The2001 season was theSt. Louis Rams' 65th in theNational Football League (NFL), their seventh in St. Louis and their second underhead coachMike Martz. The Rams improved on their 10–6 record from last year, and finished 14–2. The St. Louis Rams in 2001 set a franchise record for wins in a season (14), while also going a perfect 8–0 on the road. QuarterbackKurt Warner would go on to win his second league MVP award. Along with Warner's 1999 MVP award andMarshall Faulk's 2000 award, the Rams had amassed the last three NFL MVP awards.

The Rams also became the first team in NFL history to open three consecutive seasons with six straight wins and the first to score 500 or more points in three consecutive seasons.

The Rams returned to theSuper Bowl for a second time after winning their first Super Bowl and third overall NFL titletwo years earlier, but this time against the11–5 New England Patriots, led by second-year head coachBill Belichick and by a youngTom Brady. The Rams were expected by many to win their 2nd Super Bowl title, but lost 20–17 after PatriotsplacekickerAdam Vinatieri kicked the game-clinching field goal. This was the Rams' last Super Bowl appearance until the2018 season, when they controversially defeated theNew Orleans Saints 26–23 in theNFC Championship game, and would meet theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl LIII in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVI, but lost to them again 13–3. By that time the Rams would be based in Los Angeles after relocating from St. Louis in2016. TheRams, however, would winSuper Bowl LVI, defeating theCincinnati Bengals.

This was also the final season with the Rams as "The Greatest Show on Turf" as Kurt Warner struggled the following two seasons with the team. He was then replaced byMarc Bulger.

With one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2000 (allowing 471 points), the Rams knew an overhaul was needed in this area. First,Lovie Smith was hired away from theTampa Bay Buccaneers to serve as defensive coordinator. Smith brought some of his key contributors from the1999 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team, who the Rams beat in the NFC Championship Game, namely linebackerDon Davis and defensive linemenChidi Ahanotu andTyoka Jackson. LinebackerMark Fields, who led the 2000New Orleans Saints in tackles, and defensive backKim Herring, a key member of the defending Super Bowl championBaltimore Ravens defense, were both acquired via trade or free agency. The Rams had three first-round draft picks, and all were used on defense. Defensive tacklesDamione Lewis andRyan Pickett, andAdam Archuleta, a linebacker at Arizona State who would be converted to strong safety, were all drafted, along with Florida State linebackerTommy Polley in the third round. All would be key contributors.

The most important acquisition (other than Smith), however, was the trade for veteran cornerbackAeneas Williams. Williams' leadership was the key element in a much-improved Rams defense in 2001.

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The matchup between two of the league's highly rated quarterbacks — the Packers'Brett Favre and the RamsKurt Warner, who shared a combined total of five NFL MVP awards, became lopsided thanks to St. Louis' improved defense, which forced 8 turnovers. Although Favre threw for 281 yards, he tied a playoff record by tossing six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Packers generated most of their offense early in the contest, but the turnovers gave the Rams a 24–10 halftime lead. The Rams then returned two interceptions in the second half to put the game away.

Rams defensive backAeneas Williams opened up the scoring by returning an interception from Favre 29 yards for a touchdown. The next time Green Bay had the ball, they turned it over again when safetyKim Herring stripped the ball fromAhman Green and rookieAdam Archuleta recovered it. However, the Rams were unable to take advantage of this turnover. A few plays later, Warner's pass was intercepted byDarren Sharper on the Packers 35-yard line. Favre then completed a pair of passes toCorey Bradford andDonald Driver for gains of 27 and 16 yards, before tying the game with a 22-yard touchdown pass toAntonio Freeman. But the Rams stormed right back with a 15-yard completion toAz-Zahir Hakim and a 38-yard burst from running backMarshall Faulk advancing the ball to the Packers 11-yard line. Two plays later, Warner completed a 4-yard touchdown pass toTorry Holt to put the Rams back in the lead. Then on Green Bay's next drive, Herring intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it 45 yards to the Packers 4-yard line, setting up a 4-yard touchdown catch by fullbackJames Hodgins early in the second quarter.Allen Rossum returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty onTorrance Marshall eliminated the score. Green Bay still managed to score with aRyan Longwell field goal, but Rams kickerJeff Wilkins responded with a field goal of his own to give the Rams a 24–10 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Rams scored two touchdowns in a span of 92 seconds. On Green Bay's opening drive, Green's 49-yard run moved the ball into Rams territory. But on the three plays later, Williams stripped the ball from Freeman, dove on it, then got up and returned it for a touchdown. A replay challenge overruled the score, showing Williams was down by contact when he recovered the fumble, but three plays later, Holt's 50-yard reception set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Faulk. Then on Green Bay's next possession, Rams linemanGrant Wistrom deflected a pass from Favre into the arms of linebackerTommy Polley, who returned the interception 34 yards for a touchdown.

