| 1976 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
| Head coach | Chuck Knox |
| Home field | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–3–1 |
| Division place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (at Cowboys) 14–12 Lost NFC Championship (at Vikings) 13–24 |
| Uniform | |
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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.
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
Main article: 1976 NFL expansion draft| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | Ken Geddes | Linebacker | Seattle Seahawks |
| 0 | 0 | Eddie McMillan | Cornerback | Seattle Seahawks |
| 0 | 0 | Willie McGee | Wide receiver | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
NFL Draft
Main article: 1976 NFL Draft| 1976 Los Angeles Rams draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Kevin McLain | Linebacker | Colorado State | |
| 2 | 39 | Pat Thomas * | Cornerback | Texas A&M | |
| 2 | 53 | Ron McCartney | Linebacker | Tennessee | |
| 3 | 86 | Jackie Slater * | Tackle | Jackson State | |
| 4 | 94 | Gerald Taylor | Wide receiver | Texas A&I | |
| 5 | 128 | Carl Ekern | Linebacker | San Jose State | |
| 5 | 150 | Ken Bordelon | Defensive end | LSU | |
| 5 | 155 | Dwight Scales | Wide receiver | Grambling State | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
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Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
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Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB)
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Reserve
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Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 30–14 | 1–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 53,607 | |
| 2 | September 19 | at Minnesota Vikings | T 10–10 | 1–0–1 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,310 | |
| 3 | September 26 | New York Giants | W 24–10 | 2–0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 60,698 | |
| 4 | October 3 | at Miami Dolphins | W 31–28 | 3–0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 60,753 | |
| 5 | October 11 | San Francisco 49ers | L 0–16 | 3–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 80,532 | |
| 6 | October 17 | Chicago Bears | W 20–12 | 4–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 71,751 | |
| 7 | October 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 16–10 | 5–1–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 51,984 | |
| 8 | October 31 | Seattle Seahawks | W 45–6 | 6–1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 52,035 | |
| 9 | November 7 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 12–20 | 6–2–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 52,480 | |
| 10 | November 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | L 28–30 | 6–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 64,698 | |
| 11 | November 21 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 23–3 | 7–3–1 | Candlestick Park | 58,573 | |
| 12 | November 28 | New Orleans Saints | W 33–14 | 8–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 54,906 | |
| 13 | December 4 | Atlanta Falcons | W 59–0 | 9–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 57,366 | |
| 14 | December 11 | at Detroit Lions | W 20–17 | 10–3–1 | Pontiac Municipal Stadium | 73,470 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Playoffs
Main article: 1976–77 NFL playoffs| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 19 | at Dallas Cowboys (2) | W 14–12 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | 62,436 |
| NFC Championship | December 26 | at Minnesota Vikings (1) | L 13–24 | 1–1 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,191 |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 7–0 | 9–2–1 | 351 | 190 | W4 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 5–2 | 7–5 | 270 | 190 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–5 | 3–8 | 253 | 346 | L3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 2–5 | 4–8 | 172 | 312 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–3 | 1–12 | 229 | 429 | L5 |
References
| Los Angeles Rams | |
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| Franchise | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Retired numbers | |
| Media | |
| Wild card berths (9) | |
| Division championships (19) | |
| Conference championships (8) | |
| League championships (4) | |
| Current league affiliations |
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| Former league affiliation |
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| Los Angeles Rams seasons | |
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| Played in Cleveland (1936–1945) and St. Louis (1995–2015) | |
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| Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance |
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