RAMS END COLISEUM RUN
LOS ANGELES
The Rams bid a bittersweet farewell to the Coliseum on Sunday with festivities and accoutrements that included a nostalgic field design and a postgame fireworks show.
They also gave fans something to cheer about during a 31-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Jared Goff passed for three touchdowns and the defense forced five turnovers as the Rams finished an otherwise disappointing 9-7 season.
“This season obviously was up and down,” coach Sean Mcvay said. “To be able to cap it off this way I think was a real positive note.”
But a winning record and a victory over a five-win opponent provided little solace for a Rams team that didn’t get to the playoffs a season after playing in the Super Bowl.
“It’s still a disappointing season,” Goff said. “We want to win the division, we want to make the playoffs — and we did neither of those this year.
“It still hurts that’s it over at this point, but finishing the way that we did in the Coliseum, there are some good things to take away.”
Now it’s on to Inglewood, where Sofi Stadium will open in 2020.
Rams players will go through physicals and exit interviews today before breaking for an offseason that could include staff changes and definitely will include player movement. Mcvay and GM Les Snead will attempt to correct problems that plagued a team that will watch postseason games rather than play in
Rams 31, Cardinals 24
them for the first time in three seasons.
“Not the end result which we had anticipated,” linebacker Clay Matthews said, “especially with such lofty expectations.”
Said safety Eric Weddle: “We weren’t good enough this year, so obviously we got to change something.”
“You can look at it both ways,” running back Todd Gurley said of finishing with a winning record. “You know, be disappointed or just be grateful . ... Got nine wins — maybe one or two more to be a playoff team, but we didn’t.”
gary.klein@latimes.com