The 1970 Rams were predicted to go to the Super Bowl, and they got off to a great start with three straight dominant victories. I was very excited watching the 19-0 win over the Bills and the 37-10 win over the Chargers. Then the offense faltered in a 20-6 loss to the 49ers, and they lost a tough game to the Vikings 13-3 in their first-ever appearance on Monday Night Football. The key play in that game was when the Rams failed to punch the ball over the goal line just before the half. That 1970 season really sticks out in my mind even though the Rams finished at 9-4-1 and one game behind the 49ers. Later in the season, they battled back with a 30-13 win over the 49ers that was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. They blew out the Giants 31-3 in the final game and would have made the playoffs, but the Raiders laid down in a game with the 49ers that was meaningless to them but that decided the NFC West. One of the most costly defeats that year was an awful performance in a 31-20 loss to a Jets team that came into the game 1-7.
