The 1976 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 39th year with the National Football League (NFL) and the 31st season in Los Angeles. The Rams continued their dominance of the NFC West to win a fourth consecutive division title. After a record-setting previous season in which their defense was nearly untouchable, the Rams were picked by many to win the Super Bowl.
Despite not improving on its 12–2 record from 1975, the team continued to be one of the best in the NFL. This Rams team is quite notable for setting many records during the season, including the franchise record for points scored in a game (59) in a 59–0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons in week thirteen. Los Angeles was in the regular season; the tie (in overtime) came in week two at Minnesota (11–2–1) and expectedly became pivotal in the playoff seedings. The surprising shutout loss at home to rival San Francisco on Monday night in week five also contributed.
Third-seeded in the NFC and on the road in the playoffs, the Rams upset Dallas 14–12 in the divisional round, but lost 13–24 to the top-seeded Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game.
This was the final year for the last member of the "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line of the 1960s; defensive tackle Merlin Olsen retired after fifteen NFL seasons, all with the Rams.
Offseason 1976 expansion draft
+ Los Angeles Rams selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team00Ken GeddesLinebackerSeattle Seahawks00Eddie McMillanCornerbackSeattle Seahawks00Willie McGeeWide receiverTampa Bay Buccaneers
NFL draft
Personnel Staff / Coaches
1976 Los Angeles Rams staff Front Office Owner – Carroll Rosenbloom President / General Manager – Don Klosterman
Coaching Staff Head coach - Chuck Knox
Offensive Coaches: Offensive Coordinator - Ken Meyer Offensive Backfield Coach - Elijah Pitts Offensive Line - Ray Prochaska Receivers Coach - Leeman Bennett Defensive Coaches: Defensive Coordinator - Ray Malavasi Linebackers - Tom Catlin
Special Teams Coaches: None - N/A
Strength and Conditioning: None - N/A
Other Assistant Coaches: Training Assistant - Garrett Giemont Advance Scott - Jack Faulkner
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 at Atlanta Falcons W 30–14 1–0 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 53,607 2 September 19 at Minnesota Vikings T 10–10 1–0–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,310 3 September 26 New York Giants W 24–10 2–0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 60,698 4 October 3 at Miami Dolphins W 31–28 3–0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 60,753 5 San Francisco 49ers L 0–16 3–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 80,532 6 October 17 Chicago Bears W 20–12 4–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 71,751 7 October 24 at New Orleans Saints W 16–10 5–1–1 Louisiana Superdome 51,984 8 October 31 Seattle Seahawks W 45–6 6–1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 52,035 9 November 7 at Cincinnati Bengals L 12–20 6–2–1 Riverfront Stadium 52,480 10 November 14 St. Louis Cardinals L 28–30 6–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 64,698 11 November 21 at San Francisco 49ers W 23–3 7–3–1 Candlestick Park 58,573 12 November 28 New Orleans Saints W 33–14 8–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,906 13 Atlanta Falcons W 59–0 9–3–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,366 14 at Detroit Lions W 20–17 10–3–1 Pontiac Municipal Stadium 73,470 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance Divisional December 19 at Dallas Cowboys (2) W 14–12 1–0 Texas Stadium 62,436 NFC Championship December 26 at Minnesota Vikings (1) L 13–24 1–1 Metropolitan Stadium 47,191
Standings
References
External links 1976 Los Angeles Rams at Pro-Football-Reference 1976 Los Angeles Rams at JT-SW.com