2015 St. Louis Rams season

Last updated

2015 St. Louis Rams season
St.louis rams textlogo.png
Owner Stan Kroenke
General manager Les Snead
Head coach Jeff Fisher
Home field Edward Jones Dome
Local radioWXOS-FM
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers Aaron Donald, DT
Todd Gurley, RB
Johnny Hekker, P
Uniform
St louis rams uniforms12.png

The 2015 season was the St. Louis Rams' 78th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth under head coach Jeff Fisher, and their 21st and final season in St. Louis, Missouri, their home since the 1995 season.

Contents

The Rams improved on their 6–10 record from 2014 by going 7–9 for the 2015 season, but tied a record set between 1956 and 1966 by missing the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season.

After the season, an arbitral tribunal gave permission for the Rams to void their lease on the Edward Jones Dome. Rams owner Stan Kroenke filed a formal application with the league to relocate the Rams to their long-time home of Los Angeles, California, where the team played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for four seasons at until their stadium in Inglewood, California was complete. They were originally slated to play at the Coliseum for only three seasons; delays in the construction of the new venue resulted in the added season for which they would play at the historic Coliseum. Kroenke's request to move the team to Los Angeles was approved on January 12, 2016, at a meeting in Houston, Texas. [1]

The Rams' starting quarterbacks during the season, Nick Foles and Case Keenum, started against each other at quarterback in the 2017 NFC Championship Game, for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. [2] The Eagles won that meeting and Super Bowl LII, with Foles being named Super Bowl MVP.

2015 draft class

2015 St. Louis Rams Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
1 10 Todd Gurley RB Georgia
257 Rob Havenstein OT Wisconsin
372 Jamon Brown OT Louisville
89 Sean Mannion QB Oregon State
4119 Andrew Donnal OT Iowa
6201 Bud Sasser WR Missouri
215 Cody Wichmann OG Fresno State
7224 Bryce Hager ILB Baylor
227 Martin Ifedi DE Memphis
Compensatory selection

Draft trades

Supplemental draft

The Rams selected Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in the 2015 Supplemental draft. As a result, the team will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 draft. [3]

Staff

2015 St. Louis Rams staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2015 St. Louis Rams final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 13 inactive, 8 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 14at Oakland Raiders L 3–180–1 O.co Coliseum Recap
2August 23at Tennessee Titans L 14–270–2 Nissan Stadium Recap
3August 29 Indianapolis Colts L 14–240–3 Edward Jones Dome Recap
4September 3 Kansas City Chiefs L 17–240–4Edward Jones Dome Recap

Regular season

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 13 Seattle Seahawks W 34–31 (OT)1–0 Edward Jones Dome Recap
2September 20at Washington Redskins L 10–241–1 FedExField Recap
3September 27 Pittsburgh Steelers L 6–121–2Edward Jones Dome Recap
4October 4at Arizona Cardinals W 24–222–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
5October 11at Green Bay Packers L 10–242–3 Lambeau Field Recap
6 Bye
7October 25 Cleveland Browns W 24–63–3Edward Jones Dome Recap
8November 1 San Francisco 49ers W 27–64–3Edward Jones Dome Recap
9November 8at Minnesota Vikings L 18–21 (OT)4–4 TCF Bank Stadium Recap
10November 15 Chicago Bears L 13–374–5Edward Jones Dome Recap
11November 22at Baltimore Ravens L 13–164–6 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
12November 29at Cincinnati Bengals L 7–314–7 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
13December 6 Arizona Cardinals L 3–274–8Edward Jones Dome Recap
14December 13 Detroit Lions W 21–145–8Edward Jones Dome Recap
15December 17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 31–236–8Edward Jones Dome Recap
16December 27at Seattle Seahawks W 23–177–8 CenturyLink Field Recap
17January 3at San Francisco 49ers L 16–19 (OT)7–9 Levi's Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week One: Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Seahawks73318031
Rams010147334

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

The Rams opened their 2015 season at home against Seattle. In Nick Foles' Rams debut, he threw for 297 yards and a touchdown.

