Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › 2019 schedule & schedule rankings etc.
- This topic has 14 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 4 months ago by
zn.
-
AuthorPosts
-
April 17, 2019 at 5:52 pm #100010
znModerator6 things NFL players care most about when the new season schedule is released
Retired NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz says there’s a difference between what the players look for, and what the fans do.
Geoff Schwartz
The NFL schedule is out tonight! It won’t officially be the new season for a while, but it’s a good reason for fans to get excited early.
Players look at the schedule a tad differently than y’all do. Remember now, we know our opponents ahead of time. We know there will be six division games, matchups against one NFC and one AFC division, and then two additional games based on the division standings of last season.
There’s no shock when the schedule comes out. We have to play these 16 teams, and people in the NFL look at the season game to game, or often, quarter to quarter. We attack each week when it comes and try not to look ahead.
While the schedule release is handled much differently through the eyes of players, they still care about it. In order, here are six things the players look for when the schedule is revealed:
1. When is the bye week?
Ideally, a bye week is in the middle of the season. Bye week is important because it’s often a much-needed break — not just a physical break, but a mental one as well. Training camp is a grind. Then the season starts and it’s Groundhog Day. Wake up, go to work. Most players are at the facility on off days. You’re putting football ahead of family and other obligations.Bye week allows for a breather. It’s something we can look forward to. It breaks up the season. So yes, we look for the bye week first so we can mentally prepare for the season’s entire schedule.
2. The Thursday Night Football matchup
It’s a mini-bye week! Hopefully, we get Thursday Night Football and the bye week equally spaced. I always enjoyed having Thursday Night Football earlier in the season because my body could recover quicker.However, my brother Mitch likes having the Thursday game later in the season for a couple of reasons. One, it’s a late-season weekend off to help recover, and two, the practice schedule is way toned down for a TNF game. So essentially, you don’t practice hard between your Sunday game and the following Wednesday, when you’re preparing for the next opponent after Thursday night.
3. The other primetime games
Who doesn’t love playing under the lights? These are the games the whole country is going watch, including your family and friends back home. They all get to see you in a standalone game.Primetime games can also boost your image and make you a superstar (hello, Odell Beckham). These are often games against better opponents as well, and a big win on national TV can boost your morale.
4. Games that are personal for the players
After looking at the schedule for bye weeks and primetime games, it’s now time to get into the details, like whether you are going home to play in front of family.I was released by the Giants in 2016, so this wouldn’t have mattered but it’s a funny story anyway. The Giants were playing at the Los Angeles Rams. My parents live 11 miles from the Coliseum and it is the shortest distance they’d have to travel to a game. BUT, this game was in London! HA! My parents would have flown 5,400 miles and spent thousands on a trip to watch me play instead of driving down the highway.
So, players look for these games. For example, we already saw Beckham get excited about the possibility of going back to MetLife Stadium to play the Jets in Week 1.
Lastly, ALL players love getting revenge on their old teams. Don’t let them tell you otherwise. So you scan the schedule to see how you can ball against your old team to prove they should have offered you a deal or not released you.
5. Who are you playing opening week?
Like I said above, we take things week to week. But now we can actually visualize the first opponent and get fired up. The clock in the weight room can reference the next game with an opponent. The coaching staff can use that game as motivation.6. Cold-weather games
So maybe this is just me because I grew up in the sunshine, but I looked for possible bad weather games late in the season. I wanted to play in the snow. Badly. And I did once. It was amazing (we also kicked the shit out of Washington).Now there’s a fine line between playing in snow and playing in the bitter cold. The bitter cold is awful. I’d still much rather play with some sunshine and heat than in the cold, though.
April 17, 2019 at 8:26 pm #100017
AgamemnonParticipant
AgamemnonApril 17, 2019 at 9:54 pm #100020znModeratorBy my reckoning. From what we know now.
Fairly tough to tough games: At Panthers. Saints. At Browns. At Seattle. At Falcons. At Steelers. Bears. Ravens. Seattle. At Dallas.
Easy games: Bux. SF. Bengals (London). At Cards. SF. Cards.
Prediction: they go at least 11-5 and take the division.
April 17, 2019 at 10:51 pm #100023
JackPMillerParticipantThis could be one of our easiest schedules that I have ever seen.
@ Cowboys, @Browns, both Seahawk games, and the Falcons game would be real tough.
@Panthers, @Steelers, Saints, be in the fairly tough.
Easy games, Bucs, both Card & 9ers games, and the Bengals game.
April 17, 2019 at 11:04 pm #100025znModeratorThis could be one of our easiest schedules that I ever scene.
@ Cowboys, @Browns, both Seahawk games, and the Falcons game would be real tough.
@Panthers, @Steelers, Saints, be in the fairly tough.
Easy games, Bucs, both Card & 9ers games, and the Bengals game.
