A loud and loving L.A. fan base "showed up in force" for the Rams' 26-13 Wild Card loss against the Falcons on Saturday, but in front of their "biggest crowd of the year, a screaming and towel-waving group of 74,300 who came downtown for a revelation, the Rams were instead a regret," according to a front-page piece by Bill Plaschke of the L.A. TIMES. For a team that "struggled all year with empty seats and an apathy from a town that didn't trust them," the first-round loss was a "true shame" (L.A. TIMES, 1/7). The AP's Greg Beachum noted the "raucous crowd" packed L.A. Coliseum on a "crisp evening for the first NFL playoff game in the nation's second-largest city" since '94 (AP, 1/7). In California, Rich Hammond noted fans "turned out at the Coliseum like never before this season" (O.C. REGISTER, 1/7). Also in California, Ryan Kartje notes some former Rams players, including Pro Football HOFer Eric Dickerson, Torry Holt and Steven Jackson "lined the sidelines." Celebrities "made appearances" and rapper Snoop Dogg "performed at halftime" (O.C. REGISTER, 1/7). Also in attendance at Falcons-Rams were NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft (THE DAILY).
NOT QUITE FEELING THE LOVE: Rams Owner Stan Kroenke following the loss said, "In two years we'll be in a new stadium, and I think we can have a true home-field advantage like a lot of the teams do. We don't really have it now." Kroenke then quickly added, "I shouldn't say that because the fans were great." Kroenke, comparing the 93,607-seat Coliseum to the Vikings' 66,655-seat U.S. Bank Stadium, which opened in '16 and will host Super Bowl LII, said, "Have you been up there? That is a true home-field advantage because it's so loud, it's packed, it's new." Kroenke said that he "never had concerns about whether the city would support the team." Kroenke: "I know L.A. loves the Rams. I know the fans embrace the team, and I go around this town and people talk to me about it. We're here. We don't have a good facility. It's the Coliseum. This place is cavernous. It'll swallow up 65,000, 70,000 people." Kroenke said on the future of the Rams, "We have a good young team. Everybody's really excited. ... The city's a wonderful place. They truly have embraced the team" (USATODAY.com, 1/7). The REGISTER's Kartje wrote "only time will tell whether the Rams have won" over L.A. But for one night, the "apathy and empty seats were a distant memory" (O.C. REGISTER, 1/7).
BRIGHT FUTURE: USA TODAY's Josh Peter wrote despite the "glum faces" in their locker room Saturday night, the Rams are "in position to move forward in a big way" (USATODAY.com, 1/7). In San Diego, Kevin Acee wrote what the Rams "accomplished the previous four months to get here was momentous." Despite the loss, there can be "no diminishing what the Rams did in their first playoff season" since '04 (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/7).
