Rams would need to break a historical trend to win Super Bowl in 2025

The Los Angeles Rams are unquestionably one of the five best teams in the NFC. L.A. finished the regular season with the No. 1 scoring offense led by the NFL leaders in passing yards, passing touchdowns and receptions (Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua).

The Rams went 12-5 and finished No. 2 in the NFC West, so they'll need to play in the wild-card round first against the Carolina Panthers. And while the Rams are early favorites to win this game, history is not on their side to win the Super Bowl.

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How, might you ask? There is a bit of rare history that doesn't support a Rams' Super Bowl victory.

According to CBS Sports' John Breech, the Rams are the 15th team since 1970 to reach the postseason with at least 11 wins, with two divisional rivals also in the playoffs with at least 11 wins each. However, none of the previous 12 teams in the same situation went on to win the Super Bowl. Therefore, this would put this year's Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers in the same category.

This isn't some long-ago history, either. This situation unfolded in 2020 and 2024.

The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers went 0-3 in 2024 despite none playing each other and the Lions earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens all lost at some point in the AFC playoffs in 2020 when the Browns beat the Steelers but then lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and the Ravens fell to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.

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The only team under these conditions to make the Super Bowl was the 1985 New England Patriots. They went 11-5 on the year and beat their AFC East counterpart Miami Dolphins in the conference title game. However, the Patriots lost to the legendary '85 Bears team in the Super Bowl.

The Rams could break history, but they'll need to win against the Panthers first. A win would be another matchup in Seattle against the Seahawks, too. And they may even need to face the 49ers in the NFC championship if both sides get that far.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams would need to break a historical trend to win Super Bowl in 2025