A "raucous crowd" of 74,300 packed L.A. Memorial Coliseum last night for the Falcons-Rams NFC Wild Card game, the first NFL playoff game in the city since '94 (AP, 1/7). Rams fans "showed up in force" for the team's 26-13 loss to the Falcons, as the crowd marked the team's "biggest crowd of the year" at the Coliseum. 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). Rams Owner Stan Kroenke after the game said, "In two years we'll be in a new stadium, and ... 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" (USATODAY.com, 1/7).
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 were NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft (THE DAILY).
