| 1978 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Ray Malavasi |
| Home Field | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 12-4 |
| Place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff Finish | Won Divisional Lost Conference |
| Timeline | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 1977 | 1979 |
The 1978 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 41st year with the National Football League and the 33rd season in Los Angeles.
Offseason
Edit
NFL DraftEdit
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Regular seasonEdit
ScheduleEdit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Notes | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3, 1978 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16-14 | Rookie kicker Frank Corral won it with a 46-yard field goal. | |
| 2 | September 10, 1978 | Atlanta Falcons | W 10-0 | Rams dominated on both offense and defense, outgaining the Falcons 358 yards to 73. Cullen Bryant had a TD run. | |
| 3 | September 17, 1978 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27-14 | Rams got some early bragging rights against the defending Super Bowl champs. Pat Haden's 42-yard bomb in the third quarter to Willie Miller and Rod Perry's interception return TD provided the winning points. | |
| 4 | September 24, 1978 | at Houston Oilers | W 10-6 | Rams won a tight defensive struggle as Cullen Bryant had a TD run and Corral a 25-yard FG. This game would be remembered for Houston rookie Earl Campbell's memorable run in the third quarter through Isiah Robertson and Bill Simpson that ended with a concussion. | |
| 5 | October 1, 1978 | at New Orleans Saints | W 26-20 | Rams jumped to a 20-0 lead, aided by Rod Perry's second interception return TD of the season, then held on for the win despite three scoring passes by Archie Manning. | |
| 6 | October 8, 1978 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27-10 | Defense held 49ers QB Steve DeBerg to 7 for 26 passing and 83 yards. Meanwhile, Rams rushed for 227 yards and another Cullen Bryant TD and Pat Haden threw for two. | |
| 7 | October 15, 1978 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 34-17 | Rams held the Vikings to 222 yards total offense and only 42 yards rushing while rushing for 180 themselves and scoring three fourth-quarter TD's. | |
| 8 | October 22, 1978 | New Orleans Saints | L 10-3 | Rams struggled at home as tackle John Williams was called for seven holding penalties. Archie Manning hit Tony Galbreath with a 19-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter after Rams punter Glen Walker fumbled a snap and was tackled by Saints defensive end Elois Grooms. | |
| 9 | October 30, 1978 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 15-7 | Falcons kicker Tim Mazzetti, who just a month prior had been bartending in New Orleans, booted five field goals in this Monday Night game. | |
| 10 | November 5, 1978 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 26-23 | Bucs QB Doug Williams left early with a broken jaw, but backup Mike Rae nearly led a comeback to a major upset with his passing and running (4 scrambles for 95 yards). Bucs tied it in fourth on a tipped TD pass from Rae to J.K. McKay, but Corral won it with a late field goal as Rams narrowly avoided a third straight loss. | |
| 11 | November 12, 1978 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 10-7 | Rams won a tough defensive struggle at home as John Cappelletti ran for 105 yards and Pat Haden passed to Willie Miller for the winning touchdown in the fourth. | |
| 12 | November 19, 1978 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 31-28 | Rams won once again on a late field goal by Corral, overcoming three rushing TD's by Paul Hofer and a kickoff return TD by Dave Williams. | |
| 13 | November 26, 1978 | at Cleveland Browns | L 30-19 | Browns dominated on a cold, rainy day, intercepting three Pat Haden passes and getting a 57-yard TD run by Greg Pruitt. Rams RB Lawrence McCutcheon suffered a severe calf muscle pull and was declared out for the season. | |
| 14 | December 3, 1978 | at New York Giants | W 20-17 | This one was won by the Rams' pass defense. Giants had only 12 completions in 34 attempts and 4 interceptions, including one returned for a TD by Pat Thomas. Giants ran ball well (185 yards), but it wasn't enough. | |
| 15 | December 11, 1978 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 20-19 | Rams jumped to a 13-0 lead at home, but couldn't hold back the Bengals as kicker Chris Bahr won it with two late field goals. Pat Haden threw for a career-high 283 yards despite injuring his passing thumb in the third quarter. | |
| 16 | December 17, 1978 | Green Bay Packers | W 31-14 | Rod Perry had his third interception return TD of the season and Cullen Bryant ran for a career-high 121 yards and two TD's. | |
StandingsEdit
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 316 | 245 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 240 | 290 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 281 | 298 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 219 | 350 |
RosterEdit
PostseasonEdit
NFC Divisional PlayoffEdit
- Los Angeles Rams 34, Minnesota Vikings 10
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Rams | 0 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 34 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- TV: CBS
- Attendance: 69,631
After the game was tied 10-10 at halftime, the Rams dominated the second half by scoring 24 unanswered points. After the Vikings opened up the scoring with a field goal, Los Angeles marched 59 yards to score on quarterback Pat Haden's 9-yard touchdown pass to Willie Miller.
NFC Championship GameEdit
- Dallas Cowboys 28, Los Angeles Rams 0
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier
- Referee: Ben Dreith
- Attendance: 67,470
This game was a tough defensive struggle until Charlie Waters intercepted two Pat Haden passes intended for tight end Terry Nelson. Waters' first interception came in the middle of the third and led to a 5-yard TD run by Tony Dorsett.
Awards and recordsEdit
MilestonesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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