The Los Angeles Rams will be a favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for a second time in their home stadium in Super Bowl 61. Following Super Bowl 60, the Rams are currently +900 favorites which leads the NFL heading into the offseason. Still, if the Rams are going to take that next step and win a second Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford, they’ll need to improve in key areas to ensure they accomplish their goal. Here are five things that the Rams need to do to give themselves the best chance at playing in Super Bowl 61.
1. Improve at cornerback
Throughout the 2025 season, cornerback play and the secondary were consistent issues on the defense. It was a need heading into the season, a need before the trade deadline, and it ultimately was the team’s downfall. It’s true that a good pass rush can benefit an average secondary. However, the issue is that the Rams cornerback group wasn’t even average. The Rams were relying on a 32-year-old Darious Williams, 30-year-old Ahkello Witherspoon, and a former first-round bust in Emmanuel Forbes. It simply wasn’t good enough.
At the end of the day, the Rams need to do a better job balancing out the pass rush and coverage units. It’s hard to fix everything in one offseason and the Rams fixed the run defense. Now they need to fix the secondary. They don’t necessarily need a lockdown player at cornerback. With that said, they need to add a player that can at least hold their own to some extent and be trusted to cover for a period of time.
2. Win the division
This isn’t to say that the Rams didn’t prioritize winning the division this past season. At the same time, the division was well within their grasp and they let it slip late in the year. Over the past three seasons, the Rams have lost playoff games that they may have won had it been at SoFi. The Rams arguably beat the Detroit Lions at SoFi in 2023. An argument can be made that the Rams beat the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 in non-blizzard conditions. Winning three consecutive road games on their way to the Super Bowl was always going to be a tall ask this past season.
If the Rams can earn the one seed and a bye week, that’s an added bonus. Even if they can’t, winning the division and earning one home playoff game on Wild Card Weekend is a huge advantage. There’s a reason only four teams have done it since 2000 and no team has done it since the NFL expanded to a 17-game season. If the Rams are going to make the Super Bowl, winning the division has to remain a priority.
3. Take a big swing
The Rams very likely have one more realistic shot with Matthew Stafford at quarterback and that’s next season. This isn’t to say that the front office should be reckless, but if the opportunity presents itself, they need to swing big. In a sense, it’s a spot where they fell short this season. There’s a very real possibility that we’re sitting here in five years and wondering why the Rams front office sat on two first-round picks while Matthew Stafford was playing at an MVP level.
Again, the Rams don’t need to mortgage their future or do anything crazy. However, they can’t be content or be afraid to take a big swing. Whether it’s a pass rusher like Maxx Crosby, an experienced cornerback like Trent McDuffie, or someone else, the Rams need to take a swing that could get them over the top at the end of their current window.
4. Get more mature
There were times this season where the Rams seemed to lack the proper leadership and maturity. Too many times, they got sucked into their own hype and seemed to believe that just showing up was enough. Before the biggest game of the season in Week 16, Puka Nacua went on a controversial podcast and tried to get the hosts into the practice facility. During the playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Jared Verse was quoted saying that the defense lost it after the first drive when the Seahawks scored.
Those are all things that we haven’t seen during the Sean McVay era. The Rams have always been a mature team and had strong leadership. That’s not to say that the Rams had bad leadership, but it’s something that they lacked with an overall young roster. This past season will be a good learning experience for a lot of young players. With that said, they have some maturing to do this offseason. If the Rams are going to take that next step, they need to play every game with purpose and show more maturity in spots.
5. Put a focal point on special teams
The Rams lost too many games this past season because of special teams. Their first loss of the season came in Week 3 because of multiple blocked field goals. Against the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, it was a muffed punt by Xavier Smith that was the turning point. The Seahawks had the number two special teams unit in the NFL. In college football, Indiana had the fourth-best special teams unit. Special teams matter more than head coaches want them to.
Bubba Ventrone was recently hired as the Rams’ special teams coach. However, the moves can’t stop there. The Rams need to draft players on day three with a focal point on special teams. While the Rams found some stability with Harrison Mevis, they never trusted him beyond 50 yards and Ethan Evans was inconsistent down the stretch. The Rams don’t need to have the NFL’s best special teams unit. With that said, they need one that won’t cost them games.
