The 1977Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 40th year with the National Football League and the 32nd season in Los Angeles. Hobbled by chronic knee woes, Joe Namath was waived by the New York Jets, who were unable to trade him. Namath signed with the L.A. Rams in May 1977. Hope of a revival was stirred when they won two of their first three games, but Namath was hampered by low mobility. After a poor performance in a Monday night loss to the Bears, Namath never saw NFL game action again.[1] Head coach Chuck Knox was fired after a playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings due to frustration by the ownership of him not being able to reach the Super Bowl.
Namath threw a 27-yard TD pass to Harold Jackson early, but then it was all Falcons as their defense totally shut down the running game. Scott Hunter, starting in place of injured Steve Bartkowski, directed a ball-control attack and ran for a touchdown.
Namath's final NFL start and game. He was 16 for 40 and once again victimized by no running game. Rams did get off to a 13-0 lead, but Bears QB Bob Avellini completed two long touchdown passes to James Scott and Walter Payton ran for 126 yards to bring the Bears back.
Pat Haden took back over as the starting quarterback and led a ball-control attack with McCutcheon gaining 152 yards and rookie Wendell Tyler scoring his first career NFL touchdown on a 16-yard run.
In a Monday Night blowout, Haden passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. The Rams' defense sacked Fran Tarkenton four times and intercepted him twice, both by rookie Pat Thomas.
Against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Rams survived a late scoring drive and touchdown pass by Ken Stabler by answering with a 43-yard Haden-to-Harold Jackson touchdown bomb with around two minutes left. The win clinched the Rams' fifth straight division title.
In the cold and rain at RFK Stadium, Redskins QB Billy Kilmer threw for two early TD's. Rookie backup QB Vince Ferragamo nearly led the Rams back in the second half with two TD's of his own, but Septien missed a potential game-tying FG with no time left.
Rams moved from Cleveland to LA in 1946 • Relocated in 1994 (Now the St. Louis Rams) • Previously based in Los Angeles and Anaheim, California, California
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