| 1983 Los Angeles Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Georgia Frontiere |
| Head coach | John Robinson |
| Offensive coordinator | Jimmy Raye |
| Defensive coordinator | Fritz Shurmur |
| Home stadium | Anaheim Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–7 |
| Division place | 2ndNFC West |
| Playoffs | WonWild Card Playoffs (atCowboys) 24–17 LostDivisional Playoffs (atRedskins) 7–51 |

The1983Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 46th year with theNational Football League and the 38th season in the city ofLos Angeles. The franchise drafted a future Hall of Fame Running Back inEric Dickerson. The season saw the team attempt to improve on its 2–7 record from1982. The team started out 5–2 before splitting their next 4 games and then lost at home toWashington to sit at 7–5. They would split their last 4 games to finish 9–7 and make the playoffs for the first time since1980 after a 2-year absence. In the playoffs, they defeated theCowboys 24–17 in Dallas to advance to the divisional round. However, in the game, the Rams were annihilated 51–7 by the Redskins, who would move on to theSuper Bowl, only to lose to the other Los Angeles NFL team, theLos Angeles Raiders, 38–9.
| 1983 Los Angeles Rams draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Eric Dickerson * † | Running back | Southern Methodist | |
| 2 | 32 | Henry Ellard * | Wide receiver | Fresno State | |
| 2 | 36 | Mike Wilcher | Linebacker | North Carolina | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
|
While he considered going to theLos Angeles Express in theUnited States Football League, Dickerson decided to go into theNational Football League at the advice of his mother because the NFL had been around longer. He was selected second overall in the1983 NFL draft by theLos Angeles Rams. An immediate pro success, he established rookie records for most rushing attempts (390), most rushing yards gained (1,808) and most touchdowns rushing (18), including another two receiving touchdowns.[3] His efforts earned him All-Pro,Pro Bowl, Player of the Year andRookie of the Year honors.[4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | atNew York Giants | W 16–6 | 1–0 | Giants Stadium | 75,281 | |
| 2 | September 11 | New Orleans Saints | W 30–27 | 2–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 45,572 | |
| 3 | September 18 | atGreen Bay Packers | L 24–27 | 2–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 54,037 | |
| 4 | September 25 | atNew York Jets | L 24–27 | 2–2 | Shea Stadium | 52,070 | |
| 5 | October 2 | Detroit Lions | W 21–10 | 3–2 | Anaheim Stadium | 49,403 | |
| 6 | October 9 | atSan Francisco 49ers | W 10–7 | 4–2 | Candlestick Park | 59,118 | |
| 7 | October 16 | Atlanta Falcons | W 27–21 | 5–2 | Anaheim Stadium | 50,404 | |
| 8 | October 23 | San Francisco 49ers | L 35–45 | 5–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 66,070 | |
| 9 | October 30 | atMiami Dolphins | L 14–30 | 5–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 72,175 | |
| 10 | November 6 | Chicago Bears | W 21–14 | 6–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 53,010 | |
| 11 | November 14 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 36–13 | 7–4 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 31,202 | |
| 12 | November 20 | Washington Redskins | L 20–42 | 7–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 63,031 | |
| 13 | November 27 | Buffalo Bills | W 41–17 | 8–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 48,246 | |
| 14 | December 4 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | L 9–13 | 8–6 | Veterans Stadium | 32,867 | |
| 15 | December 11 | New England Patriots | L 7–21 | 8–7 | Anaheim Stadium | 46,503 | |
| 16 | December 18 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 26–24 | 9–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 70,148 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 14 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Jets | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
atShea Stadium,Flushing, New York
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 26 | atDallas Cowboys (4) | W 24–17 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | 43,521 |
| Divisional | January 1, 1984 | atWashington Redskins (1) | L 7–51 | 1–1 | RFK Stadium | 55,363 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Redskins | 17 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 51 |
atRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium,Washington, D.C.
| Game information |
|---|
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| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(2) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 432 | 293 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams(5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 361 | 344 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 7–5 | 319 | 337 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 370 | 389 | W1 |