2004 St. Louis Rams season

2004 St. Louis Rams season
Head coach	Mike Martz
Owner	Georgia Frontiere
Home field	Edward Jones Dome
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (at Seahawks) 27–20 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Falcons) 17–47

The 2004 St. Louis Rams season was the team's 67th year with the National Football League and the tenth season in St. Louis.

Although the Rams's record was good enough to qualify for the postseason, they did so without posting a winning record. Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the 2004 Rams were, play-for-play, the worst team to make the playoffs in the site's rating history.^[1] As of 2016, this is the most recent time the Rams have qualified for the playoffs.

The season is memorable for the Rams drafting running back Steven Jackson with the 24th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. During the season, the Rams relied less on Marshall Faulk, who was slowed by age and injuries, forcing Jackson to garner a bulk of the carries. He finished the season with 673 rushing yards despite seeing limited action.

The Rams, in the playoffs, defeated their rival Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard round, but their 10th season in St. Louis ended in a 47-17 blowout to the Atlanta Falcons in the next round.

For the first time this season, the Rams completed a 2-0 regular season sweep of the rival Seahawks. They would not accomplish this again until 2015.

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance
1	September 12, 2004	Arizona Cardinals	W 17–10	1–0	65,538
2	September 19, 2004	at Atlanta Falcons	L 17–34	1–1	70,882
3	September 26, 2004	New Orleans Saints	L 25–28 (OT)	1–2	65,856
4	October 3, 2004	at San Francisco 49ers	W 24–14	2–2	66,696
5	October 10, 2004	at Seattle Seahawks	W 33–27 (OT)	3–2	66,940
6	October 18, 2004	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 28–21	4–2	66,040
7	October 24, 2004	at Miami Dolphins	L 14–31	4–3	72,945
8	Bye
9	November 7, 2004	New England Patriots	L 22–40	4–4	66,107
10	November 14, 2004	Seattle Seahawks	W 23–12	5–4	66,044
11	November 21, 2004	at Buffalo Bills	L 17–37	5–5	72,393
12	November 29, 2004	at Green Bay Packers	L 17–45	5–6	70,385
13	December 5, 2004	San Francisco 49ers	W 16–6	6–6	65,793
14	December 12, 2004	at Carolina Panthers	L 7–20	6–7	73,306
15	December 19, 2004	at Arizona Cardinals	L 7–31	6–8	40,070
16	December 27, 2004	Philadelphia Eagles	W 20–7	7–8	66,129
17	January 2, 2005	New York Jets	W 32–29 (OT)	8–8	65,877

Standings

NFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
^(4) Seattle Seahawks	9	7	0	.563	3–3	8–4	371	373	W2
^(5) St. Louis Rams	8	8	0	.500	5–1	7–5	319	392	W2
Arizona Cardinals	6	10	0	.375	2–4	5–7	284	322	W1
San Francisco 49ers	2	14	0	.125	2–4	2–10	259	322	L3

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Wildcard	January 8, 2005	at Seattle Seahawks	W 27–20	65,397
Divisional	January 15, 2005	at Atlanta Falcons	L 17–47	70,709

References

1. Football Outsiders: Final 2010 DVOA Ratings "The [2010] Seahawks were so good in their final win ... [it] puts them ahead of the 2004 Rams..."