Hey, heads up. You only list 14 games. You left out the Bears and Ravens. I assume you would put those in “real tough” and “fairly tough.”
April 17, 2019 at 11:22 pm #100028znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
It’s hard to envision a “better” schedule for the 2019 #LARams. When you’re playing a home game abroad, it can’t be perfect. But no 3-game road trips, no USC back-to-backs, no weather concerns, maximum prime time exposure, division-heavy in December? Going to be epic.Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
My early prediction: #Rams finish the regular season 12-4.April 17, 2019 at 11:26 pm #100029
ZooeyModeratorI just got off the phone with Old Hacker.
He says, “16-0.”
April 18, 2019 at 12:37 am #100033znModeratoraeneas1
here’s the 2019 strength of schedule, from toughest to softest, based on 2018 opponent win percentage – also included are the number of games each team will play against 2018 postseason teams–home and away:
April 18, 2019 at 12:45 am #100034znModeratorThis could be one of our easiest schedules that I have ever seen.
I think the schedule is a little deceptive because of teams that either (1) had off years last year and could conceivably be better this time around, and (2) teams that were emergent last year and could conceivably be better this year. I think those teams are, or could be:
Panthers (7-9 in 2018)
Browns (7-8-1 in 2018)
SF twice (4-12 in 2018) (add the “division games are tough” factor)
Falcons (7-9 in 2018)
Steelers (9-6-1 in 2018)At the same time, it works to the Rams advantage that a couple of their toughest games–New Orleans, Chicago–are at home. Not that the Rams have the strongest home field advantage in the NFL, but still, it’s better than playing in a tough environment like New Orleans.
April 18, 2019 at 1:04 am #100036znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_Long
Among the other “little things”… Thursday Night Football EARLY in the schedule (Week 5), as it has been during the McVay era. Major win. Though it’s in Seattle, the Seahawks are at Arizona the Sunday prior while the Rams are home, leveling the playing field a bit.April 18, 2019 at 1:07 am #100038znModeratorThe complete NFL schedule is out, and here are 10 intriguing games that you won’t want to miss https://t.co/V5ZFJIbOz2
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) April 18, 2019
==
WEEK 2: SAINTS AT RAMS
The most controversial and consequential game from the postseason gets a redux, though a Super Bowl trip obviously won’t be on the line here. Call it the Nickell Robey-Coleman Game if you wish. Once that blatant pass interference call went missed in the NFC title game, Saints coach Sean Payton became the flag-bearer for a replay overhaul—and he got it. Drew Brees’s window to get back to the Super Bowl continues to get smaller (and this year’s Super Bowl goes back to Miami where Brees won his only ring), and a win against the defending NFC champs could go a long way to deciding whether the Saints get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs again.April 18, 2019 at 3:31 am #100041znModeratorLos Angeles Rams’ schedule includes five prime-time games
The NFL has released its 2019 regular-season schedule. Here’s a look at what’s in store for the Los Angeles Rams.
Game-by-game predictions: Rams reporter Lindsey Thiry predicts a 12-4 season.
Sept. 8: at Carolina, Win
Sept. 15: vs. New Orleans, Win
Sept. 22: at Cleveland, Loss
Sept. 29: vs. Buccaneers, Win
Oct. 3: at Seattle, Loss
Oct. 13: vs. San Francisco, Win
Oct. 20: at Atlanta, Win
Oct. 27: vs. Cincinnati, Win
Nov. 10: at Pittsburgh, Loss
Nov. 17: vs. Chicago, Win
Nov. 25: vs. Baltimore, Win
Dec. 1: at Arizona, Win
Dec. 8: vs. Seattle, Win
Dec. 15: at Dallas, Loss
Dec. 21 or 22: at San Francisco, Win
Dec. 29: vs. Arizona, Win
Strength of schedule: T-27, .423
Breakdown
The defending NFC champions, who swept their division last season, will play a first-place schedule and also take on teams from the NFC South in 2019. The Rams start with a tough five-game stretch that includes opening on the East Coast for the first time since 2012 as they take on the Panthers. The Rams will spend nearly a month on the road with a three-game span that includes games in Atlanta, London (against the Bengals), followed with a bye week and then Pittsburgh. When they return home, they will be met with a gauntlet that includes the defending NFC North champion Bears and defending AFC North champion Ravens, a trip to AT&T Stadium to play the reigning NFC East champion Cowboys, and four division contests.
Prime-time Rams
For a second consecutive season, the Rams are scheduled to play five games in prime time, the most allowed on an initial schedule by the NFL. In Week 3, they will get a rowdy crowd in Cleveland against Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr., who the Rams were once rumored to have interest in. In Week 5, they must play a Thursday night game against Russell Wilson, the highest-paid player in the NFL, at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. In Week 11 and 12, the Rams will play under the L.A. Memorial Coliseum lights against the Bears and Ravens, on Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football, respectively. Then they get another prime-time matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 14. Last season, the Rams finished 3-2 in prime time.
