The Rams were Super Bowl favorites going into the 1970 season, but they struggled in a 20-6 loss to the 49ers early in the season. Roman Gabriel got knocked unconscious in that game. The offense was so sluggish that day that the Rams actually punted on third down one time! The second game with the 49ers was a sweet 30-13 victory that got the Rams back in contention for the division. After that game, Roman Gabriel appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline, "Los Angeles Battles Back. The Rams would have won the division that season had it not been for the Raiders failing to make an effort in the deciding game (which was meaningless for them) against the 49ers on the final day of the season. Earlier that day, the Rams blew out the Giants 31-3. The Rams still had Roman Gabriel, the Fearsome Foursome, and George Allen that season. They were a good team, but they blew the season by failing to win games against weak opponents (Jets and Falcons). They also had a tough loss to a powerful Lions team that was on a roll at the time. Early in the season, they had a tough 13-3 loss to the Vikings in a game in which Roman Gabriel couldn't get the ball into the end zone on a QB sneak late in the first half. They got off to an impressive start, and I still have vivid memories of their 19-0 win over the Bills and 37-10 win over the Chargers.
