If you watched that wild Week 1 overtime against Seattle and thought, this team is too fun to be stuck across the Mississippi, you weren’t alone. 2015 was the last St. Louis season, the bridge year that made Sundays feel like they were drifting back toward Inglewood and Exposition Park. It finished 7–9, sure, but it also delivered the kind of moments L.A. fans still bring up over a plate of wings.
Start with the opener. The Rams beat the Seahawks 34–31 in overtime, with a Greg Zuerlein field goal and a fourth-down stuff of Marshawn Lynch sealing it. That was September 13, 2015, at the Edward Jones Dome, and it felt like a statement from a lineup that mixed young stars with an old-school defensive edge. A few months later, on January 12, 2016, NFL owners voted to send the franchise back to Los Angeles. That’s the timeline that still matters in this city.
There’s no sugarcoating it. Jeff Fisher’s crew ended 2015 at 7–9 and missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight year. But that Week 1 thriller against Seattle is still the “where were you” game from that fall. Zuerlein’s kick in overtime put them up three, then the defense knifed into the backfield to stop Lynch short on fourth-and-1. As far as tone-setters go, that was a bullhorn.
The offense never totally clicked. Quarterback Nick Foles started 11 games and struggled, Case Keenum came in late and steadied things, and in early December the team fired offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and promoted Rob Boras. That is the kind of midseason change you make when the defense is carrying Sundays and you need to ride your bell cow back into a respectable December.
For context on today’s local game-going rules: if you’re hunting the echoes of that era at a Rams game now, SoFi Stadium uses the NFL clear bag policy. One clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, plus a small clutch up to 4.5 x 6.5 inches. That detail saves you a sprint back to the car on Century Boulevard, and it has not changed through preseason or regular season.
The headline act was a rookie running back out of Georgia. Todd Gurley debuted in Week 3, then ripped off four straight 100-yard games in October, starting with 146 yards at Arizona in Week 4. He finished with 1,106 rushing yards and won Offensive Rookie of the Year, the first real taste of “we might have a superstar” that Rams fans had felt in a while. If you measure seasons by stars minted, 2015 delivered.
Gurley didn’t carry it alone. Tavon Austin was a gadget headache for defensive coordinators, finishing with 10 total touchdowns in 2015 when you combine receiving, rushing, and a punt return. The guy could crack a game open from the slot or on a jet sweep, and he was the rare receiver who shifted the geometry of the field before the snap.
Defensively, this was bully-ball. Aaron Donald posted 11 sacks and made First-Team All-Pro in just his second season. William Hayes added 5.5, Robert Quinn chipped in 5 in an injury-shortened year, and the interior anchored by Michael Brockers gave the pass rush a runway. Linebacker James Laurinaitis called the signals and kept the run fits clean, while corners Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson picked their spots. If you watched from L.A. that fall, half of your Sundays were spent texting “Donald again” into the group chat.
Want to connect that to something you can actually do in L.A. today? The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum runs public tours that take you through the player tunnel and onto the field. Tours are offered Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and last about 75 minutes. That’s a chance to stand where the Rams took the field when they returned in 2016, not far from the peristyle where 91,046 showed up for the first L.A. home game back.
2015 doubled as a referendum on the future, and the league made its call after the season ended. On January 12, 2016, owners voted 30–2 to approve the Rams’ relocation to Los Angeles. That sent the team to the Coliseum for 2016 while Hollywood Park’s new stadium went up in Inglewood.
L.A. showed up. The first home date back in the city drew 91,046 to the Coliseum as the Rams beat Seattle 9–3 on September 18, 2016. That crowd number still rattles around the neighborhood stories near Exposition Park, the same place you can tour the Coliseum today and walk through the Court of Honor.
If you like stacking a sports day with something affordable before or after, Exposition Park is set up for that. The California Science Center is open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and general admission is free for the permanent galleries. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County sits right next door with posted hours 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, and $18 adult general admission. L.A. County residents can walk up for free museum admission 3–5 p.m., Monday–Friday at NHM, which is a nice pre-dinner two-hour loop before the E Line ride home.
Not everybody wants a quiet museum day. Some of us want to see the new place that 2015 eventually built. SoFi Stadium runs a behind-the-scenes tour where you hit premium seating areas, check out the locker-room corridor, and get the kind of photo you text to the group chat. Tour tickets are currently listed at $56.65 per person on the official ticketing page and include complimentary parking at SoFi on tour days. If you want gear afterward, the stadium’s official team store, The Equipment Room on Level 4 South, is open most tour days and operates cashless cards only.
