Supreme six powered the Rams’ drive

There could have been a red carpet leading to the Rams’ postgame news conference Sunday night, the team trotting one major star after another out in front of the cameras to celebrate clinching a Super Bowl berth several years — and many big personnel moves — in the making.

The Rams, after all, have as much star power as almost any franchise in football: Homegrown talents at critical positions on either side of the football. Major trade additions acquired for hefty hauls of draft picks. And prominent talents who all came together to help the team beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game and book a spot in Super Bowl LVI.

Here’s a look at six of their biggest names, and how the team brought them all together to reach the doorstep of a championship.

AARON DONALD

Acquired: First-round draft pick, 2014

The Rams’ dominant defensive tackle was a force from the start of his NFL career. In 2014, he was named the defensive rookie of the year and earned his first of eight Pro Bowl selections. The next year, he earned the first of his seven first-team All-Pro selections and recorded his first of six double-digit sack seasons.

Though he keeps a low-key public persona, his play has earned admiration from pundits and peers alike. He has won the NFL’s defensive player of the year award in 2017, 2018 and 2020. And he has been ranked as one of the NFL’s top-three players the last three years in the league’s Top 100 rankings, which are voted on by players.

COOPER KUPP

Acquired: Third-round draft pick, 2017

Unlike Donald, Kupp wasn’t an immediate star after entering the league. Following a decent rookie season in 2017, he missed the second half of the 2018 season, including the team’s run to Super Bowl LIII, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Though he bounced back with more than 2,100 yards receiving the next two years, this season was when the 6-foot-2 target cemented himself as arguably the top receiver in the NFL. He became the first receiving “triple crown” winner (the leader in receptions, yards and touchdowns) since 2005.

JALEN RAMSEY

Acquired: Traded by Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 (in exchange for two firstround picks and a fourth-round pick)

After losing Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots, the Rams were struggling in 2019 when they acquired Ramsey, the All-Pro cornerback who had become disgruntled with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Though his addition didn’t help the Rams return to the playoffs in 2019, he signed a five-year, $105-million extension the next year and has become a cornerstone of the defense, this season matching his career-high with four interceptions and breaking up 16 passes.

MATTHEW STAFFORD

Acquired: Traded by Detroit Lions in 2021 (in exchange for Jared Goff, two firstround draft picks and a third-round draft pick)

Though former quarterback Goff helped the Rams to three playoff appearances and one conference championship, the franchise hoped Stafford would be an upgrade. He had displayed tantalizing arm talent during 12 seasons with the Lions. But his track record was hardly sparkling: A 74-90-1 regular season record. An 0-3 mark in the playoffs.

Still, the Rams believed in him, and continued to do so even as he battled inconsistency and a penchant for untimely interceptions throughout this regular season. That faith has been rewarded in the playoffs, where Stafford has thrown for 905 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception, cashing in the bet the Rams made on him almost exactly a year ago.

VON MILLER

Acquired: Traded by Denver Broncos before Week 9 of this season (in exchange for a second- and third-round draft pick)

Miller’s trade was headline news, the 32-year-old linebacker leaving the Denver Broncos after 10 stellar seasons in which he was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, three-time All-Pro and Super Bowl 50 champion and MVP.

His big personality and key production in the pass rush have made him a hit in L.A. He has seven sacks with the Rams in the regular season and postseason. He’s brought championship pedigree to a roster bereft of many Super Bowl rings.

ODELL BECKHAM JR.

Acquired: Signed as free agent before Week 10 of this season

Though Beckham had plenty of highlight-reel plays with the New York Giants and Browns — his famous one-handed catch chief among them — postseason success had eluded him.

Since coming to L.A., he has filled an important hole in a passing attack that lost Woods to an ACL tear in November, the day after Beckham signed. His best game with the team came Sunday, when he had nine catches for 113 yards to earn his first trip to the Super Bowl.