The 2004 season was the St. Louis Rams' 67th in the National Football League and their tenth in St. Louis. For the first time since 1997, Kurt Warner was not on the opening day roster.
Although the Rams’ record was good enough to qualify for the postseason, they did so without posting a winning record. Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the 2004 Rams were, play for play, the worst team to make the playoffs in the site's rating history.Football Outsiders: Final 2010 DVOA Ratings “The Seahawks were so good in their final win ... [it] puts them ahead of the 2004 Rams...” This was also the last time the Rams made the playoffs in St. Louis; the team returned to the playoffs in 2017, their second season after the franchise returned to Los Angeles.
The season is memorable for the Rams drafting running back Steven Jackson with the 24th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. During the season, the Rams relied less on Marshall Faulk, who was slowed by age and injuries, forcing Jackson to garner a bulk of the carries. He finished the season with 673 rushing yards despite seeing limited action.
The Rams, in the playoffs, defeated their rival Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round, but their 10th season in St. Louis ended in a 47–17 blowout to the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional round. The Rams would not make the playoffs again until 2017 when they moved back to Los Angeles.
For the first time this season, the Rams completed a 2–0 regular season sweep of the rival Seahawks. They would not accomplish this again until 2015.
Offseason Draft
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-27.
Roster
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 Arizona Cardinals W 17–10 1–0 Edward Jones Dome 65,538 2 September 19 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–34 1–1 Georgia Dome 70,882 3 September 26 New Orleans Saints L 25–28 (OT) 1–2 Edward Jones Dome 65,856 4 October 3 at San Francisco 49ers W 24–14 2–2 3Com Park 66,696 5 October 10 at Seattle Seahawks W 33–27 (OT) 3–2 Qwest Field 66,940 6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 28–21 4–2 Edward Jones Dome 66,040 7 October 24 at Miami Dolphins L 14–31 4–3 Pro Player Stadium 72,945 8 Bye 9 November 7 New England Patriots L 22–40 4–4 Edward Jones Dome 66,107 10 November 14 Seattle Seahawks W 23–12 5–4 Edward Jones Dome 66,044 11 November 21 at Buffalo Bills L 17–37 5–5 Ralph Wilson Stadium 72,393 12 November 28 at Green Bay Packers L 17–45 5–6 Lambeau Field 70,385 13 December 5 San Francisco 49ers W 16–6 6–6 Edward Jones Dome 65,793 14 December 12 at Carolina Panthers L 7–20 6–7 Bank of America Stadium 73,306 15 December 19 at Arizona Cardinals L 7–31 6–8 Sun Devil Stadium 40,070 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 20–7 7–8 Edward Jones Dome 66,129 17 January 2 New York Jets W 32–29 (OT) 8–8 Edward Jones Dome 65,877Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1
Marshall Faulk 22 Rush, 128 Yds Isaac Bruce 9 Rec, 112 Yds
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-27.
Standings
Playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance Wildcard at Seattle Seahawks (4) W 27–20 1–0 Qwest Field 65,397 Divisional at Atlanta Falcons (2) L 17–47 1–1 Georgia Dome 70,709
Wild Card
Marc Bulger 18/32, 313 Yds Torry Holt 6 Rec, 108 Yds Kevin Curtis 4 Rec, 107 Yds
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Jan-27.
References