The Rams improved on their 6–10 record from 2014 by going 7–9 for the 2015 season, but tied a record set between 1956 and 1966 by missing the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season.
After the season, an arbitral tribunal gave permission for the Rams to void their lease on the Edward Jones Dome. Rams owner Stan Kroenke filed a formal application with the league to relocate the Rams to their long-time home of Los Angeles, California, where the team played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for four seasons at until their stadium in Inglewood, California was complete. They were originally slated to play at the Coliseum for only three seasons; delays in the construction of the new venue resulted in the added season for which they would play at the historic Coliseum. Kroenke's request to move the team to Los Angeles was approved on January 12, 2016, at a meeting in Houston, Texas.[1]
The Rams traded their original fourth- and sixth-round selections (Nos. 109 and 184 overall, respectively) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for safetyMark Barron.
The Rams traded quarterbackSam Bradford and their fifth-round selection (No. 145 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles, the Eagles' fourth-round selection (No. 119 overall) and the Eagles' second round selection in 2016. The trade also includes a conditional selection in 2016 that the Eagles could receive depending on Bradford's playing time in 2015. The Eagles will receive a 2016 fourth-round selection if Bradford plays fewer than 50 percent of the snaps; the selection will upgrade to a third-rounder if Bradford does not play at all in 2015. Bradford started for the Eagles Week 1, eliminating the possibility of the third-round upgrade.
The Rams traded one of their two seventh-round selections (No. 249 overall – acquired in a trade that sent wide receiverGreg Salas to the New England Patriots), along with their 2013 second-round selection to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for the Falcons' 2013 first-, third- and sixth-round selections.
The Rams traded their second round selection (No. 41 overall) to the Carolina Panthers (used to select Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan) for Carolina's second round selection (No. 57 overall, used to select Rob Havenstein), third round selection (No. 89 overall, used to select Sean Mannion) and sixth round selection (No. 201 overall, used to select Bud Sasser).
The Rams traded RBZac Stacy to the New York Jets for their seventh round selection (No. 224 overall, used to select Bryce Hager).
In his debut as the Rams' starting quarterback, Nick Foles threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams upset the Seahawks in their season opener at home. Running back Benny Cunningham got the start and totaled 46 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving while Tavon Austin ran for a 16-yard TD and then scored on a 75-yard punt return in the third quarter as St. Louis built a 24-13 lead. But Seattle rallied for 18 unanswered points to take a 31-24 lead before the Rams came back as Foles hit tight end Lance Kendricks for a 37-yard score with 53 seconds left. Kicker Greg Zuerlein converted the point-after attempt and then made a 37-yard field goal in overtime to put the Rams ahead. The defense sacked Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson six times and limited running back Marshawn Lynch to just 73 rushing yards. The Seahawks drove into Rams territory on their overtime possession but on fourth-and-1 at the St. Louis 42, Lynch was stuffed by defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald to preserve the victory. Donald had nine total tackles (five solo, four assists) including two sacks and three tackles for loss and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
After falling behind 17-0 in the first half at Washington, the Rams came back on a 52-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein and a 40-yard TD pass from Nick Foles to wide receiver Kenny Britt to close within 17-10 in the third quarter. But Redskins running back Matt Jones (16 carries, 123 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game with 2:38 remaining to seal the win for Washington.
The Rams struggled offensively and defensively all game long. The defense sacked Pittsburgh quarterback three times as Ben Roethlisberger was forced from the game with an apparent knee injury. He was then replaced by Michael Vick, who was sacked twice himself by the Rams. Quarterback Nick Foles (19-28-197 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) struggled on offense while the Rams running game was limited to just 71 yards. Rookie running back Todd Gurley, the team's No. 1 draft pick, made his professional football debut and had six carries for nine yards and one carry for five yards. Prior to kickoff, the game was delayed due to the turf being caught on fire due to a fireworks display gone awry.
The Rams traveled to Phoenix and improved their record to 2-2 in an upset of the red-hot Cardinals, the 2nd highest-scoring team in the league. Nick Foles passed for 171 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to wide receiver Tavon Austin (six receptions, 96 yards). Todd Gurley got his first start as Rams' running back, and after being limited to four carries for 2 yards in the first half, he finished the game with 146 rushing yards. Gurley contributed big runs that led to TDs scored by wide receiver Stedman Bailey and Austin. With the Rams clinging to a two-point lead and facing a third down-and-12 situation with just over a minute remaining, Gurley broke loose for a 30-yard gain down the left sideline and appeared headed for the end zone before voluntarily going down at the Arizona 8 to allow the Rams to run out the clock. After the game, Bruce Arians commented that Gurley, "played like a rookie." The Rams defense limited the Cardinals to five field goals and held them out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, and sacked Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer four times. It would be the first of nine straight victories for the Rams franchise in Arizona.
