/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68478327/107406694.0.jpg)
The most recent game between the Rams and Patriots is one we all remember. Instead, I’ve pulled a photo for the article here from the oldest game between the two franchises that I could find in the editor. Well, that’s not entirely true, it’s just the oldest color photo. Here’s one from the 1971 preseason with quarterback Jim Plunkett, the number one pick in the draft that year, taking a hit of some sort by safety Dave Elmendorf.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22154568/953531716.jpg)
The photo at the very top is that of quarterback John Hadl, who only started 19 games for the Rams but posted a 15-4 record, including that 1974 loss to the Patriots in which he went 13 of 32 with two interceptions. Hadl — the NFC Player of the Year in 1973 — was traded to the Packers for two firsts, two seconds and a third. Hadl later said about Green Bay’s deal for him: “I didn’t think anyone would be that desperate.”
The trade helped the Rams become one of the most dominant teams of the 70s.
Then I guess some other games happened between the two organizations over the next few decades and that lands you to today’s Reverse Q and A, as the LA Rams host the New England Patriots this Thursday night.
I’ll post five Rams-Patriots related questions in the comments below and YOU give me the answers. Because trust me, YOU are as great of an expert as many of the people who may try to perch themselves above you. Let’s get right to it!