Fresh off their trip from Super Bowl XXXVI which ended with a loss to the 11–5 Patriots, the Rams collapsed and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998, losing their first five games.
[1] The season saw the emergence of new quarterback Marc Bulger, who filled in for an injured Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin.
The Rams won six straight games where Bulger started and finished, but his season ended in Week 16 at Seattle.
Star running back Marshall Faulk started in just 10 games due to ankle injury he suffered against San Diego.
Despite a down year, Faulk was still voted to play in the Pro Bowl after the season for the seventh and final time in his Hall of Fame career.