Rams leaning into villain role ahead of 2026 season: 'These other teams probably hate us'

Prior to first pitch at Dodger Stadium, actor Jason Bateman narrates a pregame hype video that ends with him loosely quoting Scarface: "You need teams like us so you can point your finger and say, 'That's the bad guy.'"

The Dodgers' Los Angeles gridiron counterparts are leaning into the same role entering the 2026 NFL season.

“You know all these other teams probably hate us,” Rams safety Quentin Lake said, via the Los Angeles Times. “They think we’re like the new Dodgers or something like that.”

There's good reason for others to dislike the Rams in 2026. They feature the reigning NFL MVP in quarterback Matthew Stafford, completed a blockbuster trade for Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and topped their sundae by welcoming back All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald from retirement.

It's not quite a Dream Team, but it's certainly a squad that loaded up on talent like the Dodgers, and one that is focused solely on the ultimate prize: a Lombardi Trophy. With a clear intent to target football's mountaintop, anything less will be considered a failure.

“It’s special to be part of a team that can truly go all-in and bring in some new firepower to help us be able to reach the goals that we have in store for ourselves,” defensive lineman Kobie Turner said.

The Rams are far from the first team to make aggressive moves in an offseason and arrive to great fanfare at the start of a new season. The 2011 Eagles took a similar approach, leading quarterback Vince Young to refer to them as a "Dream Team," a moniker that aged poorly after they finished 8-8. The 2019 Browns added Odell Beckham, traded for edge rusher Olivier Vernon and graced the covers of leading magazines as a favorite team to watch in a season that ultimately ended in a disappointing 6-10 finish.

The Rams are different from those squads, however, because they've already gotten close to the Super Bowl. Los Angeles' 2025 team was considered to be one of the two best in the NFL and reached the NFC Championship Game, where the Rams fell to the eventual Super Bowl LX champion Seahawks.

Since that loss, general manager Les Snead has addressed their greatest weaknesses, rebuilding the secondary by trading for cornerback Trent McDuffie and adding his former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson. Then, Snead followed that up with the trade for Garrett, which lured Donald out of retirement.

The Rams are fully stocked for a Super Bowl run. Now, they have to go prove they're worth the hype, starting Thursday night against the 49ers .

“It gets down to: how do we come together as a team,” coach Sean McVay said. “But it’s hard to say top to bottom that the collection of individuals is not very special.”

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