1978 Los Angeles Rams season
1978 Los Angeles Rams season | |
---|---|
Owner | Carroll Rosenbloom |
Head coach | Ray Malavasi |
Home field | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum |
Results | |
Record | 12–4 |
Division place | 1st NFC West |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Vikings) 34–10 Lost NFC Championship (vs. Cowboys) 0–28 |
The 1978 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 41st year with the National Football League and the 33rd season in Los Angeles. They improved on their 10–4 record from the previous season and finished 12–4.
The
Offseason
Chuck Knox, who had coached the Rams for the previous five seasons, left the team after the 1977 season to join the Buffalo Bills.
In February, 1978, Rams owner
His second stint as the Rams' head coach was an unfortunate experience for all concerned. Allen did not have full authority over personnel and thus worked with general manager Don Klosterman to oversee a talented roster that had made the team a perennial playoff challenger. Allen brought with him his scrupulous discipline and attention to detail, which extended to practice-field protocol and dining-hall decorum. Almost immediately, a group of Ram players chafed at the regulations, and some made their grievances public. A few, including standout linebacker Isiah Robertson, briefly left camp.
As newspaper reports were quoting players expressing confidence that differences would be resolved, the Rams played listlessly and lost the first two games of the exhibition schedule, 14–7 to the New England Patriots and 17–0 to the San Diego Chargers. Rosenbloom decided that for the season to be salvaged a change must be made, and the announcement of Allen's abrupt dismissal was made on August 13, 1978, just weeks before the season opener. Many of Allen's own players were surprised by the decision. Defensive coordinator Ray Malavasi, well-respected and liked by players (and the only holdover from Chuck Knox' staff), replaced Allen.
On Tuesday, July 25, 1978, the Rams announced plans to leave the Coliseum for
NFL Draft
1978 Los Angeles Rams draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 | Elvis Peacock | Running back | Oklahoma | Played with Rams 1979–1980 |
2 | 46 | Stan Johnson | Defensive tackle | Tennessee State | |
2 | 53 | Ron Smith | Wide receiver | San Diego State | |
3 | 78 | Frank Corral | Kicker | UCLA | |
3 | 80 | Leon White | Center | Colorado | Injured reserve |
4 | 105 | Mark Manges | Quarterback | Maryland | |
7 | 189 | Reggie Doss | Defensive end | Hampton | |
9 | 246 | Andre Anderson | Defensive end | New Mexico State | |
10 | 273 | Charles Peal | Tackle | Indiana | |
11 | 303 | Ron Hostetler | Linebacker | Penn State | |
12 | 330 | Gus Coppens | Tackle | UCLA | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 3 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–14 | 1–0 | Veterans Stadium | 64,721 | |
2 | September 10 | Atlanta Falcons | W 10–0 | 2–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 46,201 | |
3 | September 17 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27–14 | 3–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 65,749 | |
4 | September 24 | at Houston Oilers | W 10–6 | 4–0 | Houston Astrodome
|
45,749 | |
5 | October 1 | at New Orleans Saints | W 26–20 | 5–0 | Louisiana Superdome
|
61,659 | |
6 | October 8 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27–10 | 6–0 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 59,337 | |
7 | October 15 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 34–17 | 7–0 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,551 | |
8 | October 22 | New Orleans Saints | L 3–10 | 7–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 47,574 | |
9 | October 30 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 7–15 | 7–2 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,250 | |
10 | November 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 26–23 | 8–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 55,182 | |
11 | November 12 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 10–7 | 9–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 63,089 | |
12 | November 19 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 31–28 | 10–2 | Candlestick Park | 45,022 | |
13 | November 26 | at Cleveland Browns | L 19–30 | 10–3 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium
|
55,158 | |
14 | December 3 | at New York Giants | W 20–17 | 11–3 | Giants Stadium | 62,629 | |
15 | December 11 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 19–20 | 11–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 47,471 | |
16 | December 17 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–14 | 12–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 42,500 | |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Game summaries
Week 6 vs. San Francisco
- TV Network: CBS
- Announcers: Lindsey Nelson and Paul Hornung
In a penalty-filled game typical of those two teams,
Standings
NFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Los Angeles Rams(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 10–2 | 316 | 245 | W1 |
Atlanta Falcons(4) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 240 | 290 | L1 |
New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 281 | 298 | W1 |
San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 219 | 350 | L1 |
Postseason
NFC Divisional Playoff
- 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 to defeat Minnesota in the playoffs for the first time after four previous losses. 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 wide receiver Willie Miller. Haden passed for 209 yards and threw a second touchdown pass in the third quarter, a 27-yard strike to wide receiver Ron Jessie. Kicker Frank Corral had two field goals in the game, and running back Cullen Bryant ran 27 times for 100 yards, including a 3-yard run in the third quarter to give the Rams the lead for good, while backup Jim Jodat added another touchdown for the game's final points. On defense, safety Bill Simpson intercepted two passes from Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton in what turned out to be the final game of Tarkenton's NFL career.
NFC Championship Game
- 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 scoreless defensive struggle until the third quarter when Dallas safety
References
- ^ "1978 Los Angeles Rams Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2022.