The defense, for the most part, sacked Russell Wilson several times and limited Marshawn Lynch to just 73 rushing yards.

The game was hard fought and the Rams would win in overtime, 34-31.

Week 2: at Washington Redskins

Week Two: St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams0010010
Redskins1070724

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

The Rams traveled to Maryland to take on the Redskins. They struggled offensively and defensively all game. The defense, for the most part, struggled to contain Matt Jones on the ground as Jones had a big day with 123 yards rushing along with two touchdowns.

Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Three: Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Steelers360312
Rams03036

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

Prior to kickoff, the game was delayed due to the turf being caught on fire, coming from the fireworks.

The Rams struggled offensively and defensively all game long. The defense, for the most part, sacked Ben Roethlisberger until he left the game with an apparent knee injury. Michael Vick took over for the rest of the game.

Late in the fourth quarter Kenny Britt's catch was overturned. The Steelers would go on to beat the Rams, 12-6.

Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals

Week Four: St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams737724
Cardinals3631022

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

The Rams traveled to Phoenix to meet the red-hot Cardinals, the 2nd highest-scoring team in the league. Todd Gurley earned his first start as Rams' running back and he finished the game with 146 rushing yards. After the game, Bruce Arians commented that Gurley, "played like a rookie". The Rams defense, for the most part, held the Cardinals to field goals, and sacked Carson Palmer four times. With the close win, the Rams improved to 2-2.

Week 5: at Green Bay Packers

Week Five: St. Louis Rams at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams0100010
Packers1407324

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Traveling to Lambeau, the Rams looked to end the Packers' hot streak at 4-1. However, they failed to do this, as Nick Foles was intercepted four times. On defense, James Laurinitis intercepted a pass from Aaron Rodgers, Rodger's first interception thrown in Lambeau in 20 games. However, the defense, for the most part, struggled to contain the Packers explosive receiving corps all day long. With the loss, the Rams dropped to 2-3.

Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Seven: Cleveland Browns at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Browns03306
Rams1007724

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

For the first time since Week 8 of 2007, the Rams hosted the Cleveland Browns in St. Louis. In the first quarter, Rodney McLeod returned a fumble to the end zone to give the Rams the game's first points. Todd Gurley was limited to just 45 yards in the first half, but he managed to turn things around in the second half, rushing for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

With the win, the Rams went to 3-3.

Week 8: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Eight: San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
49ers33006
Rams2180727

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (domed stadium)
  • Game attendance: 51,207
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, David Diehl and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Rams wore their 1973-1999 throwbacks against the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in the season. Todd Gurley had another productive day, and he rushed for 133 yards, including a 71-yard run for a touchdown. The Rams used two Tavon Austin touchdowns for the final score. Although Chris Long did not play, the Rams executed defensively, putting pressure on Colin Kaepernick all game long.

With the win, the Rams improved to 4-3, making it the first time since 2012 the Rams were above .500 excluding a Week 1 victory.

Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Nine: St. Louis Rams at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Rams6903018
Vikings10080321

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

Nine years after Week 17 of 2006, the Rams traveled to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. In that game, the Rams easily defeated the Vikings, 41-21, which stunned the Vikings fans. The game was played at the Metrodome.

In the duel of running backs, between Todd Gurley and Adrian Peterson, Gurley was held to just 89 yards. Peterson was the game's leading rusher with 125 yards.

Without several defensive starters including Robert Quinn, the Rams defense struggled to contain the Vikings offense, especially their explosive receiving corps, all game long.

In the second quarter, Greg Zuerlein nailed a 61-yard field goal to give the Rams a 12-10 lead. The field goal put Zuerlein 7th in NFL history for longest field goal made, and as the only kicker in NFL history besides Sebastian Janikowski to have more than one field goal of 60 yards or longer in his career.

In the second half, Lamarcus Joyner hit Teddy Bridgewater in the head, forcing Teddy to leave the game with a concussion. Thom Brennaman called the hit on Bridgewater "dirty". Shaun Hill, who played for the Rams last year and returned to Minnesota for his second stint in the off-season, took over for Teddy for the game's remainder.

