Exactly one year after the Los Angeles Rams orchestrated a blockbuster deal to acquire veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford from the lowly Detroit Lions, the championship-or-bust franchise celebrated the anniversary with a desired conference title. All according to plan.
Los Angeles' all-in gamble of winning Super Bowl 56 on home turf is close to paying off, as its superstar roster rallied to beat the rival San Francisco 49ers, 20-17, in the NFC championship game on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. Stafford is going to become the seventh quarterback in history to start a Super Bowl in his first season with a team.
"They made the trade for Matthew Stafford, the Odell Beckham signing, the Von Miller trade, all of those moves were made for them to play in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium," Los Angeles radio host Arash Markazi told After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Monday. "And at the beginning, it didn't look like it was going to happen. They lose three consecutive games in the middle of the season. And then there was a turning point, where they flipped it around...
"They lost six straight times to San Francisco, hadn't beaten them since 2018. This team was built for this purpose, and they're one win from accomplishing that goal. It's totally worth it, all those chips at the center of the table. Future first-round draft picks, mortgaging the future -- none of that matters. If they're hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, two weeks from now, this is a total success."
Before this conference championship game, the Rams had been 0-14 under head coach Sean McVay when trailing by 10-plus points entering the fourth quarter, including playoffs. Stafford snapped the dreaded streak, with three fourth-quarter scoring drives for 13 unanswered points. And a 30-yard field goal made by Matt Gay proved to be the game-winner with 1:46 remaining.
The 33-year-old Stafford completed 31 of 45 passes for 337 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and his pair of scores were to superstar receiver Cooper Kupp, who racked up 11 catches for 142 yards. The Rams' defense also stepped up in the fourth quarter, as the unit pressured 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on seven of his nine dropbacks and forced a title-clinching interception.
Los Angeles will technically host the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 on Feb. 13, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Rams currently have a 68-percent chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
The entire conversation between Markazi and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.