What the 49ers can Learn From the Rams' Super Bowl Winning Season

The 2021 NFL season has officially come to a close.

In the end, it was the Los Angeles Rams who earned the right to hoist the Lombardi trophy.

From the perspective of the San Francisco 49ers, it isn't too bad to know that their season ended by a team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. It lets the 49ers know that they are so close to reaching that pinnacle.

But there is something the 49ers can learn from the Rams' Super Bowl winning season that can get them over the hump.

How the Rams won the Super Bowl ultimately stems from their risk taking mentality. The way they operate is a "swing for the fences" mindset, especially when it comes to personnel decisions. Just look at their track record the last few years.

All of the draft picks they surrendered to get players like Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford, and Von Miller. All of the salary cap space they are bending to their will to fit those acquisitions and taking care of their own studs like Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp.

These are the moves that have set them up to become Super Bowl champions. There is no in between with the Rams. They are committed to a full send on competing for a Super Bowl and it clearly has paid off. The Rams have shown how overrated first-round draft picks are or draft picks in general. They have shown that manipulating the salary cap is possible and worth the future sacrifice.

Now, what the Rams have been doing is risky. I will not ignore how wild their moves have been because if it did not earn them a Super Bowl, then they easily look like fools. But then again, I do not see much issue with a team who is trying to go all in on a Super Bowl. It is respectable that the Rams are shooting their shot to win the ultimate goal/prize in the NFL.

If the 49ers can tap into some of that mentality, rather than just straddling the fence like they did last season with Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, then they can surely find themselves benefitting from the moves. That way trading DeForest Buckner for a first-round pick doesn't occur because salary cap manipulation is possible. But that is likely a product of Paraag Marathe being a stick in the mud with finances.

The 49ers just need to absorb at least a bit of that all in mentality and not try to have it both ways like they did last season. They tried to go for it all with Garoppolo, while also building for the future with Lance sitting. And while it did earn them an NFC title game appearance, it essentially ended for that same reason with Garoppolo. Luckily, the 49ers do not need to worry about that anymore.

Next season should see the 49ers take an out of character swing to win now and not both sides of the fence.

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