Title Game Notes

Tomorrow’s NFC Title game at Seattle vs the Seahawks will mark the 5th time the Rams are playing either for the all the way NFL crown (’45 and ’55) or the NFC title and a Super Bowl berth (’75,’85 and 2025).

In the previous four such games, the Rams are (1-3) and (0-3) as the L.A. Rams.

The two NFL title games produced a Cleveland Rams victory vs a Washington team in ’45 and a resounding Cleveland Browns’ triumph led by the great Otto Graham over by then, an L.A. based Rams team.

Forty years before the Rams reversed the ’85 title tilt loss with a “div” round win last week (20-17) in overtime, surviving Caleb Williams’ (a Southern Cal QB) incredible scramble/pass essentially game tying/yielding overtime TD pass that also “exchanged” more $$ than most banks, Chi (Bears) had shutout the Rams on the way to their lone Supe crown.

Back another ten years, now 50, Preston Pearson scored 3 touchdowns in the Dallas Cowboys’ rout win at Los Angeles vs the Rams in the ’75 NFC title game.

After starting (0-4) and (1-6) in NFC title games, the Rams were victorious in their most recent four such games, (two were followed by Supe wins in truly close games vs the Tennessee Titans in ’99 and in “Falfa Alfa’s” (Al Michaels) last Supe vs the Cincinnati Bengals and two were followed by a potential this season Supe opponent the New England Patriots in ’01 N.E.’s first title and ’18 the Pats’ sixth and most recent crown).

Seattle is (3-1) in NFC Title Games, the three wins at home, the loss at the eventual champion Raiders in ’83.

The Seahawks lone earlier title tilt resulted in a victory vs the Green Bay Packers in 2014.

“Sea” lost in the subsequent Supe as Malcom Butler, mysteriously benched by Belichick 3 years later in a Pats’ Supe loss vs Philly, made an all-time play, actually the biggest in making N.E. an, if not the NFL’s all-time dynasty, intercption saved/won the title for New England.

The most versatile, clutch player, Preston Pearson, pictured above.