Although every team's goal each year is to win the Super Bowl, no one is under more pressure to do so than the Los Angeles Rams. After their offseason moves, which included adding Trent McDuffie and Myles Garrett, it's unquestionably Super Bowl or bust for Los Angeles in 2026.
And with a quarterback who's approaching retirement, they need to win a ring sooner rather than later.
The good news is they're the Super Bowl favorites and look like the best team in the NFL on paper. The bad news? Only that the rest of the NFL will be praying on their downfall, hoping they stumble and become the latest "superteam" to come up short.
There are a lot of reasons the Rams could win the Super Bowl this year, but here are nine of the biggest.
Matthew Stafford is a top-five quarterback
Defenses may win championships,
but it's difficult to win a ring without a quality quarterback under center. And for the Rams, they have one of the best in football with the 38-year-old Stafford. Even as he approaches the end of his career, Stafford can make throws that very few other quarterbacks can.
And when the game is on the line, he's going to deliver in the clutch more often than not. He's the perfect guy to be leading such a star-studded roster, and his partnership with Sean McVay is top-notch.
Sean McVay is always evolving
Speaking of McVay, he's a big reason the Rams are a playoff team just about every year. He had been a little bit resistant to change earlier in his career, but he showed last year that he's more than capable of evolving the Rams offense as needed.
When Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell went down with injuries, McVay shifted to 13 personnel with three tight ends on the field – something they didn't run a single time in training camp last year. The result? The league's No. 1 scoring offense and a march all the way to the NFC title game.
So long as McVay is at the helm, the Rams are going to be in contention.
Two-headed monster at running back
Part of what the Rams liked so much about Blake Corum when they drafted him was his similarities to Kyren Williams. They're both shorter backs with good elusiveness and agility, making defenders miss in the hole and the open field.
With Corum possessing many of the same qualities as Williams, the Rams don't have to change their offense one bit when rotating their backs. Every play they run with Williams, they can also run with Corum. And the result last year was outstanding. Williams and Corum combined for 1,998 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, giving the Rams a rushing attack it can lean on.
Puka Nacua is a game-changer
Super Bowl teams aren't always built around wide receivers, but it certainly helps to have a guy like Nacua catching passes. After leading the league in receptions and receiving yards last season, Nacua is a legitimate triple crown candidate this year.
He can take over a game in a variety of ways, whether it's winning downfield, taking jet-sweep handoffs on third-and-short or making a key block on a run play. He's a true do-it-all receiver and his connection with Stafford is second to none. He's the engine that makes this offense go.
The offensive line is one of the best in the NFL
No team allowed fewer sacks last season than the Rams, which was a big reason Stafford had the MVP campaign that he did. After finding so much success with this unit in 2025, the Rams will be trotting out the same five starters this year.
Warren McClendon Jr. is a budding star at right tackle, Kevin Dotson is a Pro Bowl-caliber guard, Coleman Shelton has been called QB2 by his teammates and both Steve Avila and Alaric Jackson are above-average players on the left side. Everything starts with good protection up front and a punishing ground game, which is why the Rams' offense has such a high ceiling in 2026.
They have Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald
That still sounds crazy to hear, but the Rams are equipped with two guys who have won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards. And they're playing just a few feet away from each other on the defensive line. Donald won't be out there in Week 1 but when he does return, he's going to be the closer the Rams need up front.
And Garrett is, well, an athletic freak who can take over games single-handedly. Garrett and Donald aren't the only notable players on defense, but having two guys who can get to the quarterback in a split-second could be the difference between getting a late stop in the fourth quarter and allowing a touchdown to lose the game.
Their secondary is suddenly loaded
Two of the Rams' starting cornerbacks from last season retired this offseason (Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams), while the other signed a modest $4 million contract with the Cowboys (Cobie Durant). Translation: Chris Shula didn't have a lot to work with.
Now, they have an All-Pro cornerback in Trent McDuffie, as well as a two-time Super Bowl champion in Jaylen Watson. Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had another strong offseason, Kam Curl and Kam Kinchens are playmakers at safety and Quentin Lake can do a little bit of everything on the back end.
The secondary went from being a question mark to a major strength of this team after letting the defense down in 2025.
Poona Ford is an unsung run-stopping hero
It's no coincidence that the Rams' run defense went from 22nd to 12th last year after signing Ford to be their starting nose tackle. He, along with linebacker Nate Landman, proved to be a major difference-maker in the middle of the defense, closing down running lanes and making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The Rams should be great against the pass but it's equally important that they don't let teams like the 49ers, Bills and Seahawks run all over them. With Ford in the middle, that shouldn't happen.
Special teams should be much improved
If the Rams had a reliable kicker in the first half of the year and a legitimate punt returner in the second half, they might've been Super Bowl champions. Joshua Karty and kicking unit cost the Rams two wins, while Xavier Smith's muff in the NFC title game contributed directly to the loss.
Harrison Mevis has been as accurate as anyone since stepping up, while Bubba Ventrone is demanding more out of a special teams group that struggled badly last year. McVay even said more offensive and defensive players will be playing on special teams, emphasizing the importance of that phase of the game.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 9 reasons the Rams can win the Super Bowl this season
