Wait, let's get one thing straight before we dive into the weeds of the Los Angeles Rams 2015 season. Technically, for that entire sixteen-game stretch, the team was still wearing "St. Louis" on their jerseys. But honestly? Everyone knew they were gone. The 2015 season wasn't just about football; it was a long, drawn-out goodbye to Missouri and a frantic, high-stakes audition for Southern California. It was the "Lame Duck" season to end all lame duck seasons.
The vibes were off from day one. You had a head coach in Jeff Fisher who was the king of 7-9 or 8-8 finishes, a revolving door at quarterback, and a fanbase in St. Louis that was understandably heartbroken and, frankly, pissed off. Yet, amidst all that chaos, 2015 gave us the birth of a genuine superstar in Todd Gurley and a defense that could flatten people. It was a year of "what ifs" played out in a half-empty Edward Jones Dome while Stan Kroenke was already picking out upholstery for his multi-billion dollar stadium in Inglewood.
The Todd Gurley Factor and a Defensive Identity
If you want to talk about the Los Angeles Rams 2015 campaign without mentioning Todd Gurley, you aren't really talking about the season. People forget how big of a gamble he was. He was coming off a massive ACL tear at Georgia. Critics thought taking a running back at number ten overall was vintage Jeff Fisher—stuck in the 1980s while the rest of the league was playing Madden-style passing games.
Gurley didn't even play the first couple of weeks. When he finally got the rock, it was like a light switch flipped. He went on this four-game tear where he put up 146, 159, 128, and 133 yards. He looked like a man playing against middle schoolers. He finished with 1,106 yards and ten touchdowns in basically 12 games of real action. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year for a reason. Without him, that offense would have been unwatchable.
The defense was the only other reason to tune in. Aaron Donald was already becoming the "Destroyer of Worlds." This was only his second year, but he was already a First-team All-Pro. He had 11 sacks from the interior, which is just stupid. If you watch the tape from that year, you see Donald and Robert Quinn just living in the backfield. The Rams beat the Seahawks twice that year. Think about that. Seattle was a powerhouse, and the Rams—this 7-9 squad—found a way to bully them twice because their defensive line was so nasty.
The Quarterback Carousel of Sadness
Why didn't they make the playoffs? Simple. The quarterback play was, well, it was bad. They traded Sam Bradford to the Eagles for Nick Foles before the season. On paper, it seemed okay? Foles had that crazy 27-touchdown, 2-interception season in Philly a few years prior.
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But in St. Louis? Foles was a disaster. He looked hesitant. He was seeing ghosts.
Eventually, Case Keenum took over. Keenum was scrappy, sure, but he wasn't a franchise savior. He managed to win some games down the stretch, including a late-season four-game winning streak that teased the fans, but the damage was done. The team finished 32nd in the league in passing yards. Dead last. You can't win in the modern NFL when you're throwing for 175 yards a game. It’s impossible.
The Shadow of the Move to Los Angeles
Every single home game felt like a funeral.
The NFL had set up this relocation process where the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders were all vying for a spot in LA. Stan Kroenke had his plan for Inglewood. Meanwhile, the city of St. Louis was trying to pull together a stadium plan for the north riverfront. It was a total mess of lawsuits, public relations spin, and backroom deals.
The players felt it. How could they not? They're living in St. Louis, their kids are in school there, but every time they turn on ESPN, they see maps of Inglewood. It’s hard to focus on a Week 9 matchup against the Vikings when you don't know if you'll be moving your entire life 2,000 miles away in three months.
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The final home game against the Buccaneers was surreal. The fans showed up with signs that were... not kind to Kroenke. The team wore these bright "Color Rush" yellow uniforms. It felt like a fever dream. They won that game, by the way. They won their final game in St. Louis. It was a small mercy for a city that had supported them since 1995, including a Super Bowl title.
What Really Happened with the 7-9 Record
People joke about Jeff Fisher and "7-9 bullshit." That was the year it became a meme. The Rams were the ultimate "trap team." They could beat the best teams in the league—they swept the Seahawks and beat the Cardinals—but then they’d turn around and lose to the 49ers or get blown out by the Bengals.
The inconsistency was maddening. One week, the defense looked like the 1985 Bears. The next, the offense couldn't manage a single touchdown.
It was a team built on 20th-century logic. Run the ball. Play tough defense. Punt. In 2015, the league was moving toward high-flying, pass-heavy schemes. The Rams were out of sync with the rest of the NFL, and that disconnect is exactly why they stayed stuck in the middle of the pack.
The Legacy of the 2015 Season
So, why does 2015 still matter?
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Because it was the bridge. It was the end of the "Greatest Show on Turf" era's lingering echoes and the beginning of the Los Angeles Rams era. The roster that moved to LA in 2016 was basically this 2015 team. Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, Trumaine Johnson, Johnny Hekker—these were the guys who would carry the brand into the Coliseum the following year.
It also served as the final proof that the status quo wasn't working. The mediocre results of 2015 are what eventually led to the firing of Jeff Fisher in 2016 and the hiring of Sean McVay in 2017. If the Rams had accidentally stumbled into a 10-6 record and a wild card spot in 2015, maybe they stick with Fisher longer. Maybe they don't find McVay. Maybe they don't win a Super Bowl a few years later.
In a weird way, the frustration of 2015 was the fertilizer for the success that came later in California.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you're looking back at this specific era of Rams football, there are a few things you should actually do to understand the transition better:
- Watch the 2015 Week 4 highlights against the Cardinals. It was Todd Gurley's breakout. You can see the exact moment the franchise's trajectory changed on the field.
- Look at the 2015 All-Pro lists. Seeing Aaron Donald's name there as a sophomore tells you everything you need to know about why he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
- Research the "Mission Rock" and Inglewood stadium proposals from 2015. To understand the move, you have to understand the real estate battle. It was never just about football; it was about the most ambitious construction project in sports history.
- Compare the 2015 stats to the 2017 stats. The jump the team made once they shifted from the Fisher mentality to the McVay mentality is one of the greatest "software updates" in NFL history. It proves that talent (which the 2015 team had) needs the right system to actually win.
The 2015 season was a transition. It was uncomfortable, it was filled with legal drama, and the football was often frustrating. But it was the necessary end of one chapter so the next one could start in the bright lights of Los Angeles.