2019 Los Angeles Rams season
The 2019 season was the Los Angeles Rams' 82nd in the National Football League, their 83rd overall, their 53rd in the Greater Los Angeles Area and their third under head coach Sean McVay. It also marked the Rams' final season playing their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as the team will move into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood beginning with the 2020 season alongside the Los Angeles Chargers. They entered the season as the defending NFC champions looking to bounce back after their Super Bowl LIII loss to the New England Patriots and attempt to become the first team since the 2014 Seattle Seahawks to repeat as NFC champions and return to the Super Bowl, as well as attempt to become the first team since the 2018 New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl the year after losing it the year before. However, the Rams failed to match their 13–3 record from 2018 after a 17–12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Although the Rams' temporary stadium was officially known as United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this season, the team removed any references to the corporate sponsor due to a team sponsorship from one of its competitors, American Airlines.
The Rams struggled during the season after beginning the season 3–0 and were officially eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2016, after a 34–31 loss to their NFC West rival, San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. This was their first non-playoff season under head coach Sean McVay.
Offseason
Coaching changes
- The Cincinnati Bengals hired Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their new head coach February 4, 2019. Pass game coordinator Shane Waldron will assume quarterback coach responsibilities, and the Rams hired Zac Robinson as an assistant quarterbacks coach.
- The Rams hired Wes Phillips, son of Wade Phillips, as tight ends coach February 12, 2019. The younger Phillips had served in the same position with the Washington Redskins from 2014 through 2018. He had originally succeeded Sean McVay in that position after McVay was elevated to offensive coordinator.
- Eric Henderson was hired as defensive line coach, replacing Bill Johnson. Prior to joining the Rams, Henderson had served one season as assistant defensive line coach for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Roster changes
Free agents
Position | Player | 2019 Team | Date signed | Contract |
RB | C.J. Anderson | Detroit Lions | April 1, 2019 | 1 year, $1.5 million |
RB | Malcolm Brown | Los Angeles Rams | March 22, 2019 | 2 years, $3.3 million |
SS | Blake Countess | Philadelphia Eagles | May 3, 2019 | 2 years, $2.35 million |
DT | Dominique Easley | |||
OLB | Dante Fowler Jr. | Los Angeles Rams | March 10, 2019 | 1 year, $14 million |
ILB | Bryce Hager | Los Angeles Rams | May 6, 2019 | 1 year, $805,000 |
CB | Troy Hill | Los Angeles Rams | May 30, 2019 | 2 years, $8.25 million |
FS | Lamarcus Joyner | Oakland Raiders | March 13, 2019 | 4 years, $42 million |
ILB | Cory Littleton | Los Angeles Rams | May 20, 2019 | 1 year, $3.095 million |
OLB | Matt Longacre | Arizona Cardinals | July 24, 2019 | 1 year, $805,000 |
QB | Sean Mannion | Minnesota Vikings | April 7, 2019 | 1 year, $900,000 |
G | Rodger Saffold | Tennessee Titans | March 13, 2019 | 4 years, $44 million |
CB | Sam Shields | |||
NT | Ndamukong Suh | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | May 21, 2019 | 1 year, $9.25 million |
C | John Sullivan | |||
DT | Ethan Westbrooks | Oakland Raiders | July 30, 2019 | 1 year, $805,000 |
ILB | Ramik Wilson | Jacksonville Jaguars | May 1, 2019 | 1 year, $805,000 |
- Blake Countess was waived by the Rams on May 2, 2019 after declining to take a pay cut on his one-year, $2.025 million tender signed the previous month.
Free agent signings
NFL Draft
Notes- The Rams traded their second-round selection as well as their fourth-round selection in 2018 to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the Chiefs' sixth-round selection in 2018 and cornerback Marcus Peters.
- The Rams traded their third-round selection as well as their 2020 fifth-round selection to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for defensive end Dante Fowler.
- The Rams traded their seventh-round selection and linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants in exchange for the Giants' fourth- and sixth-round selections in 2018.
- As the result of a negative differential of free agent signings and departures that the Rams experienced during the free agency period, the Rams were awarded three compensatory draft picks for the 2019 NFL Draft, two in the third round and one in the seventh round. The 98th pick was given to the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the Dante Fowler trade.
- The Rams traded their first-round and sixth-round selections to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for the Falcons' second-round and third-round picks.