If your plan is more “walk in the footsteps,” the Coliseum tour scratches that itch for a lot less time and mileage. Park in Exposition Park’s Blue Structure at 550 Exposition Park Dr., meet at Gate 33A, then follow a guide through a 100-year building that has hosted Rams football, USC, two Olympics, and one very loud welcome-back day in 2016. If you finish up hungry, the California African American Museum sits just a few minutes’ walk across the Rose Garden with free admission and posted gallery hours of Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
| Experience | Neighborhood | When | Price baseline | What makes it useful |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoFi Stadium Tour | Inglewood | Multiple daily slots (check calendar) | $56.65 per person; parking included | Modern context for the post‑2015 era, plus access to premium spaces and a stop at The Equipment Room team store. |
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Tour | Exposition Park | Mon & Tue, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. only | Ticketed; 75‑minute guided format | Walk the player tunnel and field where the Rams played from 2016–2019; easy parking in the Blue Structure at 550 Exposition Park Dr. |
| California Science Center | Exposition Park | Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Free general admission to permanent exhibits | Budget‑friendly pregame or post‑tour stop steps from the Coliseum; paid IMAX add‑ons if you want a longer stay. |
| Natural History Museum (NHM) | Exposition Park | Daily, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m. | $18 adult GA; L.A. County residents free 3–5 p.m. Mon–Fri (onsite only) | Two-hour window lines up well with late‑afternoon plans; walk in via the Commons Plaza from the Blue Structure or NHM Car Park. |
| California African American Museum (CAAM) | Exposition Park | Tue–Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | Free admission | Quiet, focused galleries to wind down after a Coliseum tour; five-minute walk from the Expo Park/USC E Line station. |
Fans here tell the 2015 story in snapshots. Gurley breaking loose in Glendale. Tavon housing a punt. Aaron Donald dragging double teams into the pocket and still winning. If you want a hard metric that still matters to a 2026 crowd at SoFi, it’s that 2015 unveiled two pillars of the franchise’s modern identity: a star running back who woke up the offense, and a generational interior pass rusher who turned third-and-long into a schedule loss for opponents.
Even the messy parts of the season had a purpose. Bench the quarterback, flip coordinators, lean into the defense, give the rookie the ball. That blueprint carried into the homecoming, and you can feel that arc when you walk the bowl at SoFi on a tour day. The venue is cashless at the Equipment Room, the bag rules are still 12 x 6 x 12 inches for clear totes, and the place sits on Hollywood Park land that turned a 7–9 season’s potential into a flagship NFL campus.
If you’re more nostalgic than futuristic, the Coliseum gives you the sound of that 2016 opener in your head the second you step under the torch. Tours gather at Gate 33A, pop you through the locker room and player tunnel, and finish inside the bowl. The Blue Structure’s posted address, 550 Exposition Park Dr., gets you parked and moving on time.
Yes. The Rams went 7–9 in 2015, then on January 12, 2016 NFL owners voted 30–2 to approve relocation to Los Angeles. The team played at the Coliseum starting that fall while the Inglewood stadium was built, with 91,046 in the house for the first L.A. home game on September 18, 2016.
Week 1 against Seattle. It finished 34–31 in overtime after Greg Zuerlein put the Rams ahead and the defense stopped Marshawn Lynch on fourth-and-1. That’s the game people pull up on their phone when the conversation turns to the pre-L.A. days.
Do the Coliseum tour on a Monday or Tuesday at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m., then walk across Exposition Park to the California Science Center which is free and open 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. If you’ve got more time, the NHM is $18 for adults and L.A. County residents are free 3–5 p.m. on weekdays.
Tour tickets are posted at $56.65 per person and include complimentary parking. The bag rule mirrors NFL games: one clear bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches plus a small clutch. The Equipment Room team store on Level 4 South is usually open on tour days and is cashless.
Deciding between options comes down to time and budget. If you want the modern house the 2015 season eventually built, take the SoFi tour. If you want the emotional heartbeat of 2016’s homecoming with budget-friendly add‑ons, the Coliseum tour plus Exposition Park museums is the easy win.
Published: September 8, 2026