The 1980 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 43rd year with the National Football League (NFL), the 35th season in Los Angeles, and the first season at Anaheim Stadium. The Rams improved from their 9–7 Super Bowl season from the previous year with an 11–5 record. They made the playoffs for the 8th straight season. They finished in 2nd place in the NFC West behind the Atlanta Falcons, which snapped Los Angeles' then-NFL record of consecutive division championships at 7. This record has since been snapped by the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, who both won 11 and 9 straight division titles in their respective divisions. The Patriots streak ended in 2020, while the Chiefs streak ended in 2025.
Coming off a Super Bowl appearance the previous season, the Rams had high hopes of winning the championship for the first time. After a slow start to the season, the Rams caught fire and won five games in a row to sit at 5–2. In week 15, the Rams hosted the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. In a highly anticipated matchup, the Rams wound up crushing the Cowboys 38–14. This win clinched a playoff berth for the Rams for the 8th straight season, still a team record. However, they couldn't beat Dallas when it mattered, losing at Texas Stadium in the NFC Wild Card game 34–13. Because the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1971, the Rams were the only team from 1973 to this year that never missed the playoffs.
Offseason
NFL draft
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 7 Detroit Lions L 20–41 0–1 Anaheim Stadium 64,892 2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 9–10 0–2 Tampa Stadium 66,576 3 September 21 Green Bay Packers W 51–21 1–2 Anaheim Stadium 63,850 4 September 28 at New York Giants W 28–7 2–2 Giants Stadium 73,414 5 October 5 San Francisco 49ers W 48–26 3–2 Anaheim Stadium 62,188 6 October 12 at St. Louis Cardinals W 21–13 4–2 Busch Memorial Stadium 50,230 7 October 19 at San Francisco 49ers W 31–17 5–2 Candlestick Park 55,360 8 October 26 at Atlanta Falcons L 10–13 5–3 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 57,401 9 November 2 New Orleans Saints W 45–31 6–3 Anaheim Stadium 59,909 10 November 9 Miami Dolphins L 14–35 6–4 Anaheim Stadium 62,198 11 November 16 at New England Patriots W 17–14 7–4 Schaefer Stadium 60,609 12 at New Orleans Saints W 27–7 8–4 Louisiana Superdome 53,448 13 November 30 New York Jets W 38–13 9–4 Anaheim Stadium 59,743 14 December 7 at Buffalo Bills L 7–10 (OT) 9–5 Rich Stadium 77,133 15 Dallas Cowboys W 38–14 10–5 Anaheim Stadium 65,154 16 December 21 Atlanta Falcons W 20–17 (OT) 11–5 Anaheim Stadium 62,469 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 1 vs Lions
Playoffs Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Wildcard December 28 at Dallas Cowboys L 13–34 0–1 Texas Stadium 64,533
Standings
See also Other Anaheim–based teams in 1980 1980 California Angels season
References
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External links 1980 Los Angeles Rams at Pro-Football-Reference.com