The Rams organization owns two of the worst rushing outputs by a Super Bowl champion in NFL history

The Los Angeles Rams are world champions after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI Sunday night. Matthew Stafford and the Rams’ passing attack put on quite the show, but the same cannot be said for their running game. LA finished with one of the worst total rushing performances in Super Bowl history by a winning team.

So, this got me thinking about some of the other horrible rushing performances by Super Bowl winners. Let’s look at the five worst ground game performances by teams that won the Super Bowl.

You’re probably shocked to see this Cowboys team on this list, as that dynasty was known as a running team that could also pass the ball exceptionally well. The triplets of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin stole the headlines, but that offensive line was the engine of that offense during their four-year run, winning three Super Bowls.

Smith averaged 110.8 yards per game on the ground during the ‘95-96 season. The Cowboys managed just 56 yards rushing in Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Obviously, Dallas had this one under control with their passing game. Plus, Steelers QB Neil O’Donnell thought that was a good day to play catch with the opposing team. Dallas was the only one to score a rushing TD of the teams on this list.

The Super Bowl XLIV victory ended years of futility for the organization and longtime fans. Drew Brees and Sean Payton had come to town and immediately made the Saints a contender. Fans remember how bad things were before the Brees-Payton era.

Under Payton, the Saints weren’t exactly known for their version of the ground and pound offense. But even the most pass-heavy teams need to be able to give the illusion of wanting to run the ball. In their Super Bowl victory over Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, the Saints rushed for 51 yards, averaging 2.8 yards per carry. But that didn’t matter as the Saints got the win, 31-17, over the Colts and shut them out in the fourth quarter, 15-0.

This game is still Aaron Rodgers’ only Super Bowl appearance, and he certainly made the most of it with three touchdown passes and 304 yards through the air. The rushing game took a backseat in this one, as the Packers ran it just 13 times for 50 yards. That ties the Rams’ 2000 Super Bowl effort for the least amount of carries on this list. But when you have a young Rodgers slinging the rock all over the field, you don’t need much of a running game, apparently.

The Rams just won a Super Bowl in which they ran the ball 23 times for 43 yards. That’s 2.2ypc and ties them for second-worst yards per carry all-time in a Super Bowl. But some credit should be given to Sean McVay and his offense for staying with the run game. Early on, it was apparent that running against that Bengals’ front seven would be one treacherous mountain to climb. While LA failed running the ball, Stafford and Cooper Kupp helped to pick up the slack on offense.

Yes, the Rams hold the two top spots on this list, and it only seems fitting. Both Super Bowl-winning Rams teams were known for passing the ball, although the St. Louis Rams, aka The Greatest Show on Turf, did feature a Hall of Fame running back in Marshall Faulk.

But even with all their offensive firepower (Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt), this Super Bowl is remembered by many for Mike Jones’ game-clinching tackle keeping Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson from catching and running it in for six points.

But even with Faulk in the backfield for St. Louis, the Rams rushed only 13 times (tied for fewest rush attempts in a Super Bowl) and gained 29 yards on the ground. That is by far your lowest rushing total by a Super Bowl-winning team.