- The Rams traded their second-round pick acquired from Atlanta to the New England Patriots in exchange for the Patriots' second-round, acquired from Chicago, and third-round selections.
- The Rams traded their second-round selection, acquired from New England to Kansas City in exchange for the Chiefs' second-round and fifth-round pick.
- The Rams acquired a third-round pick from Tampa Bay, with the Buccaneers receiving two of the Rams' remaining third-round selections from New England, with the Patriots receiving the Rams' remaining third-round and fourth-round to New England in exchange for the Patriots' fourth-round and seventh-round selections.
Undrafted free agents
Position | Player | College |
TE | Kendall Blanton | Missouri |
WR | Alex Bachman | Wake Forest |
G | Chandler Brewer | Middle Tennessee State |
TE | Romello Brooker | Houston |
TE | Keenan Brown | Texas State |
RB | Matthew Colburn | Wake Forest |
DT | Marquise Copeland | Cincinnati |
LB | Landis Durham | Texas A&M |
WR | Jalen Greene | Utah State |
G | Brandon Hitner | Villanova |
C | Vitas Hrynkiewicz | Youngstown State |
OT | Matt Kaskey | Dartmouth |
LB | Ketner Kupp | Eastern Washington |
WR | Jonathan Lloyd | Duke |
LB | Natrez Patrick | Georgia |
OL | Justice Powers | UAB |
LB | Troy Reeder | Delaware |
DT | Owen Roberts | San Jose State |
WR | Justin Sumpter | Kennesaw State |
DT | Tyrell Thompson | Tarleton State |
WR | Nsimba Webster | Eastern Washington |
Staff
Final roster
Preseason
The Rams announced that they would host a preseason game at Aloha Stadium outside Honolulu, Hawaii. On March 21, the exhibition matchup between the Rams and the Dallas Cowboys was officially announced for Saturday, August 17. Continuing a trend he had established the previous season, head coach Sean McVay kept his established starters off the field for the entire preseason, with only his special teams unit of long snapper Jake McQuaide, punter Johnny Hekker, and kicker Greg Zuerlein in their regular season roles.Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
1 | at Oakland Raiders | L 3–14 | 0–1 | RingCentral Coliseum | ||
2 | Dallas Cowboys | L 10–14 | 0–2 | Aloha Stadium | ||
3 | Denver Broncos | W 10–6 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | ||
4 | at Houston Texans | W 22–10 | 2–2 | NRG Stadium |
Regular season
Schedule
Notes- Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
- For Rams home games, their home stadium will revert to its original name Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and all signage indicating "United Airlines Field" will be covered due to the franchise's sponsoring partnership with American Airlines.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Carolina Panthers
Shaking off a slow start, Todd Gurley had 97 rushing yards while Malcolm Brown added 53 yards and two touchdowns as the Rams won their season opener for the third time in as many years under head coach Sean McVay. Following a scoreless first quarter, Los Angeles took the lead on a 49-yard field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein. Linebacker Samson Ebukam deflected a lateral attempt by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and recovered the fumble, which helped set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Brown and a 10-0 Rams lead. Both L.A. and Carolina traded field goals before halftime. Zuerlein added his third field goal and Brown added a second touchdown in the third quarter as the Rams held a 23-13 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Gurley, who was held to only eight yards on five carries in the first half, had 89 yards on nine attempts in the second half and helped to set up the Rams' final score, a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to tight end Tyler Higbee. Goff completed 23 of 39 passes for 186 yards, while wide receiver Robert Woods led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Making his return to the lineup after a season-ending injury in 2018, wide receiver Cooper Kupp had seven receptions for 46 yards. On defense, linebacker Cory Littleton had an interception, a forced fumble and fumble recovery to go along with his team-high eight tackles, while fellow linebacker Dante Fowler added a pair of sacks and Clay Matthews III had another in his first game with the Rams. Another new Ram, safety Eric Weddle, was taken out of the game in the second quarter following a collision with Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey that resulted in a head laceration.Week 2: vs. New Orleans Saints
Playing their home opener at the renovated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the final time, the Rams hosted the Saints in a rematch of the 2018 NFC Championship Game and came away with a convincing victory. The game featured a strong defensive effort by both teams in the first half and early in the third quarter, as they traded two field goals each, with Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein connecting on attempts from 24 and 22 yards in the first half. With the score tied at 6–6 midway through the third quarter, the Rams mounted a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley to give them a 13–6 advantage. After the Rams defense had back-to-back sacks to force a Saints punt, JoJo Natson returned the kick 32 yards to set the Rams up at the New Orleans 26. Three rushes for 16 yards by running back Malcolm Brown put the Rams on the 2-yard line and