1984 Los Angeles Rams season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Los Angeles Rams 1984 10–6 2nd NFC West John Robinson Jimmy Raye Fritz Shurmur Georgia Frontiere Anaheim Stadium Lost Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Giants) 13–16 200px Rams seasons The 1984 Los Angeles Rams season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League, their 48th overall, and their 39th in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Rams looked to improve on their 9–7 record from 1983 and make the playoffs for the second consecutive season and 10th in the last 12. They improved on their record by one game, going 10–6, good enough for second place in the NFC West behind the 15–1 San Francisco 49ers. In the playoffs, the Rams lost a low-scoring game to the New York Giants at home, 16–13. During this season, second-year running back Eric Dickerson set the NFL record for most rushing yards in a season, with 2,105 yards. Prior to the season in February 1984, starting cornerback Kirk Collins died of gastroesophageal cancer. Rams teammates would honor Collins during the season by placing a "42" decal on the rear of their helmets. Roberts Rich May 16, 1985 Rams Take On Their Toughest Opponent : Collins' Death by Cancer Spurs Johnson and Teammates to Action https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-16-sp-17563-story.html July 19, 2026 LATimes.com Before the season NFL draft 1984 NFL draft 1984 Los Angeles Rams 5 133 Hal Stephens Defensive end East Carolina 7 188 George Radachowsky Defensive back Boston College 8 215 Ed Brady Linebacker Illinois yes 9 242 George Reynolds Punter Penn State 10 253 Norwood Vann Linebacker East Carolina yes 10 274 Joe Dooley Center Ohio State 11 293 Michael Harper Wide receiver USC 11 301 Dwayne Love Running back Houston 12 309 Rod Fisher Defensive back Oklahoma State 12 328 Moe Bias Linebacker Illinois no nohttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/ram/1984_draft.htm 1984 Los Angeles Rams Draftees Pro Football Reference July 12, 2024 Roster 1984 Los Angeles Rams  8 Steve Dils 15 Vince Ferragamo  9 Jeff Kemp 45 Dwayne Crutchfield 29 Eric Dickerson 44 Mike Guman 46 John Kamana y 30 Barry Redden 89 Ron Brown wide receiver y 80 Henry Ellard 84 George Farmer wide receiver, born 1958 87 Drew Hill 86 Mike Barber tight end 81 David Hill tight end 83 James McDonald American football 62 Bill Bain American football T 73 Russ Bolinger G 60 Dennis Harrah G 72 Kent Hill G 75 Irv Pankey T 64 Joe Shearin C/G 56 Doug Smith offensive lineman C 70 Charles DeJurnett NT 71 Reggie Doss DE 77 Gary Jeter DE 69 Greg Meisner NT 93 Doug Reed DE 66 Booker Reese DE 85 Jack Youngblood DE 90 Ed Brady American football y ILB 50 Jim Collins linebacker ILB 55 Carl Ekern ILB 59 Mark Jerue ILB 57 Jim Laughlin ILB 58 Mel Owens OLB 51 Norwood Vann y OLB 54 Mike Wilcher OLB 53 Jim Youngblood OLB 28 David Croudip CB 27 Gary Green American football CB 47 LeRoy Irvin CB 20 Johnnie Johnson American football FS 22 Vince Newsome SS 43 Mike Pleasant no CB 37 Ivory Sully SS  1 Mike Lansford K 63 Mike McDonald American football LS  6 John Misko P 52 George Andrews American football LB IR 96 Doug Barnett y LS IR 21 Nolan Cromwell S IR 88 Chris Faulkner y TE NF-Ill. -- Rod Fisher no y CB IR 82 Otis Grant American football WR IR 26 Eric Harris gridiron football S IR 24 A. J. Jones RB IR 68 Gary Kowalski American football T IR -- Dan McQuaid y T/G IR 98 Shawn Miller American football y NT IR 78 Jackie Slater T IR 61 Tony Slaton y C IR -- Hal Stephens no y DE IR -- Scott Tinsley QB IR Regular season Eric Dickerson In his second season, Dickerson continued his onslaught of the NFL record book. As a rookie, Dickerson established rookie records for most rushing attempts (390), most rushing yards gained (1,808) and most touchdowns rushing (18), including another two receiving touchdowns.Eric's Days as a Ram, http://www.ericdickerson29.com/rams.