Greatest Show On Turf: Today Makes 25 Years Since Rams Won Super Bowl XXXIV

After HC Dick Vermeil made an emotional speech in support of backup QB Kurt Warner, the Rams went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV on January 30th, 2025.
Dick Vermeil - coach, Philadelphia Eagles (1976-1982), St. Louis Rams (1997-99), Kansas City Chiefs (2001-05)

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Dick Vermeil - coach, Philadelphia Eagles (1976-1982), St. Louis Rams (1997-99), Kansas City Chiefs (2001-05) Xxx A18 Rams Letters 02 S Fbn Usa Ga / Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK
In this story:

A head coach who before his 1997 hiring last coached in an NFL game in 1983, a QB who played in arena football and was bagging groceries before being signed by the team in 1998, a Hall of Fame running back acquired for pennies on the dollar, an undrafted middle linebacker and a first-round safety looking to rebound his career made up some of the characters that propelled the Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV 25 years ago today.

Then located in St. Louis, the Rams Super Bowl run consisted of a series of unpredictable events including the loss of starting QB Trent Green and the rise of then-unknown QB Kurt Warner. Warner, who spent 1998 as the Rams' third-string QB was thrusted into the starting lineup after Green's season-ending injury, suffered during preseason play.

Warner wasted no time linking up with Isaac Bruce and rookie Torry Holt downfield in Mike Martz's offense on his way to winning MVP. Warner was also assisted by future MVP running back Marshall Faulk, who the Rams acquired for a second and a fifth-round pick. It's not common to trade Hall of Fame running backs but the fact that the Rams and Colts did it twice (Eric Dickerson) remains an interesting tid bit in NFL history.

After blowing out the Vikings in the Divisional Round and then narrowly defeating Tampa Bay via Ricky Proehl's first touchdown of the season in the NFC title game, the Rams would take on the Tennessee Titans. The Titans, led by gunslinger Steve McNair (who should be in the Hall of Fame) and workhorse running back Eddie George, entered the Super Bowl with a unique story of their own.

After pulling off the Music City Miracle in the Wild Card round against Buffalo, the Titans, who beat the Rams earlier that season were set to play the 14-2 Jaguars in the AFC title game. The Jags, who had only lost to Tennessee (twice) in the regular season were confident they could get over the hump. They could not and the Titans would exit the 1999 season with three wins over their division rival.

In Super Bowl XXXIV, despite the offensive firepower on the field, the game was a defensive masterclass. The Rams, led by dominant DE Kevin Carter, second-year UDFA linebacker London Fletcher, and a rotating secondary with Devin Bush Sr, a former first-round pick looking to redeem himself after his Super Bowl loss with the Falcons, the opportunistic Dre Bly and former Los Angeles Rams Keith Lyle and Todd Lyght to name a few held Tennessee scoreless in the first half.

The problem was despite the fact the Rams entered the red zone on several occasions in the first half, they entered the locker room with only nine points off of three field goals. Both offenses turned it on in the second half as Warner would find Holt for the Rams' first touchdown of the game. However, despite being up 16-0, two Eddie George touchdowns and a Titans field goal saw the game tied at the two-minute warning.

Coming out of the break, the Rams called a four-verticle play that saw Warner hook up with Bruce for a 73 yard touchdown. McNair and the Titans drove down the field with McNair himself pulling out magic tricks to avoid tackles and hit his targets downfield.

With six seconds in the game and no timeouts left, McNair had the ball on the Rams' ten-yard-line. McNair hit Kevin Dyson on a slant route and on the two-yard-line, Rams linebacker Mike Jones put a tackle on Dyson. Dyson would extend the ball before hitting the ground but would be one yard short, giving the Rams a coveted championship in one of the greatest endings to one of the most improbable stories in Super Bowl history.

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Brock Vierra
BROCK VIERRA

Brock Vierra, a UNLV graduate, is the Los Angeles Rams Beat Writer On Sports Illustrated. He also works as a college football reporter for our On Sports Illustrated team.