Los Angeles Rams Kicker's Historic Rookie Year Ends with Loss to Eagles

The Rams could not get past the Eagles, who move onto the NFC championship game while LA goes back to the drawing board for next year.

Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams place kicker Joshua Karty (16) kicks a field goal in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A promising campaign has come to a bitter end. The Los Angeles Rams were rolling, winning nine out of their final 12 games of the season to clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs. After picking up a wild card weekend win, momentum was firmly on Los Angeles' side as they looked to get back to the NFC championship.

However, a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles spoiled any hope for that, sending the Rams home and ending former Stanford kicker Joshua Karty's rookie year.

After a career at Stanford that saw him earn two straight First-team All-Pac-12 selections and two consecutive First-team All-American selections, ending his Cardinal tenure having made 98% of his extra points and 85% of his field goals, Karty was selected by the Rams in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, hoping to help address the kicker issues experienced by Los Angeles last season.

Since winning the job out of training camp, Karty has evolved into a star for the team, using his clutch gene to help the Rams win in big moments.

As a rookie, Karty made 85% of his field goals and 88% of his extra points with a season long of 58 yards. He also ended the year having scored 119 points, making him the first rookie in Rams history since Frank Corral in 1978 to surpass the 100 point benchmark.

Karty's rookie season provides hope in many ways. For one, the Rams will not have to worry about the kicker position heading into 2025 and instead can focus on bolstering the roster in other ways. Last season, going through the legs of guys such as Matt Gay and Brett Maher caused a 10-7 Rams team with a lot of promise to fall in the first round of the playoffs.

But with Karty, the Rams were able to win because of his heroics, with a couple of games this year being decided on field goals. In the Rams' 12-6 week 15 win over the San Francisco 49ers, Karty was responsible for all 12 points, and the win was massive for the team in ultimately winning the NFC West.

The final month of the season is where Karty really found his footing, as his dominant December earned him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month. During that span, Karty did not miss a single field goal and only missed a pair of PATs, a streak that carried well into the playoffs.

During the Rams' playoff run, Karty was perfect, converting on all four of his field goal attempts and all five of his extra points.

A strong debut season for Karty provides major hope for the future, with confidence that he can be one of the league's more premier kickers rising by the day. A superstar from the moment he joined the NFL, it is safe to say that L.A. is in good hands thanks to the foot of Karty.