Tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of one of the most epic playoff games in the Rams history. Roman Gabriel was the MVP of the NFL in 1969, when he led the Rams to an 11-0 start. They floundered during the last three games of the regular season and then went to Minnesota to play the Vikings in the playoffs. In those days, the homefield alternated season by season. In 1967, the Rams had the best record in the NFL at 11-1-2 but had to travel to frigid Green Bay for the playoffs. A few weeks earlier, the Rams had beaten the Packers in one of their greatest regular season games ever. In that amazing season, the Colts entered the final game undefeated at 11-0-2, but the Rams blew them out to win the Division. The Colts also finished 11-1-2 but didn't make the playoffs! It was the heyday of the Fearsome Foursome, and the Rams established themselves as the best team in the NFL after finishing the season with wins over the Packers and Colts. They were riding as high at that point as they were at the end of the 1999 season, but they had the misfortunate of having to travel to a cold weather site, where they lost 28-7. Two years later, the homefield was again in the opponent's favor, but the Rams came out strong and took a 17-7 lead at the half. The Vikings battled back in the second half and won 23-20. It was perhaps the most heartbreaking Rams loss ever for me.