With the Rams trailing 18-15 in the fourth quarter, Zuerlein booted another field goal, forcing the game into overtime. However, in that period, Minnesota's Blair Walsh nailed the game-winning field goal to give the Vikings the final score.

With the narrow loss, the Rams dropped to 4-4.

Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Ten: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bears101401337
Rams1003013

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

Two years after Week 12 of 2013, the Rams hosted the Chicago Bears.

Prior to Week 10, Stedman Bailey was suspended for 4 games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Later, the Rams acquired free agent Wes Welker, who last played for the Denver Broncos last season. He helped the Broncos to the Super Bowl in 2013.

The Rams struggled all game especially on defense in which they could not contain the Bears offense, especially the running game despite an injury to Matt Forte. Nick Foles struggled all day and this time it would force Case Keenum to take over late in the fourth quarter. Much like last week at Minnesota, Todd Gurley was once again held to 89 yards. Newly acquired Welker was no help, either.

With the embarrassing loss, the Rams dropped to 4-5.

Week 11: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Eleven: St. Louis Rams at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams706013
Ravens0301316

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 71,105
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Case Keenum started in place of the incumbent Nick Foles.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 13, Greg Zurlien missed a 52-yarder which would have sealed the Rams victory. With a second left, Justin Tucker nailed a 41-yarder to give the Ravens the final score.

The Rams defense could not contain the Ravens offense all game, especially the running game.

With the loss, the Rams fell to 4-6, extending their losing streak to 3 games.

Week 12: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Twelve: St. Louis Rams at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams07007
Bengals71014031

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 61,022
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Rams suffered a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

A rejuvenated Nick Foles got his starting job back after being benched in favor of Case Keenum, who suffered a concussion after last week's loss in Baltimore. However, Foles' return was marred as he struggled to find open receivers and was picked off three times by the Bengals ranked defense. He also took hits throughout the game and he was sacked a few times. The only Rams score was a 5-yard run by Tavon Austin on a reverse play in the second quarter.

St. Louis' defense was not a factor all game as they struggled to stop the high-powered Bengals offense led by quarterback Andy Dalton, and receivers A. J. Green, and Tyler Eifert, (the latter left the game with a stinger) who is leading the league in touchdown catches.

With the loss, the Rams extended their losing streak to 4 games, making their record 4-7.

Week 13: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Thirteen: Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cardinals7314327
Rams00303

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

This game was the second time in the season the Rams wore their 1999 throwbacks and the second time the Rams face the Cardinals.

Although they did put pressure on Carson Palmer, St Louis' defense overall failed to stop Arizona's much-hyped offense, especially the running game. As for the Rams offense, Todd Gurley was limited to just 41 rushing yards.

With the loss, the Rams dropped to 4-8. A day after, the Rams fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti.

Week 14: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Fourteen: Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Lions007714
Rams077721

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: December 13
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 51,202
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Rams finally snapped their 4-game losing streak by defeating the Detroit Lions.

A photo of rapper and Roc Nation founder Jay Z in the Rams locker room along with his client Todd Gurley, and several Rams players was released shortly after.

With the win, the Rams went up to 5-8.

Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Fifteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Buccaneers3031723
Rams1477331

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: December 17
  • Game time: 7:25 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 51,295
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (NFLN): Ian Eagle, Trent Green and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Rams hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by rookie quarterback Jameis Winston.

The "Color Rush" jerseys was used for this game. It was the first time the Rams wore the Color Rush Jersey. [4]

In what ultimately turned out to be their final game played in St. Louis, before returning to Los Angeles for next season, Rams fans were seen holding signs saying, "Keep the Rams in St. Louis" and chants of "Keep the Rams" were heard after the game.

Despite offensive production from Tampa Bay, the Rams still managed a 31-23 victory and went to 6-8 with Case Keenum throwing for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns, Todd Gurley rushing 48 yards, Tavon Austin rushing 32 yards and a touchdown, Kenny Britt receiving for 71 yards and 1 touchdown, and Jared Cook receiving for 64 yards. The Rams offense dominated this game as well the defense also put pressure on the Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.