Traveling to Green Bay, the Rams looked to end the Packers' hot streak at 4-1 but failed as Nick Foles completed only 11 passes in 30 attempts, was intercepted four times and sacked three times. Running back Todd Gurley totaled a season-high 159 yards on 30 attempts but was held out of the end zone. On defense, St. Louis James Laurinitis intercepted a pass from Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay QB's first interception thrown at Lambeau Field in 20 games. Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson added another interception later in the game. However, the defense struggled to contain the Packers explosive receiving corps all day long. With the loss, the Rams dropped to 2-3.
For the first time since Week 8 of 2007, the Rams hosted the Cleveland Browns in St. Louis. In the first quarter, Rodney McLeod returned a fumble to the end zone to give the Rams the game's first points, and kicker Greg Zuelein added a 39-yard field goal. Running back Todd Gurley was limited to just 45 yards in the first half, but he managed to turn things around in the second half, rushing for 83 yards scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter (he later added a second TD on a 6-yard run in the fourth period). The Rams defense combined for four forced fumbles recovered as well as four sacks of Browns quarterback Josh McCown. With the win, the Rams went to 3-3.
Todd Gurley had another productive day, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries, including a 71-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter. Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin had 119 total yards on just seven touches, including a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter and catching a 66-yard scoring pass from quarterback Nick Foles in the fourth. touchdowns for the final score. Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis tackled 49ers running back Mike Davis for a safety in the first period and the defense had three sacks and nine hits of San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick during the game. With the win, the Rams improved to 4-3, making it the first time since 2012 the Rams were above .500 excluding a Week 1 victory. The Rams also wore their 1973-1999 throwbacks for the first time in the season.
In a duel of running backs between Todd Gurley and Adrian Peterson, Gurley was held to just 89 yards and Peterson (125 yards) led host Minnesota to the victory. Without several defensive starters including Robert Quinn, the Rams defense struggled to contain the Vikings offense, especially their explosive receiving corps, all game long. In the second quarter, Greg Zuerlein gave the Rams a 12-10 lead with a 61-yard field goal, the longest field goal in Rams franchise history. The field goal put Zuerlein 7th in NFL history for longest field goal made, and as the only kicker in NFL history besides Sebastian Janikowski to have more than one field goal of 60 yards or longer in his career. In the second half, Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner hit Teddy Bridgewater in the head, forcing the Minnesota QB to leave the game with a concussion. Commentator Thom Brennaman called the hit on Bridgewater "dirty". Shaun Hill, who played for the Rams last year and returned to Minnesota for his second stint in the off-season, took over for Bridgewater. With the Rams trailing 18-15 in the fourth quarter, Zuerlein booted his fourth field goal in five attempts, forcing the game into overtime. However, in that period, Minnesota's Blair Walsh nailed the game-winning field goal to give the Vikings the final score. With the narrow loss, the Rams dropped to 4-4.
The Rams struggled all game especially on defense in which they could not contain the Bears offense, especially the running game despite an injury to Matt Forte. St. Louis quarterback Nick Foles (17-36-200 yards, 1 INT) struggled all day and this time it would force Case Keenum to take over late in the fourth quarter. Running back Todd Gurley was held to 89 total yards. Prior to Week 10, wide receiver Stedman Bailey was suspended for four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Later, the Rams acquired free agent Wes Welker, who had previously starred for the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Welker caught three passes for 32 yards in his St. Louis debut. With the loss, the Rams dropped to 4-5.
Case Keenum got the start at quarterback in place of the incumbent Nick Foles and led the Rams to a 13-3 third quarter lead. Todd Gurley scored on a 1-yard run late in the first quarter and Keenum connected with tight end Lance Kendricks on a 30-yard touchdown pass in the third period. But the host Ravens scored 13 unanswered points in the final quarter. With the game tied at 13, kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 52-yarder which would have sealed the Rams victory. The host Ravens scored 13 unanswered points in the final period, and after Keenum fumbled following a sack with under a minute left, Baltimore took over with Justin Tucker converting a 41-yarder as time expired to give the Ravens the final score and the win. With the loss, the Rams fell to 4-6, extending their losing streak to three games.
