2001 St. Louis Rams season
| 2001 St. Louis Rams season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Georgia Frontiere |
| General manager | Mike Martz and Charley Armey |
| Head coach | Mike Martz |
| Offensive coordinator | Bobby Jackson |
| Defensive coordinator | Lovie Smith |
| Home stadium | Trans World Dome |
| Results | |
| Record | 14–2 |
| Division place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoffs | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Packers) 45–17 Won NFC Championship (vs. Eagles) 29–24 Lost Super Bowl XXXVI (vs. Patriots) 17–20 |
| All-Pros | QB Kurt Warner (1st team) RB Marshall Faulk (1st team) TE Ernie Conwell (2nd team) OT Orlando Pace (1st team) G Adam Timmerman (2nd team) CB Aeneas Williams (1st team) |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Kurt Warner RB Marshall Faulk WR Isaac Bruce WR Torry Holt T Orlando Pace G Adam Timmerman CB Aeneas Williams |
The 2001 season was the St. Louis Rams' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh in St. Louis and their second under head coach Mike Martz. The Rams finished 14–2, including a perfect 8–0 record in road games. Their 14 regular season wins remain a franchise record. The Rams 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. Quarterback Kurt Warner won his second league MVP award, marking the third consecutive season that the MVP was awarded to a Ram (Warner in 1999, Marshall Faulk in 2000).
The Rams returned to the Super Bowl for a second time after winning their first Super Bowl and third overall NFL title two years earlier, but this time against the 11–5 New England Patriots, led by second-year head coach Bill Belichick and by a young Tom Brady. The Rams were expected by many to win their 2nd Super Bowl title, but lost 20–17 after Patriots placekicker Adam Vinatieri kicked the game-clinching field goal. This was the Rams' last Super Bowl appearance until the 2018 season, when they defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–23 in the NFC Championship game, and would meet the New England Patriots in Super 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 in 2016. The Rams, however, would win Super Bowl LVI, defeating the Cincinnati 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 by Marc Bulger.