LA Rams are still high-stakes gamblers, but 2023 is on house money

The LA Rams appeared in Super Bowl LIII, and lost to the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots by a score of 13-3. The LA Rams also appeared three years later, in Super Bowl LVI, and defeated the Joe Burrow-led Cincinatti Bengals by a score of 30-27. So how does it happen that the Rams, a team that gambles a great deal to win a Super Bowl, and then did win a Super Bowl, is somehow a topic for ridicult?

After all, the LA Rams did hit the jackpot, didn't they? Two appearances in Super Bowls over the span of five NFL seasons is pretty amazing. Winning Super Bowl LVI, a year when the offense was down to Cooper Kupp and well . . . Cooper Kupp was about it, was nothing short of legendary. And while we are not here to relive past glories, we are certainly not going to stand by and accept the fact that the goal of every NFL team is to do anything and everything to win a Super Bowl.

It don't come easy. You know, it don't come easy

If you believe that the LA Rams squandered their future to win a Super Bowl, ask yourself this: Why aren't more teams doing that?

The truth of the matter is that more teams attempted to do that. Those teams simply fell far short of the mark. Do you need some examples? In 2022, trading away and trading for elite NFL players was no longer the exception, but was the rule. You see, the LA Rams' success paved the way for a brand new tactic in the NFL, starting in the 2022 offseason.

The Denver Broncos certainly tried by trading for veteran QB Russell Wilson. The San Francisco 49ers tried by trading for RB Christian McCaffrey. The Cleveland Browns traded for Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson. The Miami Dolphins traded for WR Tyreek Hill. The Las Vegas Raiders traded for WR Davante Adams. And yet, not one of these trades translated into a Super Bowl appearance for the acquiring team.