- Joined
- Jan 15, 2013
- Messages
- 8,915
- Name
- Erik
This list should be "what is your 2nd most painful loss." We all know the first! Here's my 2nd. I was 12 and obsessed with our team:
In 1974, the Rams should of played the NFC Championship game against the Vikings in 70 degree Los Angeles instead of -12 wind chill factor Minnesota. Both teams were 10-4, and the Rams had won their one regular-season meeting. Until 1975, however, the NFL rotated playoff sites, and it was the NFC Central's turn to play host to the conference championship game. Forget about it being the NFC Championship game, name me any game that a team goes over 99 yards and gets no points and loses by 4 points. This is what happened:
In the 3rd quarter, the Vikings hold a 7-3 lead. A punt pinned the Rams inside their 1-yard line, but we moved out of danger to their 25. Then Harris hit Harold Jackson for a 73-yard gain. Jackson should have scored, but he was nudged out of bounds by Jeff Wright at the Vikings' 2. One play later the Rams were less than six inches from a 10-7 lead. But Harris, who could have fallen forward for the go-ahead TD, switched to a long count.The refs said Hall of Fame guard Tom Mack flinched (bullcrap call), costing the Rams five yards. Two plays later, linebacker Wally Hilgenberg intercepted Harris' tipped pass in the end zone. The Rams had gone 99 yards and produced no points. We lose by 4 points.
It's been 40 years and the pain is still fresh.
The Viking curse. They kept us out in '69, '74 & '76. Each time, we had the better team![]()
I remember that one too, and I'm still furious about the phantom false start call on Tom Mack.
The only consolation to all of those years was that beating the Rams in the playoffs became the kiss of death for those teams. What do I mean?
'73 - Cowboys beat Rams, lose NFCC to Vikings the next week
'74 - Viking beat Rams in NFCC, lose Super Bowl to Pittsburgh
'75 - Cowboys beat Rams in NFCC, lose Super Bowl to Pittsburgh
'76 - Viking beat Rams in NFCC, get clobbered by Raiders in Super Bowl
'77 - Vikings beat Rams in the mud bowl, get bounced next week in the NFCC
'78 - Cowboys beat Rams in NFCC, get beat by Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.
Serves 'em right, every damn time. :lifting: