Playoff football is returning to Los Angeles after 32 years – courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams’ 2016 season in Los Angeles – the team’s first since back in L.A. since it originally left in 1994 – was a 4-12 disaster that led to the firing of then-head coach Jeff Fisher. But the Rams’ turnaround has been miraculous to say the least. Led by 31-year-old football savant Sean McVay, who is the youngest head coach in the history of the NFL, a tenacious defense, and a second-year quarterback that led the highest scoring offense in football this season at 30 points per game, the Rams went 11-5 and dethroned the Seattle Seahawks as NFC West Champions, and quite possibly the team to beat in the division. On Saturday, the Rams face off against the Atlanta Falcons at the Coliseum in downtown. The Falcons won't make it easy -- they're defending NFC Champions with a playoff score to settle, aiming to get back to the Super Bowl after a blowing a 28-3 lead in the third quarter to the New England Patriots in last year's Super Bowl.
The last time the Rams played in a home playoff game in Los Angeles? It was 1985, the head coach was John Robinson, and the Rams won 20-0 thanks to a 248 yard rushing performance from Eric Dickerson.
Guest:
Gary Klein, reporter who covers sports for the L.A. Times, including the Rams