From tears to cheers: LA Rams sense of urgency rocked the NFL

The LA Rams won Super Bowl LVI for the city of Los Angeles, the first time in the history of the franchise to do so. The LA Rams won Super Bowl LVI in their home field, SoFi Stadium, the second time in the history of the NFL to do so. But a year before, the LA Rams were defeated by the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.

That loss devastated the entire Rams organization. But the image of LA Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, playing through the pain of a significant rib injury suffered late in the Wild Card win against the Seattle Seahawks, crying after the loss was both a bane and a blessing.

Those tears lit a fire under the entire LA Rams organization.  From that moment, the LA Rams staff, coaches, and players were of an entirely different mindset. There was no more playing the odds, playing it safe, or even playing around. The team was not about to squander the best years of so many elite players on the roster.

Aaron Donald Despair? Sean McVay Determination

In the words of head coach Sean McVay:

"“I love this guy (Aaron Donald). And this guy is as much motivation as anybody for why, if we don’t win a Super Bowl — if this guy doesn’t get one — then shame on me.” – Rams head coach Sean McVay per an interview with Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic (subscription required)"

But it was more than Donald. The Green Bay Packers awoke the sleeping giant in Los Angeles.

The LA Rams had Jalen Ramsey, Andrew Whitworth, Leonard Floyd, A’Shawn Robinson, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp. The team would sign Odell Beckham Jr., and trade for Matthew Stafford, Sony Michel, and Von Miller. The team would even coax formerly retired defensive back Eric Weddle out of retirement.

The gauntlet of adversity

The LA Rams 2021 roster was not the island of misfit toys. This was a group who were no longer believed to be or were never thought to be, capable of winning it all. They were hand-picked, chosen specifically for their belief in themselves to be capable of winning it all. And they needed every bit of swagger.

The NFL analysts and pundits were brutal. The roster was too young. The team was too top-heavy in salary distribution. The LA Rams were too beaten up in the secondary, at outside linebacker, at running back, and at wide receiver. The team was too ‘cute’. The team wasn’t physical enough.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford could not win the big one, and Aaron Donald could not carry this defense on his own. The Rams supposedly could not fill the seats of SoFi Stadium. DC Raheem Morris was called to be fired each week.

The journey to the top

That gauntlet for the Rams did not end at Lambeau Field. In many ways, it was just the start of the gauntlet of adversity that would remain in lockstep with the team all year.

The LA Rams, players, coaches, and fans, watched as Aaron Donald cried tears of pain, frustration, and perhaps despair on Lambeau Field. At that moment, he likely asked himself the most basic of all questions: What more could he do to win a Super Bowl ring? He could not do it alone.

But he was not alone, as he would soon discover.

The answer was around him all along

Funny, but the answer to that question was exactly what he did. He let his emotions get the best of him. And at that moment, the entire LA Rams organization lined up to stand beside him. The future was as uncertain then as it is now.  And yet, the vulnerability of one man was all that was needed to prove the invincibility of the team.

The LA Rams watched as Aaron Donald cried at Lambeau Field. Some were delighted at that moment, enjoying the anguish of a highly competitive professional football player at a safe distance. Others shared his despair. But some of us took notes and realized that the LA Rams organization had come to a fork in the road. The organization could play it safe and in doing so lose the trust of the players. Or the organization could act.

The Rams chose action.

Action plan

That set a chain of events into effect that would rock the NFL. It became a ‘sense of urgency,’ that the entire organization adhered to all year.  The team would stumble through injuries, a COVID-19 outbreak, a lack of physicality, and even the inability to defeat the rival San Francisco 49ers. And each time the organization stumbled, another component would stand and steady the rest.

The team that had benefited from Aaron Donald stepping up in big games, learned how to step up for Aaron Donald in big games. With each new challenge, the team learned a new way to overcome challenges.

The journey ended with a Super Bowl victory, and on the last play where Aaron Donald stepped up for the team once more:

This game ended in tears as well. But this was a different flavor of tears. And the message was a bit different as well.

The circle became complete when Aaron Donald burst into tears for the second time in a year. But this time, it was tears of joy. He had helped to lead his team to a Super Bowl LVI victory. At that moment, he learned that he was never alone. God is indeed great. But the LA Rams organization isn’t that bad either.