What would have happened if the Rams won Super Bowl LIII?

Title Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP

The Los Angeles Rams just won their 2nd Super Bowl in franchise history last week, and I thought it was a good time to revisit their last trip to the big game, just 3 years ago, when they lost in Super Bowl LIII, to the Patriots. Their team has changed drastically from their choke in the title, as their offensive core went from Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, and Brandin Cooks, to Matthew Stafford, Cam Akers, and Cooper Kupp. Their defense went from having Aaron Donald, and Ndamukong Suh, making plays inside, to having Jalen Ramsey turn their secondary into one of the better ones in the league. So, what would have happened if the Rams had beaten the Pats in Super Bowl 53?

Rules

• I am using Madden 19, as that was the year of SB53.

• The game starts at 7:00 left, with the Pats up 10-3.

• The Rams are getting the kickoff.

• I am using coach suggestions, as they are the most like the team's playstyle.

• Cooper Kupp is out, as he tore his ACL in week 1 of that season.

• I will try to play like the Rams, trying to get Todd Gurley going, and try to use play action.

The Game

I got the ball, and failed to do anything, and I had to punt right away. The Patriots got the ball, and it was looking good for them, but we were able to force a field goal. 13-3 New England. I got the ball back with around 4 minutes left, and immediately found Brandin Cooks downfield for a touchdown. 13-10. I was able to get the Patriots to punt, but I had used all my timeouts. With 2 minutes left, I called a running back draw, and TG got me to the 50 yard-line, for 25 yards. In the hurry-up, Goff hit Robert Woods for another 30 yards. With the offense rolling, I decided to empty the backfield, and spread out the defense. It worked. Cooks was wide open again, and got his 2nd TD of the game. Up 17-13, I settled back, and waited for Aaron Donald to show up. On 3rd and 10, he did. AD hurried Brady, and he threw a horrible pass that John Johnson III picked off. From there I ran out the clock with Todd Gurley, and the Rams won.

Stats

Jared Goff - (SB), 19-30, for 229 yards, 0 TD’s, 1 INT. (Madden), 6-10, for 145 yards, 2 TD’s, 0 INT’s.

Todd Gurley - (SB), 10 carries for 35 yards, 0 TD’s 3.5 average. (Madden), 6 carries for 41 yards, 0 TD’s 6.8 average.

Brandin Cooks - (SB), 8 catches, for 120 yards, 0 TD’s, 15 average. (Madden), 3 catches, for 93 yards, 2 TD’s, 31 average.

Robert Woods - (SB), 5 catches for 70 yards, 0 TD’s, 14 average. (Madden), 2 catches for 43 yards, 0 TD’s, 21.5 average.

Super Bowl MVP - WR, Brandin Cooks.

What Would Have Happened?

Most of the same things would have happened, just more down the line. Goff still signs his huge contract, and Gurley also signs his cursed contract. Here is a timeline of what I think would have happened.

2018

• Rams win Super Bowl LIII. They extend Goff and Gurley after the win.

2019

Photo: Alex Gallardo / AP

• Cooper Kupp returns, and forms the best trio in the league with Cooks, and Woods.

• They still trade for Jalen Ramsey.

• But Gurley struggles, just like in real life. Nothing changes from the real world in terms of the outcome. They still finish 9-7, and miss the playoffs.

• The draft class stays the same.

2020

• Cooks doesn't get traded in the offseason, and Gurley isn't cut.

• Cam Akers is still drafted, to spell TG, though.

• Van Jefferson is never drafted, as that was the pick from the Cooks trade. He goes to the Jets in the 2nd round.

• Josh Reynolds is traded to the Patriots for a 6th round pick.

• The pick is Donovan Peoples-Jones, a receiver.

• Having Cooks helps, but they still lose in the divisional round. Questions come up about Goff, but they have no intent on trading him.

2021

• Gurley gets cut.

Illustration: Pro Football Rumors

• Cooks gets traded to the Tennessee Titans for a 2nd round pick. Tennessee doesn’t trade for Julio Jones after the draft.

• The pick is used to trade up to 34th, where they draft Elijah Moore, a receiver.

• The receiver room is: Kupp, Woods, Moore, DPJ.

• Goff struggles early on, but the defense carries them.

• The OBJ drama happens, but he goes to New England.

• The Rams win the division, at 11-6.

• But, Goff isn’t able to beat Brady. The Bucs go on to repeat as SB Champs, beating the Buffalo Bills, 36-32.

2022

• Many concerns grow around Goff, and they put him on the trade block after the Super Bowl.

• AJ Brown and Cooks rival Kupp and Woods as the best WR duo in the league.

• Gurley is out of the league.

• Jefferson is quietly becoming a star with the Jets.

• The Rams are out of it, as the salary cap, and lack of picks hits them. Ramsey asks for a trade, and nobody wants Goff. It’s slowly unraveling for the Super Bowl LIII champs…
  

Final Thoughts

This could have happened even with no ring. But the way the Rams went about it after that devastating loss was the right way, and they did end up getting their ring. Some changes that would have been in effect if my alternate reality was real:

• The Titans and Pats are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

• The Chiefs lose their top stop to the Bills in the AFC.

• The D-Hop trade doesn’t happen.

• The Bengals hype of the 2021 playoffs doesn’t happen, as they don’t make it.

• Brady doesn’t retire.

• Ryan Tannehill is considered top 10, while Matt Stafford is an afterthought.

A lot of things would have been different, and it would have been cool to see it happen… If you liked this type of blog, make sure to comment/tell me more teams I should do this on!