In fourth quarter, the Rams defense scored again with another interception return from Williams, making him the first player ever to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a playoff game. Meanwhile, they managed to pin down the Packers, only allowing a meaningless score on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Freeman with 5:46 left in the game.

• Scoring
  • STL – Williams 29-yard interception return (Wilkins kick) STL 7–0
  • GB – Freeman 22-yard pass from Favre (Longwell kick) Tie 7–7
  • STL – Holt 4-yard pass from Warner (Wilkins kick) STL 14–7
  • STL – Hodgins 4-yard pass from Warner (Wilkins kick) STL 21–7
  • GB – field goal Longwell 28 yards STL 21–10
  • STL – field goal Wilkins 27 yards STL 24–10
  • STL – Faulk 7-yard run (Wilkins kick) STL 31–10
  • STL – Polley 34-yard interception return (Wilkins kick) STL 38–10
  • STL – Williams 32-yard interception return (Wilkins kick) STL 45–10
  • GB – Freeman 8 yard from Favre (Longwell kick) STL 45–17

RAMs go to the NFC Championship game and win to the Eagles 29-24, and going to Super Bowl XXXVI but lost short to the New England Patriots 20-17.

The Eagles had a 17–13 lead at halftime, and had not allowed more than 21 points per game during the season and playoffs. But the Rams roared back thanks to Kurt Warner completing two-thirds of his passes for 212 yards andMarshall Faulk's 159 yards rushing and two touchdowns to earn their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years.

Early in the first quarter,Donovan McNabb fumbled while being sacked by defensive endLeonard Little, and Brian Young recovered for the Rams at the Philadelphia 20-yard line. Five plays later, Warner threw a 5-yard touchdown pass toIsaac Bruce. Philadelphia responded with an 11-play, 50-yard drive, featuring a 20-yard run byDuce Staley, that ended with a 46-yard field goal byDavid Akers. Rams receiverYo Murphy returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards his own 42-yard line before Warner completed a 20-yard pass toAz-Zahir Hakim and Faulk rushed for 15 yards to set up a 27-yard field fromJeff Wilkins, giving the Rams a 10–3 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Wilkins hit the upright on a 53-yard field goal attempt, and the Eagles took over on their 43-yard line. On the next play, rookie running backCorrell Buckhalter broke off a 31-yard run to the St. Louis 26. A few plays later, Staley finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game. But on the Rams next drive, a 31-yard run by Faulk set up 39-yard field goal by Wilkins, and the Rams retook the lead. But they didn't hold it. McNabb responded with 2 completions toJames Thrash for 27 yards and a 12-yard throw toChad Lewis before throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass toTodd Pinkston with 46 seconds left in the half.

But St. Louis dominated the Eagles in third quarter, holding the ball for 12:30 and limiting Philadelphia to just five offensive plays. Murphy fumbled the opening kickoff, but Rams rookieNick Sorensen recovered it. Following seven runs by Faulk for 27 yards, Warner completed a 21-yard pass toTorry Holt at the Eagles 19-yard line, setting up Wilkins' third field goal to cut their deficit to 17–16. Then after forcing a three-and-out, the Rams drove 71 yards in 10 plays, with Warner completing three passes to Bruce for 44 yards and a 16-yard pass to Holt at the Eagles 9-yard line. Faulk subsequently took the ball into the end zone with three consecutive running plays, giving the Rams a 22–17 lead after tight endErnie Conwell dropped Warner's pass on a two-point conversion attempt.

