The 2015 season was the St. Louis Rams' 78th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth under head coach Jeff Fisher, and their 21st and final season in St. Louis, Missouri, their home since the 1995 season.
The Rams improved on their 6–10 record from 2014 by going 7–9 for the 2015 season, but tied a franchise record set between 1956 and 1966 by missing the playoffs for the eleventh consecutive season.
After the season, an arbitral tribunal gave permission for the Rams to void their lease on the Edward Jones Dome. Rams owner Stan Kroenke filed a formal application with the league to relocate the Rams to their long-time home of Los Angeles, California, where the team would play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for four seasons until their stadium in Inglewood, California was complete. They were originally slated to play at the Coliseum for only three seasons; delays in the construction of the new stadium resulted in the added season at the historic venue. Kroenke's request to move the team to Los Angeles was approved on January 12, 2016, at a meeting in Houston, Texas.
The Rams' starting quarterbacks during the season, Nick Foles and Case Keenum, started against each other at quarterback in the 2017 NFC Championship Game, for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, respectively. The Eagles won that meeting and Super Bowl LII, with Foles being named Super Bowl MVP.
2015 draft class
2015 St. Louis Rams draft Round Selection Player Position College 1 10Todd Gurley RB Georgia 2 57 Rob Havenstein OT Wisconsin 3 72 Jamon Brown OT Louisville 89 Sean Mannion QB Oregon State 4 119 Andrew Donnal OT Iowa 6 201 Bud Sasser WR Missouri Cody Wichmann OG Fresno State 7 224 Bryce Hager ILB Baylor 227 Martin Ifedi DE Memphis Compensatory selection Draft trades The Rams traded their original fourth- and sixth-round selections (Nos. 109 and 184 overall, respectively) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for safety Mark Barron. The Rams traded quarterback Sam Bradford and their fifth-round selection (No. 145 overall) to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles, the Eagles' fourth-round selection (No. 119 overall) and the Eagles' second round selection in 2016. The trade also includes a conditional selection in 2016 that the Eagles could receive depending on Bradford's playing time in . The Eagles will receive a 2016 fourth-round selection if Bradford plays fewer than 50 percent of the snaps; the selection will upgrade to a third-rounder if Bradford does not play at all in 2015. Bradford started for the Eagles Week 1, eliminating the possibility of the third-round upgrade. The Rams traded one of their two seventh-round selections (No. 249 overall – acquired in a trade that sent wide receiver Greg Salas to the New England Patriots), along with their 2013 second-round selection to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for the Falcons' 2013 first-, third- and sixth-round selections. The Rams traded their second round selection (No. 41 overall) to the Carolina Panthers (used to select Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan) for Carolina's second round selection (No. 57 overall, used to select Rob Havenstein), third round selection (No. 89 overall, used to select Sean Mannion) and sixth round selection (No. 201 overall, used to select Bud Sasser). The Rams traded RB Zac Stacy to the New York Jets for their seventh round selection (No. 224 overall, used to select Bryce Hager).
Supplemental draft The Rams selected Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in the 2015 Supplemental draft. As a result, the team will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 draft.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Oakland Raiders L 3–18 0–1 O.co Coliseum Recap 2 August 23 at Tennessee Titans L 14–27 0–2 Nissan Stadium Recap 3 Indianapolis Colts L 14–24 0–3 Edward Jones Dome Recap 4 Kansas City Chiefs L 17–24 0–4 Edward Jones Dome Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 13 Seattle Seahawks W 34–31 1–0 Edward Jones Dome Recap 2 September 20 at Washington Redskins L 10–24 1–1 FedExField Recap 3 September 27 Pittsburgh Steelers L 6–12 1–2 Edward Jones Dome Recap 4 October 4 at Arizona Cardinals W 24–22 2–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 5 October 11 at Green Bay Packers L 10–24 2–3 Lambeau Field Recap 6Bye 7 October 25 Cleveland Browns W 24–6 3–3 Edward Jones DomeRecap 8 November 1 San Francisco 49ers W 27–6 4–3 Edward Jones Dome Recap 9 November 8 at Minnesota Vikings L 18–21 4–4 TCF Bank Stadium Recap 10 November 15 Chicago Bears L 13–37 4–5 Edward Jones Dome Recap 11 November 22 at Baltimore Ravens L 13–16 4–6 M&T Bank Stadium Recap 12 November 29 at Cincinnati Bengals L 7–31 4–7 Paul Brown Stadium Recap 13 December 6 Arizona Cardinals L 3–27 4–8 Edward Jones Dome Recap 14 December 13 Detroit Lions W 21–14 5–8 Edward Jones Dome Recap 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 31–23 6–8 Edward Jones Dome Recap 16 December 27 at Seattle Seahawks W 23–17 7–8 CenturyLink Field Recap 17 January 3 at San Francisco 49ers L 16–19 7–9 Levi's Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks
In his debut as the Rams' starting quarterback, Nick Foles threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams upset the Seahawks in their season opener at home. Running back Benny Cunningham got the start and totaled 46 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving while Tavon Austin ran for a 16-yard TD and then scored on a 75-yard punt return in the third quarter as St. Louis built a 24-13 lead. But Seattle rallied for 18 unanswered points to take a 31-24 lead before the Rams came back as Foles hit tight end Lance Kendricks for a 37-yard score with 53 seconds left. Kicker Greg Zuerlein converted the point-after attempt and then made a 37-yard field goal in overtime to put the Rams ahead. The defense sacked Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson six times and limited running back Marshawn Lynch to just 73 rushing yards. The Seahawks drove into Rams territory on their overtime possession but on fourth-and-1 at the St. Louis 42, Lynch was stuffed by defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald to preserve the victory. Donald had nine total tackles (five solo, four assists) including two sacks and three tackles for loss and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Week 2: at Washington Redskins
After falling behind 17-0 in the first half at Washington, the Rams came back on a 52-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein and a 40-yard TD pass from Nick Foles to wide receiver Kenny Britt to close within 17-10 in the third quarter. But Redskins running back Matt Jones (16 carries, 123 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game with 2:38 remaining to seal the win for Washington.
Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Rams struggled offensively and defensively all game long. The defense sacked Pittsburgh quarterback three times as Ben Roethlisberger was forced from the game with an apparent knee injury. He was then replaced by Michael Vick, who was sacked twice himself by the Rams. Quarterback Nick Foles (19-28-197 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT) struggled on offense while the Rams running game was limited to just 71 yards. Rookie running back Todd Gurley, the team's No. 1 draft pick, made his professional football debut and had six carries for nine yards and one carry for five yards. Prior to kickoff, the game was delayed due to the turf being caught on fire due to a fireworks display gone awry.
Week 4: at Arizona Cardinals
The Rams traveled to Phoenix and improved their record to 2-2 in an upset of the red-hot Cardinals, the 2nd highest-scoring team in the league. Nick Foles passed for 171 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to wide receiver Tavon Austin (six receptions, 96 yards). Todd Gurley got his first start as Rams' running back, and after being limited to four carries for 2 yards in the first half, he finished the game with 146 rushing yards. Gurley contributed big runs that led to TDs scored by wide receiver Stedman Bailey and Austin. With the Rams clinging to a two-point lead and facing a third down-and-12 situation with just over a minute remaining, Gurley broke loose for a 30-yard gain down the left sideline and appeared headed for the end zone before voluntarily going down at the Arizona 8 to allow the Rams to run out the clock. After the game, Bruce Arians commented that Gurley, "played like a rookie." The Rams defense limited the Cardinals to five field goals and held them out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, and sacked Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer four times. It would be the first of nine straight victories for the Rams franchise in Arizona.
Week 5: at Green Bay Packers
Traveling to Green Bay, the Rams looked to end the Packers' hot streak at 4-1 but failed as Nick Foles completed only 11 passes in 30 attempts, was intercepted four times and sacked three times. Running back Todd Gurley totaled a season-high 159 yards on 30 attempts but was held out of the end zone. On defense, St. Louis James Laurinitis intercepted a pass from Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay QB's first interception thrown at Lambeau Field in 20 games. Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson added another interception later in the game. However, the defense struggled to contain the Packers explosive receiving corps all day long. With the loss, the Rams dropped to 2-3.
Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns
For the first time since Week 8 of 2007, the Rams hosted the Cleveland Browns in St. Louis. In the first quarter, Rodney McLeod returned a fumble to the end zone to give the Rams the game's first points, and kicker Greg Zuelein added a 39-yard field goal. Running back Todd Gurley was limited to just 45 yards in the first half, but he managed to turn things around in the second half, rushing for 83 yards scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 1-yard run in the third quarter (he later added a second TD on a 6-yard run in the fourth period). The Rams defense combined for four forced fumbles recovered as well as four sacks of Browns quarterback Josh McCown. With the win, the Rams went to 3-3.
Week 8: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Todd Gurley had another productive day, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries, including a 71-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter. Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin had 119 total yards on just seven touches, including a 2-yard TD run in the second quarter and catching a 66-yard scoring pass from quarterback Nick Foles in the fourth. touchdowns for the final score. Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis tackled 49ers running back Mike Davis for a safety in the first period and the defense had three sacks and nine hits of San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick during the game. With the win, the Rams improved to 4-3, making it the first time since 2012 the Rams were above .500 excluding a Week 1 victory. The Rams also wore their 1973-1999 throwbacks for the first time in the season.
Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings