How are the LA Rams in another 3-year cycle? It's how the Rams roll with Snead and McVay

Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals, Les Snead, Matthew Stafford
Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals, Les Snead, Matthew Stafford / Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages
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What is this zany LA Rams life-cycle?

We first mentioned the LA Rams' three-year life-cycle of the LA Rams back in January 2023. Due to the way the LA Rams have been playing, we revisited the theory of the Rams' three-year cycle once again in November 2023. Like the astronomical enigma of pulses of electromagnetic energy from a distant quasar, the Rams appear to be locked in a pattern of success that defiles any quick and dirty logical analysis.

In short, the Rams have gone from an unsuccessful team that misses the playoffs to a team that competes in the playoffs but is shown the door quickly, to a team that competes in the Super Bowl. That pattern has been adhered to in the past two three-year cycles in the past, and the LA Rams appear to be amid Year 2 of the three-year cycle now. So what is my proof?

The LA Rams pattern holds again

Just check out the data below:

Cycle I:
2016: 4-12
2017: 11-5, 0-1 NFL Playoffs
2018: 13-3, 2-1 NFL Playoffs, Lost in Super Bowl LIII to NE Patriots 13-3

Cycle II:
2019: 9-7
2020: 10-6 1-1 NFL Playoffs
2021: 12-5, 4-0 NFL Playoffs, Won in Super Bowl LVI over Cincinnati Bengals 23-20

Cycle III:
2022: 5-12
2023: 10-7, sixth seed NFL Playoffs
2024: TBD

It's something that defies logic or sense. It's a regular cycle of success that seems to suggest that there is a limit to NFL resources to withstand fierce competition. On one hand, NFL teams can be perennial playoff participants. But have the LA Rams proven that to get to the top in professional football, a team must be willing to commit tomorrow's dollars and draft picks into present day rostered players?