The Los Angeles Rams are still wading into the offseason after a playoff showing that got them within weeks of winning it all. The Chiefs and Eagles battled it out in front of the world on Sunday, but even just days before the event took place, Juju Smith-Schuster had no problem recalling what the Rams did in the playoffs.
Speaking at a press event in New Orleans in the week leading up to the big game, the Chiefs wide receiver was asked if he ever believed his team could see themselves facing Matthew Stafford.
“I think for them to go out, beat the Vikings, that was huge. To see them play against the Eagles was also a good game I would say. They definitely caught our eye later in the season,” he declared.
So, the 2021 Super Bowl champs caught the eye of the Chiefs long before the big game. They ultimately didn’t get to face Mahomes themselves, but at least the Rams can exhale thinking that they lost to the team that won it all.
Based on how the Eagles fared on Sunday, the real Super Bowl might have effectively occurred in the Divisional Round between the Rams and Eagles.
Rams Nearly Defeated Super Bowl Champion Eagles
The 2024-25 Rams might be remembered as the second-best team in the Matthew Stafford era. They didn’t win the Super Bowl, but they went toe-to-toe with the Super Bowl champions and gave them the toughest game of the playoffs.
The Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 22-10, Washington Commanders 23-55, and Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. The only game the Eagles struggled to put away was against the Los Angeles Rams, winning 28-22.
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If nothing else, the team appears to be trending up. In 2022, the Rams finished 5-12. In 2023, they finished 10-7 with a Wild Card round loss. In 2024, they won a playoff game and had a shot to beat the team that would win the Super Bowl in a blowout.
They also had rookie Jared Verse take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
The season didn’t end the way the Rams wanted, but what took place in the playoffs gives plenty of reason to believe the team could be just one or two moves away from being a real threat in 2025.