It has been 18 years since a team repeated as Super Bowl champions, implying that in one way, the Los Angeles Rams are actually underdogs entering the 2022 season.
Injuries, losing players to retirement or free agency or trades, fatigue, playing with a target on their backs, coaching changes, or plain bad luck, there are many reasons that reigning champions don’t become repeat champions.
But the Rams were not a flash in the pan that got lucky last year. Sean McVay had led LA to a Super Bowl recently, Aaron Donald is in the running as best player in the NFL, and the Rams had everything they needed in place as soon as Matthew Stafford were acquired.