The "all-in" strategy is usually a lie. Most NFL teams talk about "winning now" while secretly hoarding draft picks like a safety blanket, terrified of a future where they don't have a first-round selection to show off to the fans. But the LA Rams Super Bowl 2022 run was something entirely different. It was a middle finger to traditional roster building.
People forget how much pressure was on Les Snead and Sean McVay that year. They didn't just want to win; they had to win. They had traded away their future for Matthew Stafford, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey. If they lost that game to the Bengals, they were looking at a decade of mediocrity with no draft capital to fix it. But they didn't lose.
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They won 23-20 in their own building, SoFi Stadium. It was ugly at times. It was stressful. And honestly? It was the most important game in modern football history because it proved that you can actually buy a ring if you're smart enough about it.
The Matthew Stafford Gamble
Let's talk about the Jared Goff trade. It's easy to look back now and say it was a no-brainer, but at the time, people were skeptical. Stafford had spent a dozen years in Detroit putting up massive numbers but never winning a playoff game. Was he the problem, or was it the Lions?
The Rams bet two first-round picks and a third-round pick that it was the Lions.
Stafford arrived in LA and immediately turned the offense into a vertical threat. He wasn't perfect. He threw 17 interceptions in the 2021 regular season, which tied for the league lead. But he had the "it" factor that Goff lacked. When the chips were down in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI, Stafford didn't blink. He went 7-for-11 for 57 yards on that final, game-winning drive.
Cooper Kupp was his only real target left because Odell Beckham Jr. had gone down with a non-contact ACL injury earlier in the game. It didn't matter. Stafford looked off the no-look pass to Kupp that has since become legendary. That’s the difference between a good quarterback and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
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Cooper Kupp and the Greatest Individual Season Ever
You can't discuss the LA Rams Super Bowl 2022 victory without acknowledging that Cooper Kupp basically broke the sport of football that year. He won the Triple Crown. Led the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and touchdowns (16).
Then he went into the playoffs and did it all over again.
In the Super Bowl, the Bengals knew the ball was going to Kupp. Everyone in the stadium knew it. With OBJ out, the Rams' offense was basically "throw it to the guy in the #10 jersey and pray." Kupp finished with 8 catches for 92 yards and two scores, including the game-winner. He was the Super Bowl MVP, and he deserved every bit of it.
He wasn't the fastest guy on the field. He wasn't the biggest. But his route running was so precise it felt like he was playing a different game. He found the "soft spots" in Lou Anarumo’s defense when it mattered most.
The Defense: When Stars Align
Defense wins championships is a cliché, but for the Rams, it was a literal blueprint. They had three future Hall of Famers at three different levels of the defense: Aaron Donald up front, Von Miller off the edge, and Jalen Ramsey in the secondary.
Aaron Donald is a human wrecking ball.
In the final minutes, with Joe Burrow trying to lead a comeback, Donald took over. On a crucial 3rd-and-1, he stuffed Samaje Perine. Then, on 4th-and-1, he got in Burrow’s face so fast the QB had to just hurl the ball into the dirt. Donald pointed to his ring finger. He knew. We all knew.
Von Miller’s impact is often understated. The Rams traded for him mid-season from the Broncos. It felt like a luxury move, but Miller provided the veteran leadership and playoff experience that the young locker room needed. He had two sacks in the Super Bowl. He made the Bengals' offensive line look like a high school unit for large stretches of the second half.
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Why This Specific Super Bowl Still Matters
The NFL is a copycat league. After the Rams won, you saw teams like the Dolphins, the Jets, and the Browns start trading away massive amounts of draft capital for veteran stars. Everyone wanted to be the "next Rams."
What they missed, though, was the culture Sean McVay built.
It wasn't just about the stars. It was about finding guys like Leonard Floyd or Greg Gaines—underrated pieces that filled specific roles. It was about McVay's ability to adapt. When the run game wasn't working (and it really wasn't in the Super Bowl; Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson struggled to find any room), McVay pivoted to quick-game passing.
The Rams' victory validated the "F*** Them Picks" philosophy popularized by Les Snead. It showed that if you have a window, you jump through it. You don't wait for "three years from now" because in the NFL, three years from now you might be out of a job.
The Odell Beckham Jr. Factor
We have to talk about OBJ. People thought he was washed when he left Cleveland. He arrived in LA and completely revitalized his career. Before his injury in the second quarter, he was on pace to be the Super Bowl MVP. He had 52 yards and a touchdown on just two catches.
His presence changed how the Bengals defended the field. When he left the game, the Rams' offense sputtered. It took nearly two full quarters for Stafford and McVay to figure out how to move the chains without him. That mid-season signing was arguably the most important move the Rams made outside of the Stafford trade. It gave them the depth required to survive a grueling postseason run through the NFC.
Realities of the Aftermath
Winning a Super Bowl this way has a price. The Rams plummeted in 2022 and 2023 because they lacked the depth that comes from draft picks. They had injuries, and there was no one to step up. This is the trade-off.
Was it worth it? Ask any Rams fan.
A championship is forever. Draft picks are a gamble. The Rams chose the sure thing, and they executed when the lights were brightest. They defeated the Cardinals in the Wild Card, survived a legendary comeback attempt by Tom Brady and the Bucs in the Divisional round, and finally got past their "big brother" San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship.
The path wasn't easy. They trailed in the fourth quarter against both the Niners and the Bengals. They were a team built on star power that actually relied on grit to finish the job.
What You Can Learn From the Rams’ Success
If you're looking at the LA Rams Super Bowl 2022 run as a case study for success, here are the actionable takeaways:
- Identify the "Missing Piece" Honestly: The Rams knew Jared Goff was good, but they knew Matthew Stafford was the missing piece for a championship. Don't settle for "good enough" if you have the means to get "great."
- Leverage Your Assets: If you have high-value assets (like draft picks or capital), use them when the market is right. Hoarding resources is only useful if you eventually spend them.
- Build a Culture of Stars: Managing egos is the hardest part of a "Dream Team." McVay succeeded because he made sure every star felt valued and understood their specific role in the scheme.
- Adapt or Die: When OBJ went down, the Rams didn't fold. They found a way to win a different kind of game. In any high-stakes environment, your "Plan A" will likely fail at some point.
The 2021-2022 Los Angeles Rams were an anomaly that became a blueprint. They proved that stars win games, but a cohesive vision wins championships. Whether you love the "all-in" approach or hate it, you cannot argue with the result. They came, they saw, and they got the ring.