Rams schedule thoughts: Clash Against the NFC South

Rams schedule: Weeks 9-13 bring the Saints, 49ers, Seahawks, Buccaneers, and Panthers

We’ve done a deep dive through the first half of the Los Angeles Rams’ schedule through their bye week. Now comes the back stretch and a focus on three-fourths of the NFC South division.

Weeks 1-4, The Opening Quarter: Texans, Titans, Eagles, Colts

Weeks 5-8, Litmus Test Before the Bye: 49ers, Ravens, Jaguars

Weeks 9-13, Clash Against the NFC South: Saints, 49ers, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Panthers

Weeks 14-18, A Potentially Tough Close: Cardinals, Lions, Seahawks, Falcons, Cardinals

Clash against the NFC South

Weeks nine through thirteen brings three of four NFC South teams and two of three NFC West division rivals for the Rams. This will be an important stretch to (1) round out the head-to-head matchups with the 49ers, (2) hold the competitive line within the division, and (3) measure against middling but improving teams in the South.

Week 9 vs New Orleans Saints; Sunday, Nov 2nd

The NFL is a league of parity and we see unexpected teams make the jump into contention on an annual basis. With that said, this Saints team seems on its path to obtaining a very high pick in next year’s NFL Draft.

Rookie second rounder Tyler Shough figures to be the starter for New Orleans, though Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener may either win the camp battle or earn spot starts.

Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images

There is talent on this roster and a chance new head coach Kellen Moore can maximize what they have to work with. Still, given the Saints’ credit card type approach in terms of pushing salary cap spend into future years, this team is in need of a reset. That probably puts them multiple years away from a true turnaround with long-term potential.

The bottom line is this should be one of the closest certainties to a win the Rams will get all season.

Week 10 at San Francisco 49ers; Sunday, Nov 9th

It feels odd to finish both games against San Francisco by Week 10. This could be a chance for the Rams to put the division race out of arms reach should the 49ers continue on a downward trajectory.

It’s not unreasonable to think the 49ers fell apart last season because of a bad run of injury luck and that 2025 is bound to be a bounce back year. I think there are still foundational questions surrounding San Francisco’s roster and whether they have the same level of talent that took them to multiple Super Bowls.

Week 11 vs Seattle Seahawks; Sunday, Nov 16th

This will be the Rams’ first matchup of the season against the Seahawks. They’ll also travel to Seattle in Week 16.

Los Angeles battered Sam Darnold in two games against the Minnesota Vikings last year, and now they’ll see him in green and blue. Darnold was on his way to a massive pay day before the Rams exposed him in the wildcard round of the playoffs.

Can Jared Verse and Braden Fiske continue to wreck shop as they did last year against both the Seahawks and Darnold, or will the veteran quarterback find a way to get revenge against the team that hit him right in the pocket book?

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

This game also marks Cooper Kupp’s return to SoFi Stadium—this time on the opposing sideline. While this is easy to say about players that have recently left the Rams, I’m not optimistic about Kupp’s prospects in 2025 or how he fits into the Seattle offense.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was drafted as a slot receiver and there is some redundancy in skillsets between he and Kupp. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the designation deep threat. Tory Horton and Jake Bobo are productive players but both lack top end athleticism.

This passing game doesn’t scare me and that is one of the main reasons I expect to see the Seahawks finish towards the bottom of the NFC West.

Week 12 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Sunday NF; Nov 23rd

The Rams don’t have many prime time slots this year. They’ll host Baker Mayfield and the Bucs on Sunday Night Football.

At least they aren’t catching Mayfield on a Thursday night, where he once led the Rams to an improbable victory over the Las Vegas Raiders just days after signing with LA.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

While there will always be a ceiling with Tampa Bay for as long as Mayfield is the starter—he’s simply not elite despite a career turnaround—the Bucs seem as well-suited for a deep playoff run as any other team in the NFC conference.

From a stout offensive line to a wealth of playmakers on offense to a talented interior defensive front and aggressive secondary on defense, Tampa won’t be an easy out this season. It’s fair to have concerns about their interior linebackers and pass rush prowess on the EDGE, though they’ve made investments at these positions through the draft. A hit here or there could make this team outright dangerous, which would make for an impressively quick rebuild after the retirement of Tom Brady.

Week 13 at Carolina Panthers; Sunday, Nov, 30th

Let’s not kid ourselves. While the Panthers are steadily improving and salvaging the career of Bryce Young, they are unlikely to edge out the Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South race. There is more to like about Carolina’s roster than New Orleans’, still.

One interesting storyline for this game will be the idea that the Rams attempted to trade up for receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the draft before the Panthers snatched him out of their grasp. Reportedly, Los Angeles wasn’t comfortable paying the steep price tag to move up in the draft order. It’s possible that McMillan will give the Rams a sense of what could have been in this game.