With training camp beginning this week, it starts a new day for the Los Angeles Rams. Speaking of brand new days, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” also opens this weekend, which is great timing. Let’s do something fun and look at how the Rams have fared whenever a new Spider-Man movie is released.
For this exercise, only live-action Spider-Man movies will be considered. So, the Spider-Verse movies, as utterly fantastic as they are, will be excluded. The last time a live-action Spidey movie came out, the Rams
won the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, so given the loaded roster, there’s a strong chance we might see a sequel this February.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves web-slingers, so let’s get into it!
“Spider-Man” (2002) – Rams (7-9)
“Spider-Man” marked the dawn of a new era and paved the way for the abundance of superhero films that we see today. Tobey Maguire proved a perfect fit for the role and remains a fan-favorite Spider-Man all these years later. The 2002 Rams didn’t experience the same highs as Maguire’s first Spidey appearance. Fresh off a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots — the franchise’s Green Goblin — the team fell apart and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
“Spider-Man 2” (2004) – Rams (8-8)
“Spider-Man 2” marked the last of truly great live-action Spider-Man films until the Marvel Cinematic Universe oversaw the series. For the Rams, 2004 marked the final time they made the playoffs until the 2017 campaign. It marked the end of an era, but success eventually found its way back to the team and the Spider-Man series.
“Spider-Man 3” (2007) – Rams (3-13)
Maguire’s third and final outing as Spider-Man was a jam-packed mess, while the Rams’ season was a mess period. St. Louis began the year 0-8, the worst mark in franchise history, and finished 1-7 at home. Additionally, their defense allowed the second-most points in the league with 438, or 27.4 per game. Big yikes all around. It was a season as ugly as Peter Parker’s infamous dance moves.
“The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) – Rams (7-8-1)
In the first live-action reboot of the Spider-Man series, Andrew Garfield took on the role and did an admirable job. He was no Tobey Maguire, yet he made the character his own, so it was a welcome addition. St. Louis had a reboot of their own with Jeff Fisher taking over as head coach. The Rams improved on their 2-14 record from the previous year. Like Garfield, Fisher did fairly well in his position given all he had to work with. Mediocrity ensued from then on, but it was seemingly a step in the right direction at the time.
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014) – Rams (6-10)
The first “Amazing Spider-Man” was a solid start for Garfield’s iteration of the character. However, the sequel was all over the place, similar to the Rams’ 2014 season. St. Louis finished last in the NFC West, but managed to defeat the reigning conference champion Broncos and Seahawks, along with shutting out the Raiders and Washington in back-to-back weeks. It was a season about as weird as how Electro looked. Seriously, what were they thinking?!
“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) – Rams (11-5)
In the third major live-action reboot of the series (to date), Tom Holland took over as the web-slinging hero. The Rams had another reboot of their own in 2017, as the season marked the beginning of the Sean McVay era in Los Angeles. This season marked L.A.’s first playoff appearance since 2004. Oddly enough, both the Rams and Spidey took on bird foes in the end. While Spider-Man managed to take down Vulture, McVay’s squad was unable to vanquish the Falcons in the Wild Card Round, ending their most successful season in quite some time.
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) – Rams (9-7)
Holland’s second go-around as Spider-Man wasn’t nearly as good as his first, but it was still an entertaining ride. The same could not be said about the 2019 Rams, who went from a Super Bowl appearance to missing the playoffs entirely in McVay’s third season. There were some fun moments here and there. However, between Jared Goff’s decline and Todd Gurley’s effectiveness waning, the season didn’t have as satisfying an ending as it could’ve had.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021) – Rams (12-5)
Judging from the title, Spider-Man had a difficult time finding his way home, but the same could not be said for the Rams. Los Angeles became the second team in a row to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium, despite being the visitors. Technically, they won the title in 2022, yet it was part of the 2021 campaign, so I’ll count it. Victory is mine (insert evil Green Goblin laugh).
