Rams quarterbacking duties with Bob Waterfield. Although both are Hall of Fame quarterbacks, the Rams lost 38-23. The Browns also defeated the Rams in the 1950 NFL Championship Game the previous year.
Los Angeles recovered from their Week 2 defeat and won six of their next eight games. Half of those victories came on the road. Those were important wins because the Rams hosted seven of their regular season games. They only played five games away from home in 1951.
The Rams suffered a crucial loss in Week 11 of the 1951 NFL season. The home loss to the Detroit Lions nearly cost the Rams the division. Los Angeles needed to win their regular season finale in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers. They also needed the San Francisco 49ers to defeat Detroit.
The dominoes fell right for the Rams. They crushed the Packers in Los Angeles and the 49ers toppled Detroit with a late-fourth quarter touchdown. Although their spot was in peril going into Week 12, the Rams made the 1951 NFL Championship Game against the Cleveland Browns.
1951 Los Angeles Rams Championship
The 1951 NFL Championship game was a rematch of the thrilling 1950 NFL Championship. The Browns won the 1950 affair with a late field goal by Lou Groza.
The Rams returned the favor in 1951. The Rams and Browns fought in another close game. This time, however, the Rams won via a late touchdown by receiver Tom Fears. The play covered 73 yards.
That gave the Rams their only NFL championship in Los Angeles to date. That fact will change, however, should the Rams win Super Bowl 56.
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