Philadelphia went three-and-out again on its next two possessions, and Faulk took advantage of an Eagles' defense that was on the field for most of the second half. On the Rams drive after the second punt, he broke a 25-yard run on third down and 1, caught a 10-yard pass, and then ran for 8 yards before finally scoring a 1-yard touchdown run to increase the Rams lead to 29–17 with 6:55 left in the game. But a 41-yard kickoff return to the Rams 48-yard line fromBrian Mitchell sparked an Eagles rally. McNabb led the Eagles 52 yards, completing an 11-yard pass toChad Lewis on fourth down and 8 and a 17-yard pass to Thrash before taking the ball across the goal line himself on a 3-yard run. After forcing a punt, the Eagles got the ball back on their own 45-yard line with 2:20 left. But on a fourth down and 7 conversion attempt, St. Louis defensive backAeneas Williams intercepted a pass intended forFreddie Mitchell and the Rams held the ball for the next two minutes, giving the Eagles one more chance to win. Taking a play that the Giants had run against them in Week 16, the Eagles ran a hook and lateral. The Rams quickly stopped the play to win the game.

• Scoring
  • STL – Bruce 5-yard pass from Warner (Wilkins kick) STL 7–0
  • PHI – field goal Akers 46 yards STL 7–3
  • STL – field goal Wilkins 27 yards STL 10–3
  • PHI – Staley 1-yard run (Akers kick) Tie 10–10
  • STL – field goal Wilkins 39 yards STL 13–10
  • PHI – Pinkston 12-yard pass from McNabb (Akers kick) PHI 17–13
  • STL – field goal Wilkins 41 yards PHI 17–16
  • STL – Faulk 1-yard run (Two-point conversion failed) STL 22–17
  • STL – Faulk 1-yard run (Wilkins kick) STL 29–17
  • PHI – McNabb 3-yard run (Akers kick) STL 29–24

Rams go to Super Bowl XXXVI but lost to the Patriots with Tom Brady 20-17.

The Patriots dispensed with the traditional individual player introductions, choosing to enter the stadium as a team. Even though the Rams outgained the Patriots 427–267 in total yards, New England forced three turnovers and converted them into 17 points, while committing no turnovers themselves.

The Rams scored first midway through the first quarter, driving 48 yards in 10 plays to set up a 50-yard field goal by kickerJeff Wilkins. The rest of the quarter was scoreless as both teams' defenses took control. Early in the second quarter, the Rams drove to New England's 34-yard line, but quarterbackKurt Warner threw an incompletion on third down, and Wilkins' subsequent 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

In the second quarter, with 8:49 left on the clock, New England defensive backTy Law intercepted a pass intended for receiverIsaac Bruce and took off for a 47-yard touchdown return to give the Patriots a 7–3 lead. With less than two minutes left in the first half, Warner completed a pass to receiverRicky Proehl at the Patriots 40-yard line, but New England defensive backAntwan Harris forced a fumble while tackling him. Patriots defensive backTerrell Buckley recovered the ball. New England quarterbackTom Brady would lead a drive that culminated with an 8-yard touchdown pass to receiverDavid Patten with just 31 seconds left in the half to give New England a 14–3 halftime lead. It was the first time during the entire season that St. Louis fell behind in a game by more than eight points.

The Patriots took the opening kickoff of the second half, but could only reach the St. Louis 43-yard line before being forced to punt. Aided by a 20-yard reception by wide receiverAz-Zahir Hakim, a 22-yard reception by Bruce, and a defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots defensive back Otis Smith, the Rams advanced to the New England 41-yard line. But on the next play, linebackerMike Vrabel and defensive linemanRichard Seymour sacked Warner for a 9-yard loss. Warner then threw 2 consecutive incomplete passes, forcing the Rams to punt.

