# 1982 Los Angeles Rams season

The 1982 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 45th year with the National Football League and the 37th season in Los Angeles. The season saw the Rams attempting to improve on their 6–10 record from 1981, a result that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 1972. However, a players strike wiped out 7 of the team's 16 games, and shortened the season schedule to only 9 games. The team struggled early, starting 0–2 before the strike commenced. After the conclusion of the strike, the Rams finally got a win at home over the Kansas City Chiefs. However, during this game, quarterback Bert Jones was lost for the season after suffering a neck injury that ultimately led to his retirement. The Rams would lose their next four games before upsetting the 49ers in San Francisco in the season finale. The Rams would ultimately finish the season 2–7, last in their division and dead last in the NFC. It was the teamʼs worst season since 1962, when they won only one game. As a result, head coach Ray Malavasi was fired after the season and replaced by John Robinson for 1983.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1982 Los Angeles Rams draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 14 | Barry Redden | Running back | Richmond | |
| 3 | 67 | Bill Bechtold | Center | Oklahoma | |
| 4 | 88 | Jeff Gaylord | Linebacker | Missouri | |
| 5 | 117 | Wally Kersten | Tackle | Minnesota | |
| 5 | 118 | Doug Barnett | Defensive end | Azusa Pacific | |
| 6 | 145 | Kerry Locklin | Tight end | New Mexico State | |
| 7 | 181 | Joe Shearin | Guard | Texas | Made roster in 1983 |
| 8 | 202 | A. J. Jones | Running back | Texas | |
| 8 | 207 | Mike Reilly | Linebacker | Oklahoma | |
| 9 | 229 | Bob Speight | Tackle | Boston University | |
| 10 | 256 | Miles McPherson | Defensive back | New Haven | |
| 11 | 285 | Ricky Coffman | Wide receiver | UCLA | |
| 12 | 312 | Raymond Coley | Defensive tackle | Alabama A&M | |
| Made roster ||||||
The Rams signed free-agent and oft-injured QB Bert Jones from the Baltimore Colts. Vince Ferragamo returned from the CFL as well, and, with Pat Haden retired, the competition was between these two. Jones opened the season as the starter.

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 12 | at Green Bay Packers | L 23–35 | 0–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,693 |
| 2 | September 19 | Detroit Lions | L 14–19 | 0–2 | Anaheim Stadium | 59,470 |
| Players' strike |
| 3 | November 21 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–34 | 0–3 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 39,686 |
| 4 | November 28 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 20–14 | 1–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 45,793 |
| 5 | December 2 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–30 | 1–4 | Anaheim Stadium | 58,574 |
| 6 | December 12 | Denver Broncos | L 24–27 | 1–5 | Anaheim Stadium | 48,112 |
| 7 | December 18 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 31–37 | 1–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 56,646 |
| 8 | December 26 | Chicago Bears | L 26–34 | 1–7 | Anaheim Stadium | 46,502 |
| 9 | January 2 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 21–20 | 2–7 | Candlestick Park | 54,256 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 4

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Rams | 0 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 20 |

## Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Atlanta Falcons$^{(5)}$ | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 183 | 199 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 2–1 | 3–5 | 129 | 160 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 209 | 206 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 1–2 | 1–5 | 200 | 250 | W1 |
NFCvte :
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| Seeded postseason qualifiers |||||||||
| 1 | Washington Redskins | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 190 | 128 | W4 |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 226 | 145 | L2 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 226 | 169 | L1 |
| 4 | Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 187 | 198 | W1 |
| 5 | Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 183 | 199 | L2 |
| 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 135 | 170 | L1 |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 158 | 178 | W3 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 181 | 176 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||
| 9 | New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 129 | 160 | W1 |
| 10 | New York Giants | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 164 | 160 | W1 |
| 11 | San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 209 | 206 | L1 |
| 12 | Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 141 | 174 | L1 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 191 | 195 | L1 |
| 14 | Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 200 | 250 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||
| 1 2 3 4 Minnesota (4–1), Atlanta (4–3), St. Louis (5–4), Tampa Bay (3–3) seeds were determined by best won-lost record in conference games. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of New Orleans and the N.Y. Giants based on best conference record (4–4 to Saints’ 3–5 to Giants’ 3–5). 1 2 3 San Francisco finished ahead of Chicago, and Chicago finished ahead of Philadelphia, based on conference record (49ers’ 2–3 to Bears’ 2–5 to Eagles’ 1–5). |||||||||