Controversial no-calls be damned, a fourth Super Bowl appearance by the Los Angeles Rams is long overdue for fans. The flavor-of-the-week article is to write how the New Orleans Saints were robbed when a flag wasn’t thrown after a blatant pass-interference call against the Rams in the NFC Championship. A disgraceful miss, sure. But to say that the Rams do not deserve their place in the big game is overlooking what the franchise and its fans have endured for the better part of 15 years.

For nearly 12 years, the Rams were the crème-de-la-crap of the NFC, and among the worst teams in the NFL. Now the Rams are facing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53, the former’s first appearance since Super Bowl 36 when they faced, well, the Patriots.

The Rams didn’t make the playoffs once between 2005 and 2016. The closest the team came was losing the NFC West division crown to career-backup Charlie Whitehurst and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17 of the 2010-11 season. In this 12 season span, the Rams sloppily put together a record of 60-131-1, slightly less pitiful than the factory of sadness themselves, the Cleveland Browns. And from 2007-2009, the Rams went 6-42, the worst three-year stretch in the Super Bowl era.

After the 2015 season, owner Stan Kroenke backhanded his home city of St. Louis and moved the team from its home for 20 years, despite being presented with the money he asked for to build a new stadium. Fans burned the navy blue and gold jerseys that they held more dear than their finest suits, and those of us that stayed felt a layer of filth for seemingly betraying our friends.

It’s one thing to be a perennial loser, it’s another thing to be one after having the team ripped from its city by a vulture billionaire.

Prior to hiring Sean McVay, being a Rams fan implied a soft-spot for masochism. How else could one justify being a fan of such a terrible team with such a callous owner?

Now, miraculously, the Rams are in the Super Bowl.

Yes, if the officials had called a clear penalty, the Saints would be in the Super Bowl. The same could be said when referees called a clear Mike Renfro touchdown incomplete in the 1978 AFC Championship, costing the Houston Oilers a chance at the big dance. But the case goes for both situations: they’re not in the Super Bowl. It’s time to move on and embrace the opportunity lying at the Rams’ feet.

The Rams were the first victims of the Patriots’ tyrannical football empire. Head coach Bill Belichick held a Rams offense that featured three future Hall of Fame players, with another two on the way, to a mere 17 points. It’s an embarrassing footnote to an important part of American sports history. Now, 17 years later, the two meet in the same game where it all began.

The Rams are in the Super Bowl, and to consider the franchise’s success — or lack thereof — in the past 12 years, playing in this game is nothing short of a miraculous turnaround. A Patriots win seems likely considering their history of success, but the story of rags-to-riches is too sweet to let an officiating gaffe spoil the fun. Go Rams, football needs another feel-good story.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN SUPER BOWL 53:

For the Rams:

Josh Reynolds, Wide Receiver:

Yes, Josh Reynolds will be the biggest Ram to watch on Sunday. Not the Rams’ pair of 1,000-yard receivers, not Todd Gurley or CJ Anderson. Reynolds was promoted to the third receiver spot after incumbent Cooper Kupp tore his ACL.Reynolds hasn’t matched Kupp’s explosiveness, but he’s been a reliable target who has come up big more than a few times since assuming the role.

Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle:

While Aaron Donald commands most of the attention, and deservedly so, Suh figures to be the X-factor for the Rams’ stout defensive line. The former first-round pick took a back seat to Donald for most of the season, but Suh stepped up big in the NFC Championship, racking up 1.5 sacks. Donald will command double teams, allowing Suh to break loose.

For the Patriots:

Phillip Dorsett, Wide Receiver:

Okay, so this isn’t Tom Brady because watching him goes without saying. Beyond Brady, keep an eye on a resurgent Dorsett. A first-round draft bust with the Indianapolis Colts, Dorsett had a quiet regular season, often being the fifth or sixth option for Brady. That has changed in the postseason. Dorsett had five catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the AFC Championship.

Trey Flowers, Defensive End:

The second-year defender is shining under Bill Belichick. Through two postseason games, Flowers has amassed two sacks working on the weak-side of the offensive line. His athleticism figures to be an advantage against Rams’ right tackle Rob Havenstein. Havenstein is solid, but at 6-feet-8-inches tall, it could be easy for Flowers to use his frame to bend around and put pressure on Jared Goff.