Rams Reflections: Rookie Jim Brown had his breakout game against LA

There’s never anything easy about losing an icon in the sports world. The NFL lost their biggest with the passing of Jim Brown on Friday.

Brown was considered one of the greatest players in league history and it’s not hard to see why. Over the course of his nine years playing the sport he loved, Jim Brown was the NFL. He paved the way for the game we as fans all cherish and his loss will be felt for quite some time.

Because moments like these are never easy to cover, let’s shift away from this tragic loss and instead focus on the otherworldly playmaker Brown was. His highlight reel was breathtaking and got kicked into hyperdrive against the Los Angeles Rams during his rookie campaign in 1957.

Brown was drafted as the sixth overall pick out of Syracuse. Prior to his team’s Week 9 meeting with the Rams, Brown had one game with over 100 yards rushing and four total scores to his name. Suddenly against LA, the rookie exploded and the league would never be the same again.

That’s right, Brown doubled his touchdowns on the ground in a single game! That’s a rookie record still standing for 65 years and counting!! There aren’t enough explanation points in the world that express what a marvel Brown was with the ball in his hands. His rushing yards on the day were a single-game record that wouldn’t be broken until 1971. By the way, that’s currently the 21st-highest total in a single game in NFL history. Poor LA didn’t know what hit them as Brown ran them over with ease.

While this game no doubt catapulted Brown into the record books, it also vaulted Cleveland to the top of the standings. The Browns went 9-2-1 on the year and won the NFL East Division. Although the team lost to Detroit in blowout fashion in the championship, Jim Brown’s performance against the Rams proved that he was going to be a menace for years to come.

Brown won the first of his three career MVP awards in 1957, with his stellar showing at home versus LA no doubt being the cherry on top of his sweet entrance to stardom. Pundits will always question his placement alongside other Hall of Famers but there is no debating his legacy as an all-time great. One thing is for certain, the NFL will never have another Jim Brown.