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20071014152905/http://www.ericdickerson29.com/rams.htm 2007-10-14 His efforts earned him All-Pro, Pro Bowl, Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors.Eric Dickerson: Pro Football Hall of Fame, https://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=55 Eleven times during the 1984 season, he gained more than 100 yards rushing, breaking the record of 100-yard games in a season held by O. J. Simpson. His 2,105 total yards rushing in the 1984 NFL season beat Simpson’s 1973 NFL season record of 2,003 yards rushing in a single season. To date, no one has rushed for more yards in a single NFL season. However, Simpson’s career high rushing total came in a 14-game season, whereas Dickerson’s mark was set during a 16-game season. Dickerson broke OJ’s record with a 215-yard performance in a 27–16 Rams win over the Houston Oilers in week 15. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 3, 1984 Dallas Cowboys L 13–20 0–1 Anaheim Stadium Recap 2 September 9 Cleveland Browns W 20–17 1–1 Anaheim Stadium Recap 3 September 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–24 1–2 Three Rivers Stadium Recap 4 September 23 at Cincinnati Bengals W 24–14 2–2 Riverfront Stadium Recap 5 September 30 New York Giants W 33–12 3–2 Anaheim Stadium Recap 6 October 7 Atlanta Falcons L 28–30 3–3 Anaheim Stadium Recap 7 October 14 at New Orleans Saints W 28–10 4–3 Louisiana Superdome Recap 8 October 22, 1984 at Atlanta Falcons W 24–10 5–3 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Recap 9 October 28 San Francisco 49ers L 0–33 5–4 Anaheim Stadium Recap 10 November 4 at St. Louis Cardinals W 16–3 6–4 Busch Stadium Recap 11 November 11 Chicago Bears W 29–13 7–4 Anaheim Stadium Recap 12 November 18 at Green Bay Packers L 6–31 7–5 Milwaukee County Stadium Recap 13 November 25 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 34–33 8–5 Tampa Stadium Recap 14 December 2 New Orleans Saints W 34–21 9–5 Anaheim Stadium Recap 15 December 9 Houston Oilers W 27–16 10–5 Anaheim Stadium Recap 16 December 14, 1984 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–19 10–6 Candlestick Park Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 In this Monday Night opener, Rams got off to a 13–0 first-quarter lead with Eric Dickerson running for a touchdown, but the Cowboys stormed back behind 343 passing yards by new QB Gary Hogeboom and a defense that held Vince Ferragamo to 11 pass completions in 33 attempts and just 84 yards, and intercepted 5 passes. Week 2 Mike Lansford kicked a late FG to win it. Dickerson had 102 yards rushing and CB Leroy Irvin returned a pickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. Week 3 Steelers defense held Dickerson to 49 yards and got 2 passing touchdowns from David Woodley. Ferragamo threw 2 more INT's, giving him eight in three games. He was injured in this game & replaced by Jeff Kemp, who would be the starter for the rest of the season. Starting QBs: Los Angeles Rams: Vince Ferragamo vs Pittsburgh Steelers: David Woodley. Vegas Line: Pittsburgh Steelers -3.5 Over/Under 43.0 (under) Vince Ferragamo was injured (hand) during the first half and replaced by Jeff Kemp. ** Los Angeles Rams (1-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) Rams 7 0 7 0 Steelers 0 14 3 7 Sep 16, 1984 Three Rivers Stadium - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 4:00pm EST 50 F C • 7 mph km/h knot Ben Dreith Jim Hill (American football) and John Dockery NFL on CBS . Retrieved 2020-Jul-07. Week 4 Dickerson ran for a touchdown and Kemp passed for another. Bengals scored late on a touchdown pass from Ken Anderson to Cris Collinsworth and tried an onside kick, but Mike Guman scooped it up and ran for the final touchdown. Week 5 Giants 6 0 0 6 Rams 0 17 16 0 September 30 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California 4:00 p.m. 70 °F °C 1; humidity 73%; wind 11 mph km/h knot Gordon McCarter Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil CBS yes Q1 NYG Phil McConkey Special teams recovery in end zone on opening kickoff. Receiving team did not touch ball. NYG 6–0 Q2 LA Dwayne Crutchfield 1 yard rush (Mike Lansford kick) LA 7–6 Q2 LA Henry Ellard 83 yard punt return (Mike Lansford kick) LA 14–6 Q2 LA Mike Lansford 33 yard field goal LA 17–6 Q3 LA Safety, Ivory Sully blocked punt out of end zone LA 19–6 Q3 LA Safety, Reggie Doss and Jack Youngblood tackled Phil Simms in end zone LA 21–6 Q3 LA David Hill 2 yard pass from Jeff Kemp (Mike Lansford kick) LA 28–6 Q3 LA Mike Lansford 35 yard field goal LA 31–6 Q3 LA Safety, Norwood Vann blocked punt out of end zone LA 33–6 Q4 NYG Earnest Gray 15 yard pass from Phil Simms LA 33–12 yes Rams’ defense tied an NFL-record by scoring three safeties. They also held the Giants to 8 yards rushing. Henry Ellard returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown, and Kemp continued to play mistake-free football, passing for another touchdown. The Rams also became the most recent NFL team (the last one prior was before 1940) to score three safeties in one game as they easily defeat Phil Simms and the Giants.New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved 2014-Oct-17. Week 6 The game lead changed six times in the second half. The Falcons won on three rushing touchdowns by Lynn Cain and a late FG by Mick Luckhurst. Week 7 Dickerson ran for 175 yards. Kemp completed only 8 passes, but three were for touchdowns. Nolan Cromwell had an interception return touchdown. Week 8 Rams got revenge on the road against the Falcons as Dickerson ran for 145 yards and a touchdown and Ellard caught a pass and returned another punt for touchdowns. Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1984): vs. San Francisco 49ers The Football Database. Retrieved 2022-Jun-27. Los Angeles Rams 1984 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 9: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams October 28, 1984 1:00 p.m. PST 49ers (8–1) 3 16 7 7 Rams (5–4) 0 0 0 0 Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California 65,481 60 °F °C; wind 7 mph km/h knots Bob Frederic CBS Tom Brookshier (play-by-play) and Wayne Walker (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – October 28, 1984 right San Francisco 49ers SF Los Angeles Rams LARams Joe Montana 21/31, 365 YDS, 3 TDs Wendell Tyler 13 CAR, 27 YDS Freddie Solomon 6 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD Jeff Kemp 14/30, 180 YDS, 2 INTs Eric Dickerson 13 CAR, 38 YDS Henry Ellard 4 REC, 91 YDS SF LARams collapsed 1 10:22 49ers FG 46 Wersching 3 0 2 7:17 49ers FG 46 Wersching 6 0 2 4:30 49ers RecTD Craig Montana 64 no good (pass) Wersching 12 0 2 2:38 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 6 good Wersching 19 0 3 3:11 49ers RushTD Craig 6 good Wersching 26 0 4 7:02 49ers RecTD Clark Montana 44 good Wersching 33 0 33 0 Point spread: 49ers by 3 Over/under: 45.0 (under) Time of game: 49ersGame statisticsRams23 First downs 1239–111 Rushes–yards 19–72376 Passing yards 18022–32–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 14–30–22–15 Sacked–yards 5–46361 Net passing yards 134472 Total yards 20635 Return yards 1233–38.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–39.82–2 Fumbles–lost 5–36–41 Penalties–yards 3–2534:26 Time of Possession 25:34 The 49ers got 376 yards passing and 3 touchdowns from Joe Montana. Dickerson was held to 38 rushing yards. Week 10 Kemp only completed 5 of 14 passes with one touchdown to Ron Brown and Dickerson rushed for 208 yards; Dickerson accounted for almost all of the Rams' 261 yards of offense. Lansford kicked a FG late to win the game as the Rams defense sacked Neil Lomax six times, three by veteran Jack Youngblood Week 11 Rams continued their playoff push by overcoming a 10–0 deficit behind 149 yards and 2 touchdowns by Dickerson. Week 12 Eddie Lee Ivery ran for 3 touchdowns and Tim Lewis returned an interception 99 yards for another. Week 13 In a wild affair at Tampa, the Rams overcame 322 yards passing by Steve DeBerg and scored 17 4th quarter points. The Rams rushed for 299 yards, 191 by Dickerson along with 3 touchdowns. Week 14 Rams built a 24–7 halftime lead and cruised behind 2 Kemp touchdown passes and 149 yards and a touchdown from Dickerson. Week 15 1984 Houston Oilers season Los Angeles Rams 