Do the LA Rams better their chances with better wardrobe?

Lucky charm? Rabbit’s foot? The struggles of the once mighty LA Rams appear to be beyond the control of mortal man. So what can we do? In some cases, the feeling of something beyond your control has plagued mortal mankind throughout history.  And that feeling of some greater power has borne the belief of superstitions.

In our last week’s wardrobe feature, we defined superstition as the widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action, event, or practice based on such a belief. Supernatural causation is the magical, mystical forces of life that we believe exist those steer outcomes beyond our control like the Rams’ struggles to win a football game this season.

But can what a team wears impart that ability? Well, a self-fulfilling prophecy is a thing. And much of what happens to us is built upon our confidence in that outcome. Training prepares the body to act in a certain way. But what trains the mind to act in a certain way? Confidence is the answer.  And confidence can be affected by being well rested, well nourished, well hydrated, and yes, even well dressed.

2020 uniform combinations

Bone / Bone   5-1
Royal / Sol       2-2
Royal / Bone   3-0
Royal / Royal   0-3
Bone / Royal   1-1
Bone / Sol       0-1

Totals             11 – 7

If you had to choose one color from the Rams’ palette, Bone is clearly the most successful color of all the Rams’ uniforms in 2020.  You could make an argument for Royal jerseys, as they have had their day too. . The LA Rams ended up with a record of 8-2 in Bone White and settled for 3-5 in any color combination without that color. But when focusing on the Royal jersey, the Rams played to a 5-5 draw in 2020. The Royal/Bone combination was undefeated at 3-0 in 2020.

2021 uniform combiinations

White / Sol       2-1
Bone / Royal    2-1
Bone / Bone     3-0
Royal / Royal    0-1
Royal / Sol         4-0
Royal / Bone     3-1
Bone / Sol          2-0
White / Royal    0-1

Totals                 16 – 5

In their second season playing with the new logo and color scheme, the Rams’ Royal Blue jersey and Bone White pants resulted in a very impressive 3-1 record. Was that due to the clothes worn? Probably not, but if you believed that there was a relationship, you would want to avoid Classic White jerseys, a jersey that ended up with a 2-2 record.

2022 Rams Uniform Tracker

Now for the 2022 uniforms. At Week 9, how have the LA Rams performed so far?

• Week       Opponent           Jersey       Pants    Outcome

1.      1             Bills                    White        Sol          L  10-31
2.      2             Falcons              Bone         Sol          W 31-27
3.      3             at Cardinals      Bone         Royal     W 20-12
4.      4             at 49ers            White        Royal     L  24-9
5.      5             Cowboys           White        Sol         L  22-10
6.      6             Panthers           Royal         Sol         W  24-10
7.      7             BYE
8.      8             49ers                 Royal         Sol         L   31-14
9.      9             at Buccaneers Royal         Bone     L  16-13
10.   10             Cardinals           Royal         Bone     ???
11.   11             at Saints            White
12.   12             at Chiefs            White
13.   13             Seahawks         Royal
14.   14             Raiders              Royal
15.   15             at Packers         White
16.   16             Broncos             Royal
17.   17             at Chargers       White
18.   18             at Seahawks     White

It appears as though the LA Rams will phase out their Bone White uniform, fashionable or not, a decision that strips the team from one of its most successful options. The Rams jerseys for the remainder of the season are only Royal Blue or Throwback Classic White.

Thankfully, the Rams have not phased out bone pants just yet. And so, this week’s color palette has a successful history. But against what teams? To be more confident in this color combination, let’s revisit the Rams 2021 and 2022 schedules in the Royal / Bone combination:

2021 Week 7: vs Detroit Royal/Bone             W 28-19
2021 Week 13: vs. Jacksonville Royal/Bone W 37-7
2021 Week 15: vs. Seattle Royal/Bone          W 20-10
2021 Week 18: vs. San Fran Royal/Bone        L  27-24
2022 Week 9: @ Tampa Bay Royal/Bone       L   16-13

The LA Rams are 3-2 in their Royal/Bone color combination since 2021, and 0-1 in that combo on the road. Will playing at SoFi Stadium in that uniform combo make a difference? Perhaps if the Rams feel more confident in their Royal/Bone combination, they can win.