The Rams fell to 4-7 with a blowout loss in Cincinnati. A week after being benched, Nick Foles returned as the Rams' starting quarterback after Case Keenum suffered a concussion at the end of the previous week's loss to Baltimore. However, Foles struggled to find open receivers and was hit at least a dozen times by the Bengals defense, which also picked off the St. Louis QB three times including which was returned for a touchdown. The only Rams score came on a 5-yard run by Tavon Austin on a reverse play in the second quarter. St. Louis' defense was not a factor all game as they struggled to stop the high-powered Bengals offense led by quarterback Andy Dalton (233 yards, three TD passes), and receivers A. J. Green, and Tyler Eifert, (the latter left the game with a stinger) as the Rams extended their losing streak to four games.
The Rams' streak of futility reached five games as they were routed by the visiting Cardinals. The St. Louis offense sputtered badly with only 214 total yards and a single field goal. Todd Gurley was limited to just 41 rushing yards (with 34 of those yards coming on a single run in the third period), while Nick Foles (15-35-146 yards, 1 INT) was again ineffective at quarterback. A day after the loss that dropped the Rams dropped to 4-8, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. was fired.
The Rams finally snapped their five-game losing streak by defeating the visiting Detroit Lions. St. Louis cornerback Trumaine Johnson picked off Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to break a scoreless tie, while defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in the season after recording five tackles including three of his team's four sacks of Stafford on the day. Todd Gurley ran for 140 yards on 16 carries with two TD runs in the second half. Following the game, a photo of rapper and Roc Nation founder Jay Z in the Rams locker room along with his client Gurley and several Rams players was released shortly after.
In what ultimately turned out to be their final game played in St. Louis, the Rams never trailed and turned in a solid performance on both offense and defense. Case Keenum completed 14 of 17 passes for 234 yards and a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter to wide receivers Tavon Austin (17 yards) and Kenny Britt (60 yards). Austin also scored on a 21-yard TD run and Todd Gurley added another score on a 3-yard run in the second quarter. Gurley, who had 48 rushing yards on 21 carries, surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season. The game marked the debut of the team's "Color Rush" uniforms, which used yellow gold as the team's primary color with striping matching the millenium blue of the team's primary uniform, while the helmets used the design matching as the team's throwback uniforms.[4] During the game, Rams fans were seen holding signs saying, "Keep the Rams in St. Louis" and chants of "Keep the Rams" were heard during postgame coverage.
Despite having been eliminated from playoff contention for the 11th consecutive season (due to Seattle's victory over Cleveland in Week 15), the Rams were able to sweep the Seahawks for the first time since 2004. St. Louis built a 16-0 first half lead on kicker Greg Zuerlein's 42-yard field goal, linebacker Akeem Ayers's recovery of a forced fumble by linebacker Mark Barron that was returned 45 yards for a touchdown, and a 28-yard TD pass from quarterback Case Keenum to wide receiver Kenny Britt. Running back Todd Gurley ended his season with 83 yards on 19 carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Rams defensive end William Hayes had nine total tackles including three sacks of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson. With the victory, the Rams' record improved to 7-8, riding a three-game winning streak.
The Rams were thwarted in their attempt to avoid a ninth consecutive losing season, falling to the host 49ers in overtime. Kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked field goals of 33, 32, and 44 yards in the first half while running back Tre Mason scored a touchdown on a 4-yard run late in the second quarter as St. Louis built a 16-10 halftime lead. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson led the Rams with 10 total tackles while linebacker Eugene Sims ran an interception back 42 yards to set up the touchdown by Mason, who had 18 carries for 44 yards in place of Todd Gurley, who was inactive due to a foot injury suffered the previous week. The Rams' best chance for victory came late in the third quarter as they drove 46 yards in 12 plays but Zuerlein missed a 52-yard attempt. St. Louis was ineffective on offense, punting on all three of its fourth quarter possessions as San Francisco rallied to tie the game with a pair of field goals from kicker Phil Dawson in the second half. During the overtime period, the Rams again drove 12 plays covering 51 yards, but Zuerlein's 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked with five minutes remaining, and the 49ers went on to win five plays later on a 23-yard field goal by Dawson. The loss would be the team's final game as the St. Louis Rams. Two days later, the franchise filed for relocation to Los Angeles, where the Rams had played from 1946 to 1994. On January 12, 2016, the Rams' relocation bid was approved by a vote of NFL owners at a league meeting in Houston.
^ abGreen Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on head-to-head victory.
^ abcdSt. Louis and Detroit finished ahead of Philadelphia and New Orleans based on conference record. St. Louis finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory. Detroit finished ahead of Philadelphia and New Orleans based on head-to-head sweep, while Philadelphia finished ahead of New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
^ abcThe New York Giants and Chicago each finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on head-to-head victory, while the Giants finished ahead of Chicago based on conference record.
^When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.
