1976 Los Angeles Rams season

Last updated

1976 Los Angeles Rams season
Owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Head coach Chuck Knox
Home field Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record10–3–1
Division place1st NFC West
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(at Cowboys) 14–12
Lost NFC Championship
(at Vikings) 13–24
Uniform
LA Rams Uniforms.png

The 1976 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 39th year with the National Football League (NFL) and the 31st season in Los Angeles. The Rams continued their dominance of the NFC West, winning their 4th straight division title as well as their 4th straight playoff berth. After a record setting 1975 season in which their defense was nearly untouchable, the Rams were picked by many to win the Super Bowl. Despite not improving on its 12-2 record from 1975, the team continued to be one of the best in the NFL. This Rams team is quite notable for setting many records during the season. One good notable record was breaking the franchise record for points scored in a game with 59 in a 59-0 winning against the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams would ultimately have another year of success, finishing 10-3-1. In the playoffs, they would beat Dallas 14-12 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. However, the Rams would lose the NFC Championship game to the Minnesota Vikings 24-13.

Contents

This season would be the final season for the last member of the Rams' original 1960s "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line, as defensive tackle Merlin Olsen would retire after 15 seasons.

Offseason

1976 Expansion Draft

Los Angeles Rams selected during the Expansion Draft
RoundOverallNamePositionExpansion Team
00 Ken Geddes Linebacker Seattle Seahawks
00 Eddie McMillan CornerbackSeattle Seahawks
00 Willie McGee Wide receiver Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Draft

1976 Los Angeles Rams draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
126 Kevin McLain   Linebacker Colorado State
239 Pat Thomas  *  Cornerback Texas A&M
253 Ron McCartney  Linebacker Tennessee
386 Jackie Slater  *   Tackle Jackson State
494Gerald Taylor  Wide receiver Texas A&I
5128 Carl Ekern  Linebacker San Jose State
5150 Ken Bordelon   Defensive end LSU
5155 Dwight Scales  Wide receiver Grambling State
      Made roster        Pro Football Hall of Fame     *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

1976 Los Angeles Rams roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserved


Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance
1September 12at Atlanta Falcons W 30–141–0 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 53,607
2September 19at Minnesota Vikings T 10–101–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,310
3September 26 New York Giants W 24–102–0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,698
4October 3at Miami Dolphins W 31–283–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 60,753
5October 11 San Francisco 49ers L 0–163–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 80,532
6October 17 Chicago Bears W 20–124–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 71,751
7October 24at New Orleans Saints W 16–105–1–1 Louisiana Superdome 51,984
8October 31 Seattle Seahawks W 45–66–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 52,035
9November 7at Cincinnati Bengals L 12–206–2–1 Riverfront Stadium 52,480
10November 14 St. Louis Cardinals L 28–306–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,698
11November 21at San Francisco 49ers W 23–37–3–1 Candlestick Park 58,573
12November 28 New Orleans Saints W 33–148–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,906
13December 4 Atlanta Falcons W 59–09–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,366
14December 11at Detroit Lions W 20–1710–3–1 Pontiac Municipal Stadium 73,470
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Playoffs

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueAttendance
DivisionalDecember 19at Dallas Cowboys (2)W 14–121–0 Texas Stadium 62,436
NFC ChampionshipDecember 26at Minnesota Vikings (1)L 13–241–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,191

Standings

NFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Los Angeles Rams (3)1031.7507–09–2–1351190W4
San Francisco 49ers 860.5715–27–5270190W1
New Orleans Saints 4100.2862–53–8253346L3
Atlanta Falcons 4100.2862–54–8172312L3
Seattle Seahawks 2120.1431–31–12229429L5

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