quarterback Jared Goff connected with wide receiver Brandin Cooks for the score. Following a Saints field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Rams faced third-and-2 from their own 33 when Goff hit wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who broke four tackles as he weaved through the Saints defense for a spectacular 66-yard catch-and-run before being brought down inches from the goal line. On the next play from scrimmage, Goff scored on a quarterback sneak to end the day's scoring. Kupp had five receptions for 120 yards, both team highs, in his first game back at the Coliseum since suffering a torn ACL there 10 months earlier. Goff completed 19 of 28 passes for 283 yards and two scores with no interceptions, and Gurley had 63 yards on 16 carries with one touchdown. Defensively, safety Eric Weddle and linebacker Cory Littleton shared the team lead in tackles with five each, while linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive end Michael Brockers each had a sack. Strong safety John Johnson added four tackles and an interception of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who left the game in the first quarter with a hand injury and did not return. The Rams began their 38th and final season at the Coliseum, as they will move to SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood in 2020. The official name of the Rams' future stadium was announced earlier in the day on the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show.Week 3: at Cleveland Browns
Safety John Johnson's end zone interception of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield with 27 seconds remaining capped a successful goal line stand as the Rams improved to 3–0 with their first win on Sunday Night Football in 14 years. Los Angeles took a first quarter lead on a 53-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, but fell behind for the first time in the season after giving up a pair of field goals to Browns kicker Austin Seibert. Jared Goff completed 24 of 38 passes for 269 yards with two touchdown passes to wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who finished with a team-high 11 receptions for 102 yards, while fellow wide receiver Brandin Cooks added eight receptions for 112 yards. Johnson led the Rams with nine tackles, with safety Eric Weddle and defensive end Michael Brockers adding six tackles each. Linebacker Clay Matthews III had three tackles with two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection playing in front of a FirstEnergy Stadium crowd that witnessed his father and namesake Clay Matthews Jr. be inducted into the Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor. The younger Matthews joined his family during the final moments of the halftime ceremony. The Rams won a Sunday Night game for the first time since a 20–10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys that was played on January 1, 2006, the final week of the 2005 NFL season.Week 4: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
set personal bests for passing attempts, completions, and yards, but also had four turnovers as the Rams lost for the first time in the season. Host Los Angeles fell behind 21–0 early in the second quarter and spent the rest of the day trying to catch up, as Goff tied a league record with 45 pass completions, and his 68 pass attempts tied for third-most in league history. In addition to his new team records for single game attempts and completions, which broke marks previously held by Marc Bulger, Goff's 517 passing yards tied with Tom Brady for the eighth-highest single-game total in NFL records, and was exceeded only by Norm Van Brocklin's league-record 554 yards against the New York Yanks in 1951 for the highest total in team history. However, Goff threw three interceptions and then fumbled once with just over a minute remaining when he was sacked and stripped of the ball by Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, with defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh picking it up and running it 37 yards for the touchdown to seal the victory against his former team. Wide receiver Robert Woods had a career-high 13 receptions for 164 yards, while Cooper Kupp added nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown and running back Todd Gurley had seven receptions for 54 yards. Though Gurley scored two rushing touchdowns, he ran the ball a career-low five times for only 16 yards as the large early deficit led the Rams to abandon the running game. Safety Eric Weddle had 15 tackles to lead the Rams, and cornerback Marcus Peters picked off a Jameis Winston pass and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.Week 5: at Seattle Seahawks
