What is the best game on the Rams schedule, the crucial stretch, and more?
The opponents were already known, but the order in which the Los Angeles Rams would play them was revealed Wednesday night. Coming off an exciting season in which the Rams made the playoffs and fell just short in the divisional round, this offseason has been filled with many changes meant to help get them over the hump. The Rams bolstered their roster with key additions, including Davante Adams and Poona Ford.
With high expectations in 2025, the Rams will have four primetime games. Even after winning the NFC West and having a first place schedule, there’s nothing about the schedule that’s too daunting. Let’s break it down.
Best Quarterback Matchup: Matthew Stafford vs. CJ Stroud
The Rams will start the season off with an absolute banger against the Houston Texans. All eyes in this game will be on Matthew Stafford and CJ Stroud. Stafford and Stroud are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and the Texans quarterback has openly stated how much he admires Stafford’s game. Said Stroud last August when the two teams practiced together,
“Just how he manipulates guys with his eyes, his drops, his arm angles, I have been a fan of Matthew Stafford for a long time…I wasn’t trying to be a fan boy today, but I asked him a lot of questions. I tried to just learn, and he was really honest with me and wasn’t mean, which I appreciate, so I am definitely a huge fan of his. Definitely one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time. I feel like sharing a field with him was dope.”
Stroud is a big fan of Stafford and sharing the field in Week 1 will mean a lot to him. The big question will be whether or not Stroud is able to get comfortable against the Rams defensive front. This is going to be one of the better quarterback matchups for the Rams this season.
Revenge Game: Week 3 vs. Eagles
Last season, the Rams came up 14 yards shy of defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional playoffs. The Rams were the only team to play the Eagles close in the postseason and had they won, they would have hosted the NFC Championship game. This is the team that fans have been talking about all offseason. How would the Rams stop Saquon Barkley the next time the two teams faced?
The Rams will find out pretty early when they face the Eagles in Week 3. Sean McVay has never beaten Nick Sirianni and has beaten the Eagles just once since he took over in 2017. This will be a measuring stick for the Rams early in the season and they’ll have this one circled on the calendar.
Toughest stretch: Weeks 3-6
Over the past two seasons, the Rams have started 3-6 and 2-5. While they’ve been able to recover and make the postseason, a stronger start may have resulted in a better playoff seed. Within this stretch of games, the Rams play at the Eagles and at the Baltimore Ravens with games against the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers sandwiched in between. The games against the Eagles and Ravens are both 10 a.m. PT starts which also make them difficult.
If the Rams hypothetically lose to the Texans in Week 1, beat the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, and then go 1-3 in this four game stretch, that would put them at 2-4 after six games. That’s not a start that this Rams team can afford. It will be critical for the Rams to at the very least split these four games before a trip to London against the Jacksonville Jaguars and then the bye week.
Game That’s Gotten Tougher: Week 7 @ Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are an interesting evaluation entering the 2025 season. This is a team that looked to be a contender in the AFC after its 2022 playoff run. However, since then they’ve missed the playoffs each of the last two years and went 4-13 in 2024. Trevor Lawrence looks broken to an extent and may not be the quarterback that many expected coming out of Clemson.
With that said, Liam Coen is now the head coach and should bring some better offensive ideas to the table. James Gladstone took over as general manager and traded up to select Travis Hunter, widely considered the best player in the draft. They added to the offensive line this offseason and still have promising players on defense. The Jaguars aren’t a team that should be slept on this season and they may not be the automatic win that some expect them to be.
Bye Week Breakdown
The Rams will have their bye week in Week 8 following their trip to London. Most teams like to have their bye in the Week 8-10 range as that splits the season up into two parts. The Rams bye week will come on the earlier end of that, but it’s much better than a Week 5 or the Week 6 bye week that they had last year.
If the Rams can enter the bye week at 4-3, they will be in a good spot entering the second half of the season. They’ll have the opportunity to self-scout before playing 10 consecutive NFC opponents, five of which will come from the NFC West. This is when the season begins.
Game That’s Gotten Easier: Week 9 vs. Saints
Early in the McVay tenure, the Rams and New Orleans Saints had a rivalry renewed from the old NFC West. That was capped off by the 2018 NFC Championship game that the Rams won and since then, they’ve dominated the series. The Rams won 21-14 last season and 30-22 the year before.
This is a game that’s gotten easier for one sole reason and that is that Derek Carr retired. While the Rams would have been favored either way, the Saints will likely be led by Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler at quarterback. The Saints won’t be tanking, but they are certainly focused on the 2026 NFL Draft when they’ll hopefully find a franchise quarterback and be able to reset properly.
Sneaky key game: Week 12 vs. Buccaneers
This is a game that could end up having some playoff implications on the line. This game may not be for a wild card spot, but there could be some tiebreaker scenarios when it comes to getting the third or fourth seed in the NFC playoffs. The Rams finished behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season due to tiebreakers. If the Rams want to make the Super Bowl, a higher seed and the easier path is the best way to do so.
The Week 12 matchup against the Buccaneers will be one of the Rams’ four primetime games and it will also be Baker Mayfield’s return to SoFi Stadium after his short stint in L.A. in 2022. This game against the Buccaneers could mark a turning point that sparks a late-season win streak.
Trap Game: Week 16 @ Seahawks
It’s very rare that a division game is considered a trap game. However, that may be the case for the Week 16 game against the Seattle Seahawks. This game will take place on a short week . This game will take place in a short week following a game against the Detroit Lions. The Rams will also have an important game against the Atlanta Falcons the following week that could have playoff implications.
Division games on the road are never easy. Coming off of a short week and a tough, physical game against the Lions, there could be a letdown here. The Seahawks may be in a battle for a wild card spot and have a lot of motivation to win this game at home in primetime. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams fall short in this one.
Stretch That Will Decide The Season: Week 15-17
The Rams have lofty expectations heading into the 2025 season and the second half of their schedule is brutal. It’s 10 straight NFC opponents which means tiebreakers will be on the line. With five of those coming against NFC West opponents, this is also when the Rams will win or lose the division. However, the Week 15-17 stretch may be the most crucial point of the season. During this stretch, the Rams play the Lions and then are on the road against the Seahawks on a short week before traveling to the east coast to play the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.
Over the past two years, the Lions have been one of the better teams in the NFC. Teams were 2-15 after playing the Lions last year and the Rams have a division road game on a short week. Road games are never easy and the Falcons could be playing for their division in Week 17. If the Rams go 0-3 during this stretch, the best case scenario is playing for a wild card spot in Week 18. The Rams must come out ahead during this stretch if they’re serious about competing for a Super Bowl.
One game the Rams can’t afford to lose: Week 17 @ Falcons
This will be an important game for a multitude of reasons. If the Falcons are good, this game could have playoff seeding implications. In the case that the Falcons struggle, a Rams win would help their draft pick in 2026. As it stands, the Rams currently hold the Falcons’ 2026 first round selection.
Either way, the Rams must win this game. It’s very possible that a win in Week 17 against the Falcons locks up a playoff spot and the Rams are able to rest their starters in Week 18 as they have each of the last two years.
Season Prediction and Expectation
Looking at the schedule, the Rams should have a floor of 10-7 and a ceiling of 13-4. It’s more realistic that the Rams end up somewhere in the middle at 11-6 or 12-5. That should be enough to get into the postseason, but probably not a number one seed, bye, and home field advantage. That’s not a bad thing as the NFC is wide open. While there are a lot of contenders, there isn’t one dominant team. The Rams will head into the season with Super Bowl expectations and will have every opportunity to achieve that.