With the win, the Rams improved their record to 6-8.

Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Sixteen: St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Rams1060723
Seahawks037717

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 3:25 pm. CST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 69,080
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Holly Sonders
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Seahawks win over Cleveland in Week 15 eliminated the Rams from playoff contention for the 11th consecutive season. The Rams were able to sweep their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks in their regular season series. The last time the Rams did this was 2004.

With that win, the Rams record improved to 7-8, riding a 3-game winning streak.

Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Seventeen: St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period1234OTTotal
Rams31300016
49ers01033319

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Game information

This Rams faced the 49ers in the season in what was their final game as the St. Louis Rams before moving to Los Angeles. Unlike in Week 8 at home, the Rams lost the game 16-19 in overtime. The Rams were without Todd Gurley, who suffered a foot injury in the third quarter of Week 16's win at Seattle.

With that loss, the Rams finished the 2015 NFL season at 7-9, making the season the ninth consecutive losing season for the Rams in St. Louis.

Standings

Division

NFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Arizona Cardinals 1330.8134–210–2489313L1
(6) Seattle Seahawks 1060.6253–37–5423277W1
St. Louis Rams 790.4384–26–6280330L1
San Francisco 49ers 5110.3131–54–8238387W1

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division Leaders
1 Carolina Panthers South1510.9385–111–1.441.438W1
2 Arizona Cardinals West1330.8134–210–2.477.457L1
3 Minnesota Vikings North1150.6885–18–4.504.449W3
4 Washington Redskins East970.5634–28–4.465.403W4
Wild Cards
5 [lower-alpha 1] Green Bay Packers North1060.6253–37–5.531.450L2
6 [lower-alpha 1] Seattle Seahawks West1060.6253–37–5.520.431W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Atlanta Falcons South880.5001–55–7.480.453L1
8 [lower-alpha 2] St. Louis Rams West790.4384–26–6.527.482L1
9 [lower-alpha 2] Detroit Lions North790.4383–36–6.535.429W3
10 [lower-alpha 2] Philadelphia Eagles East790.4383–34–8.508.473W1
11 [lower-alpha 2] New Orleans Saints South790.4383–35–7.504.402W2
12 [lower-alpha 3] New York Giants East6100.3752–44–8.500.396L3
13 [lower-alpha 3] Chicago Bears North6100.3751–53–9.547.469L1
14 [lower-alpha 3] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South6100.3753–35–7.484.406L4
15 San Francisco 49ers West5110.3131–54–8.539.463W1
16 Dallas Cowboys East4120.2503–33–9.531.438L4
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 4]
  1. 1 2 Green Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on head-to-head victory.
  2. 1 2 3 4 St. Louis and Detroit finished ahead of Philadelphia and New Orleans based on conference record. St. Louis finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
    Detroit finished ahead of Philadelphia and New Orleans based on head-to-head sweep, while Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 3 The New York Giants and Chicago each finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on head-to-head victory, while the Giants finished ahead of Chicago based on conference record.
  4. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Awards and honors

RecipientAward(s)
Aaron Donald Week 1: NFC Defensive Player of the Week
Week 14: NFC Defensive Player of the Week
Tavon Austin Week 1: NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Benny Cunningham Week 15: NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Todd Gurley NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Atlanta Falcons season</span> 53rd season in franchise history

The 2018 season was the Atlanta Falcons' 53rd in the National Football League, their second playing their home games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their fourth under head coach Dan Quinn. The Falcons attempted to be the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium as an expected Super Bowl contender. However, the Falcons were riddled with injuries, losing 7 starters to IR with the Falcons stumbling to a 1–4 start.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 New Orleans Saints season</span> NFL team season

The 2018 season was the New Orleans Saints' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 12th under head coach Sean Payton.

References

  1. Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  2. "The unique friendship behind Foles vs. Keenum".
  3. "Isaiah Battle picked by Rams, is 1st supplemental pick since 2012". ESPN . July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  4. "LOOK: NFL goes color crazy, teases 8 alternative unis for Thursday games". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 17, 2017.