's 44-yard field goal attempt went wide right with 11 seconds remaining, and the Rams' comeback bid fell short at CenturyLink Field. Zuerlein ended L.A.'s first two drives with field goals of 47 and 32 yards for a 6–0 first-quarter lead. After Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns to put his team up 14–6, Jared Goff guided the Rams on an eight-play, 62-yard drive that was capped with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Goff to wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who finished with a team-high nine receptions for 117 yards. In the second half, running back Todd Gurley scored two rushing touchdowns and Zuerlein added his third field goal to give the Rams a 29–24 advantage with less than 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but Wilson led his team to the go-ahead touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. Tight end Gerald Everett had a career single-game best seven receptions for 136 yards, and caught three passes for 46 yards on the Rams' final drive to set up Zuerlein's fourth and final attempt of the day, which just missed the upright and denied L.A.'s bid for a third straight win at Seattle. Goff completed 29 of 49 passes for 395 with one touchdown and one interception. Making his first professional NFL start, rookie free agent linebacker Troy Reeder led the Rams with 13 tackles and linebacker Clay Matthews III had five tackles, including a sack, but was flagged for a questionable roughing the passer penalty that kept the Seahawks' final scoring drive alive. With the loss, the Rams fell to 3–2 on the season, while the Seahawks improved to 4–1.Week 6: vs. San Francisco 49ers
A critical turnover broke open a tie game in the second half as the 49ers shut down the Rams' offense in a key NFC West battle at the Coliseum. Los Angeles fell to 3–3, losing three games in a row for the first time in the Sean McVay era. Quarterback Jared Goff, who two weeks earlier had passed for a career-high 517 yards in a loss to Tampa Bay, was held to a career-low 78 passing yards and was sacked four times. Playing without Todd Gurley, the Rams running game started fast on its opening drive, going 56 yards on seven plays with wide receiver Robert Woods scoring a touchdown from eight yards out to give Los Angeles an early 7–0 lead; however, Gurley's replacement, Malcolm Brown, who rushed five times for 40 yards on the opening drive, was held to four carries and one yard for the remainder of the game, and failed twice to score from the 1-yard line in a second-quarter goal-line stand. Rookie running back Darrell Henderson saw his first significant playing time of the season, carrying three times for 40 yards to set up that second-quarter scoring opportunity, but he failed to handle Goff's pitchout on the first play of the second half, and four plays later, the 49ers went ahead for good. The San Francisco defense held the Rams to only seven rushing yards on seven attempts after halftime, and gave up only one pass play of more than nine yards in the entire game. The Rams defense was led by linebacker Cory Littleton, who had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery, and defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who had two sacks of 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, including a forced fumble. The Rams held San Francisco's then-No. 1-ranked rushing offense to just 99 yards on 41 rushing plays. Cornerback Marcus Peters had four tackles and an interception in his final game with the Rams before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens two days later.Week 7: at Atlanta Falcons
The Rams produced five sacks and forced three turnovers and snapped a five-game losing streak to Atlanta dating back to 2007 to improve to 4-3 on the season. Edge rusher Dante Fowler had a career-high three sacks among his team-leading seven total tackles along with a pass deflection and a forced fumble. In his first game with the Rams following a midseason trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, cornerback Jalen Ramsey had four tackles and a forced fumble. On offense, quarterback Jared Goff passed for two touchdowns and ran for another, while Robert Woods led the Rams with five receptions for 80 yards. Running back Todd Gurley contributed 41 yards rushing and had his first TD reception of the season, and the Rams allowed no sacks and were turnover-free for the first time in 2019. Kicker Greg Zuerlein had three field goals, while punter Johnny Hekker connected on a 23-yard pass to Nick Scott on a fake punt to help up a Rams score.Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
NFL London GamesWide receiver Cooper Kupp caught seven passes for a career-high 220 yards and a touchdown to lead the Rams to their first win over the Bengals since 2003. Kupp, who had five catches for 165 yards in the first half alone, scored on a wild double-reverse flea-flicker play midway through the second quarter in which he took a handoff from quarterback Jared Goff going right, then handed the ball to fellow wide receiver Robert Woods going left, who then tossed it back to a waiting Goff, who found Kupp breaking free down the right sideline for the touchdown that put the Rams ahead for good. Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Josh Reynolds had three receptions for 73 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown, playing in relief of starter Brandin Cooks, who suffered a concussion on the Rams' opening drive and did not return to the game. Rookie safety Taylor Rapp led the defense with 12 tackles, while the Rams combined for five sacks on the day. Head coach Sean McVay remained undefeated against AFC opponents during the regular season, getting the win over Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, who spent the two previous seasons on McVay's staff as a Rams assistant coach. The game also marked a significant milestone for Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, a 14-year NFL veteran who spent his first 11 seasons playing for the Bengals. With the victory, Whitworth became only the 12th starter in league history to earn victories over all 32 NFL teams.