Later in the third quarter, Smith intercepted a pass intended for Rams wide receiverTorry Holt after Holt slipped while coming off the line of scrimmage, and returned the ball 30 yards to the Rams 33-yard line. St. Louis' defense kept the Patriots out of the end zone, but kickerAdam Vinatieri made a 37-yard field goal to increase New England's lead to 17–3.

The Rams responded by driving to the Patriots' 3-yard line on their ensuing drive. On fourth-and-goal, the Rams decided to go for the touchdown with a quarterback sneak by Warner. However, Warner fumbled the ball while being tackled by linebackerRoman Phifer. Defensive backTebucky Jones recovered the fumble and returned it 97 yards for an apparent touchdown that would have increased the Patriots lead to 24–3. However, the play was nullified by a holding penalty on linebackerWillie McGinest, giving the Rams a first down on the 1-yard line instead. New England kept the Rams out of the end zone for one more play, but Warner scored on a second down, 2-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17–10.

After Warner's touchdown, the Rams defense forced the Patriots to athree-and-out. St. Louis then drove from their own 7-yard line to the New England 36-yard line, aided by a 30-yard reception by Proehl. However, McGinest sacked Warner for a 16-yard loss on second down, pushing the Rams back to their 46-yard line. St. Louis ended up punting after Warner's third down pass was incomplete.

The Rams forced New England to another three-and-out, and they got the ball back on their own 45-yard line with 1:51 left in the game. Warner threw three consecutive completions: an 18-yard pass to Hakim, an 11-yard one to receiverYo Murphy, and finally a 26-yard touchdown completion to Proehl to tie the game 17–17 with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots had no timeouts left for their ensuing drive, causingcolor commentatorJohn Madden to famously declare that the Patriots should run out the clock and go to overtime. Instead, New England decided to go for the win, as Brady opened the drive with three completions to running backJ.R. Redmond, which moved the ball to their 41-yard line with 33 seconds left. After an incomplete pass, Brady completed a 23-yard pass to wide receiverTroy Brown, and followed it up with a 6-yard completion to tight endJermaine Wiggins to advance to the Rams' 30-yard line. Brady then spiked the ball with seven seconds left, setting up Vinatieri's 48-yard field goal attempt. Vinatieri's game-winning kick sailed through the uprights as time expired, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that a game had been won by a score on the final play.

Warner finished the game with 28 completions out of 44 passes for 365 yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions, and rushed 3 times for 6 yards and a touchdown. Warner's 365 passing yards were the second highest total in Super Bowl history behind his own record of 414 yards set inSuper Bowl XXXIV. Hakim was the top receiver of the game with 5 catches for 90 yards, and also rushed once for 5 yards. Rams running backMarshall Faulk led the team with 76 rushing yards, and also caught 4 passes for 54 yards. Patriots running backAntowain Smith was the top rusher of the game with 92 yards, and caught a pass for 4 yards.Troy Brown was the Patriots leading receiver with 6 catches for 89 yards, a 15-yard kickoff return, and a 4-yard punt return, giving him 108 total yards. Patriots won their first Super Bowl title. The Rams wanted to go to the playoffs in 2002 but they missed it finishing 7-9.

• Marshall Faulk,Bert Bell Award^[7]
• Marshall Faulk, Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award
• Marshall Faulk,National Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award
• Marshall Faulk,All-Pro Selection
• Marshall Faulk,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Kurt Warner,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Kurt Warner,All-Pro Selection
• Issac Bruce,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Torry Holt,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Aeneas Williams,All-Pro Selection
• Aeneas Williams,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Orlando Pace,All-Pro Selection
• Orlando Pace,Pro Bowl Selection^[8]
• Adam Timmerman,Pro Bowl Selection

• 2001 NFL season by team
• St. Louis Rams seasons
• NFC West championship seasons
• National Football Conference championship seasons
• 2001 in sports in Missouri
• 2001 in St. Louis

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