Super Bowl LXI Road Map: Rams Could Flirt With Perfection in 2026

Los Angeles has a loaded roster and is primed to win its second Lombardi on its home field in the past six seasons.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford won his first MVP in 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Super Bowl road maps: Jaguars | Bears | Browns | Dolphins | Packers | Lions | Texans | Vikings | Falcons | Chiefs | Buccaneers | Bengals | Steelers | Colts

Welcome to Super Bowl LXI road maps, where we look at every team’s chances of winning it all in 2026. We’ll analyze the summer optimism before providing a reality check of what’s to come. Next path to assess: the Rams.

It seemed silly to suggest that there was a subtle buzz for a Rams’ OTA workout on May 29. As it turned out, that was nothing compared to the hype this team generated two days later after executing the biggest trade of the offseason. 

Myles Garrett joined the Rams on June 1, and not only did he bring his elite skill set to L.A., but his arrival placed massive targets on the backs of his new teammates, who were already a part of a talented roster before the splash trade. 

Earlier in the offseason, the Rams took cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from Kansas City to address the biggest weakness on this star-studded roster. But L.A. is really all in after sending talented edge rusher Jared Verse and multiple coveted draft picks to Cleveland in exchange for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. 

Now, there’s no noticeable weakness on L.A.’s defense or offense, a high-scoring unit in 2025 that punished opponents with MVP Matthew Stafford, dynamic wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and productive running back Kyren Williams. 

On paper, this is a near-perfect roster—if you’re willing to look past some special teams concerns. At the moment, it appears only the Rams can stop themselves from winning Super Bowl LXI in their backyard, but with the hype and massive targets, they’ll be getting everyone’s best on a weekly basis.  

Leadership

The Coach of the Year award has generally gone to a new coach who quickly turns a losing team into a contender. Sean McVay benefited from this in 2017, when he guided the struggling Rams to the postseason as a 31-year-old rookie head coach. 

McVay no longer fits the unwritten criteria of the yearly award, but it’s a bit strange that he’s won it only in that first season in L.A. However, he could be in contention again if he guides this loaded roster to a historic 2026 season. Think Bill Belichick in 2007, when he became a two-time Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to a perfect regular-season record. 

Perhaps being perfect for the entire year isn’t the goal for McVay’s stacked roster. (The 2007 Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Giants.) Still, records could be broken on their quest to win the Super Bowl on their home field for the second time in six seasons. Stafford operated arguably the league’s best offense in ’25, and now this unit is paired with a revamped defense.  

Also, McVay might be the only coach in the league who can manage all the strong personalities in the locker room. He did it in 2021 when the Rams won it all with a group that included Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, Von Miller and Aaron Donald. It might be borderline unfair if Donald ends his two-year retirement to play next to Garrett. 

There will likely be an adjustment period for all the new pieces, including McVay’s coaching staff. The Rams promoted Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator after Mike LaFleur took the Cardinals’ coaching job, and the team hired Bubba Ventrone to be the special teams coordinator after firing Chase Blackburn in December. Chris Shula interviewed for head coaching positions, but returned for a third season as defensive coordinator.  

However, McVay is accustomed to onboarding notable new players and dealing with a retooled staff after most coaching cycles. Additionally, GM Les Snead isn’t afraid to make splash moves to get his team over the hump, but it seems this roster is as close to complete as it can get. 

Most influential roster move

This one is a no-brainer. Plugging Garrett into this defense will give Shula endless possibilities for how he wants to operate on the field. 

Garrett’s presence will provide Byron Young more opportunities to make game-changing plays, one season after he recorded a career-high 12 sacks playing next to Verse. A front four that can constantly pressure the quarterback will also allow the defensive backs to create more takeaways. Last season, the Rams ranked fifth with 26 takeaways, and that was without Garrett. 

This might seem like an easy job for Shula, but it’s on him to take advantage of those endless opportunities and find creative plays and unique rotations. It also shouldn’t be forgotten that the Rams need to make life easier for Garrett and not just the other way around. 

Last season, Garrett delivered 23 sacks while playing on a Browns team that averaged only 16.4 points per game. He might break his own NFL sack record with the strong surroundings he has in Los Angeles.  

Why this offseason move will (or won’t) work

Initially, McDuffie was the Rams’ most influential roster move of the offseason before Garrett arrived in June. Still, there’s a lot riding on the first splash trade because McDuffie was quickly handed a market-setting four-year, $124 million contract extension, and the team sent one of its two first-round picks in April to Kansas City.

McDuffie might not be the best cornerback in the league, but he’s the rare kind of corner who can provide All-Pro production from the inside and outside. (He’s been an All-Pro as an outside and slot corner.) More importantly, he’s done it on the big stage, helping the Chiefs win two Super Bowls during his four seasons there. 

Similar to Garrett, McDuffie will also provide Shula with a range of possibilities for how he wants to deploy his defensive backs. The Rams were wise to sign Watson to give themselves a second reliable perimeter  cornerback and the flexibility to move McDuffie to multiple positions. 

After having a weak secondary last season, this could be one of the league’s best after the team rolled the dice on McDuffie. 

Rams right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. started the final 10 games last year, including three playoff games. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Breakout player candidate: Warren McClendon Jr., right tackle 

McClendon’s surprising performance last season went under the radar a bit. He stepped up while right tackle Rob Havenstein battled injuries, starting the final 10 games of the season, including the three playoff games.

The Rams’ offense didn’t miss a beat with the inexperienced McClendon, who had only five career starts entering last season. The 2023 fifth-round pick (L.A. also drafted Nacua, Kobie Turner, Steve Avila and Young in that same draft) is now the full-time starter after Havenstein retired in the offseason. 

However, there’s plenty of pressure on McClendon to match what he did last season because he’s heading into the final year of his rookie deal. And it’s gotten to the point where the Rams can’t always rely on left tackle Alaric Jackson to be available after dealing with more off-the-field issues this offseason. (Jackson won’t face felony charges after being arrested on suspicion of domestic battery.)

Missing piece

It’s tough to call this a near-perfect roster when special teams was a serious issue last season, costing the Rams a handful of games, including in Philadelphia and Seattle. There were blocked kicks, muffed punts, a kicker change and a rare in-season firing for McVay, who let Blackburn go during the final month of the season. 

Fixing special teams won’t be as simple as trading for McDuffie to improve last year’s poor secondary. It’s going to be on Ventrone to identify and develop core special teams players before the roster is cut from 90 to 53 in late August. This area of concern might be the only hiccup that can slow the loaded Rams in 2026.

Realistic outlook 

Without question, this is a Super Bowl–or-bust season for the Rams, who might have attracted the most offseason hype in a long time.

They have top-five players at a handful of positions, and the most brilliant football mind is controlling the operation. Anything other than a Super Bowl would definitely be a failure for McVay’s team, even though he attempted to downplay the expectations during Garrett’s introductory news conference in June.  

On paper, L.A. has the best roster in recent memory. Now, it’s on the Rams to do what the Patriots couldn’t in 2007—win the Super Bowl with a giant target on their backs.