1984 2; text-align:center collapsed Week Fifteen: Houston Oilers (3–11) at Los Angeles Rams (9–5) December 9, 1984 1:00 p.m. PST Oilers 3 10 3 0 Rams 17 3 0 7 Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California 49,092 Sunny, 58 F C Fred Silva NBC Pro-Football-Reference.com, The Football Database First quarter LA – Drew Hill 57-yard pass from Jeff Kemp (Mike Lansford kick), 13:08. Rams 7–0. Drive: HOU – Joe Cooper 21-yard field goal, 7:22. Rams 7–3. Drive: LA – Eric Dickerson 7-yard run (Mike Lansford kick), 4:28. Rams 14–3. Drive: LA – Mike Lansford 35-yard field goal, 1:42. Rams 17–3. Drive: Second quarter HOU – Joe Cooper 42-yard field goal, 13:19. Rams 17–6. Drive: HOU – Larry Moriarty 4-yard run (Joe Cooper kick), 6:13. Rams 17–13. Drive: LA – Mike Lansford 19-yard field goal, 2:26. Rams 20–13. Drive: Third quarter HOU – Joe Cooper 18 yard field goal, 7:50. Rams 20–16. Drive: Fourth quarter LA – Eric Dickerson 6–yard run, 5:49. Rams 27–16. Drive: Top passers HOU – Warren Moon – 19/29, 200 yards, INT LA – Jeff Kemp – 12/23, 199 yards, TD Top rushers HOU – Larry Moriarty – 24 rushes, 102 yards, TD LA – Eric Dickerson – 27 rushes, 215 yards, 2 TD Top receivers HOU – Tim Smith – 6 receptions, 69 yards LA – Drew Hill – 1 reception, 57 yards, TD The Rams clinched a wild-card playoff berth and Dickerson surpassed O. J. Simpson's NFL single-season rushing record by rushing for a season-high 215 yards. Eric Dickerson sets NFL single season rushing record in the game. Jack Youngblood missed his first NFL game due to injury in his career. Week 16 (Friday, December 14, 1984): at San Francisco 49ers The Football Database. Retrieved 2022-Jun-27. Los Angeles Rams 1984 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 16: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers December 14, 1984 6:00 p.m. PST Rams (10–6) 3 10 0 3 49ers (15–1) 14 3 0 2 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 59,743 51 °F °C; wind 13 mph km/h knots Jerry Seeman ABC Frank Gifford (play-by-play), Don Meredith (color commentator) and O. J. Simpson (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – December 14, 1984 right Los Angeles Rams LARams San Francisco 49ers SF Jeff Kemp 11/22, 180 YDS Eric Dickerson 26 CAR, 98 YDS, 1 TD Ron Brown 3 REC, 55 YDS Joe Montana 20/31, 219 YDS, 2 TDs Roger Craig 8 CAR, 59 YDS Earl Cooper 5 REC, 40 YDS, 1 TD LARams SF collapsed 1 10:35 Rams FG 46 Lansford 3 0 2 8:14 49ers RecTD Solomon Montana 47 good Wersching 3 7 1 0:58 49ers RecTD Cooper Montana 1 good Wersching 3 14 2 14:05 49ers FG 38 Wersching 3 17 2 7:50 Rams RushTD Dickerson 4 good Lansford 10 17 2 0:00 Rams FG 28 Lansford 13 17 4 4:43 Rams FG 42 Lansford 16 17 4 1:06 49ers — — — SafetyOther Kemp tackled in the end zone by Johnson for a safety 16 19 16 19 Point spread: 49ers by 6 Over/under: 44.0 (under) Time of game: RamsGame statistics49ers19 First downs 1537–185 Rushes–yards 20–89180 Passing yards 21911–22–0 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 20–31–01–10 Sacked–yards 4–19170 Net passing yards 200355 Total yards 28995 Return yards 884–37.8 Punts Number–Average yardage 6–44.52–1 Fumbles–lost 2–06–57 Penalties–yards 8–7532:52 Time of Possession 27:08 The 49ers got two early touchdown passes from Montana and held off a late Ram charge for the win, culminating in a sack for a safety by Gary "Big Hands" Johnson. With this win, the 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win 15 games in an NFL regular season. Postseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap Wild Card December 23 New York Giants L 13–16 0–1 Anaheim Stadium Recap Standings Awards and honors Eric Dickerson, NFC Pro Bowl Selection Eric Dickerson, All-Pro Selection Eric Dickerson, UPI NFC Player of the Year Milestones Eric Dickerson, NFL Record 2,105 Rushing Yards in a Single Season See also Other Anaheim–based teams in 1984 California Angels (Anaheim Stadium) 1984 California Angels season References 30em External links 1984 Los Angeles Rams Season at Pro-Football Reference Los Angeles Rams Category:Los Angeles Rams seasons Los Ang