Bonding time
The Rams will log more than 16,500 miles in a span of four weeks when they play the Falcons in Atlanta, where they will likely stay for a week following the game before flying to London to face former assistant Zac Taylor, now the head coach of the Bengals. The Rams will return to L.A. for a bye, only to fly again to the Eastern time zone to play the Steelers. The four-week span is reminiscent of a stretch in 2017, when the Rams played at Jacksonville, then continued on to London before they returned home for a bye week, after which they flew to New York to face the Giants. The Rams went 3-0 in that stretch, and several coaches and players credited the seemingly monthlong journey, which included a weeklong stay at a resort in Ponte Vedra, Florida, before flying to London, for building team camaraderie that helped carry them to their first division title since 2003.
April 18, 2019 at 10:55 am #100045znModeratorPlaying the old squad, a homecoming + no cold games for the specialists‼️@weddlesbeard, @AaronDonald97 + @JHekker (we gave him permission to join the position players) take the call for the 2019 #LARams schedule! pic.twitter.com/n0dMuL09MR
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 18, 2019
April 18, 2019 at 9:48 pm #100060znModeratorJ.B.’s musings: Reactions to the Rams 2019 schedule
J.B. Long
https://www.therams.com/news/reactions-to-the-rams-2019-schedule
The schedule reflects internal and external expectations for the season ahead. And once again in 2019, the Rams have maxed out their primetime assignments with three Sunday Night Football appearances, plus a Thursday and a Monday game. There are three additional kickoffs (vs. Saints, at Steelers, at Cowboys) in which the Rams figure to be the national game of the week. Translation: the league and its television partners expect Los Angeles to play and rate well.
No Division Games in September
If the Rams are to three-peat as NFC West champions, they likely won’t be accomplishing that goal as early as Week 13, when they clinched in 2018. With no conference games in the first month but four in the month of December, the league ensured that the division crown — and the home playoff game that comes with it — will be at stake down the stretch. It’s the first time the Rams do not have an NFC West opponent on the September schedule since 2014.
No Three-Game Road Trips
Even though the Rams successfully navigated their three-game road sequence last year with wins at the Broncos, Seahawks, and 49ers, this is one of the biggest scheduling hurdles teams hope to avoid. The only true road back-to-back of 2019 will come in December in Dallas and San Francisco. However, Rams fans will rightly point to the mid-season sequence at Atlanta, at London, bye, at Pittsburgh as the major travel gauntlet.
No USC Back-to-Backs
In the final year at the Coliseum, the newly-renovated facility will not have to host USC and the Rams on consecutive days. This is a major win, primarily for the hard-working men and women who have had to pull all-nighters to make those transitions in the past. But it’s also a win for the playing surface, which takes a beating on two-game weekends, and quite frankly looks so much better when college markers and Trojans colors aren’t seeping through the NFL setup. The historic stadium should look fantastic this season, in person, and on television.
No Bad Weather?
Cleveland in September. Seattle the first weekend of October. Really the only “risk” of foul weather would be in Pittsburgh in November, where the average high on November 10 is 55 degrees.
Longest Gap Between Home Games: 10/13 – 11/17
As Rams fans have contended with throughout this four-year transitional period, once again there will be a month-long hiatus between home games. From Oct. 13 versus San Francisco until Nov. 17 versus Chicago in prime time, no Rams football in Los Angeles. As West Coast International Series participants who strategically want to launch from the East to London, there’s virtually no way to avoid this. Among the many things to look forward to in 2020 will be no droughts between Inglewood appearances.
July 4, 2019 at 9:35 pm #102688znModeratorfrom 2019 NFL schedule rankings, NFC West: Rams in position to repeat as champs, Seahawks facing nightmare schedule
…
Los Angeles Rams
Overall NFL schedule difficulty ranking: 20thEasiest stretch: Sean McVay was probably the happiest guy in the room when he found out who the Rams would be playing over the final two weeks of the season, and that’s because it’s two games the Rams should win. First, the Rams will travel to San Francisco in Week 16 before hosting the Cardinalsin Week 17. The reason McVay is probably thrilled with the fact that his team is closing the season with the 49ers and Cards is because L.A. went 4-0 combined against those two teams last season (McVay is also 7-1 overall against those two teams with his only loss coming to the 49ers in the 2017 season finale when the Rams’ rested all their starters).
Roughest stretch: The Rams better get some serious rest during their bye week, and that’s because their roughest stretch starts as soon as their bye week ends. Coming out of their Week 9 bye, the Rams schedule looks like this: At Steelers (Week 10), Bears (Week 11), Ravens (Week 12), at Cardinals (Week 13), Seahawks (Week 14). Not only will the Rams be playing against three teams that made the playoffs last season, but all three of those games will be played in primetime. The upside for the Rams is that all three of those games will be at home and they should also be getting a breather in Week 13 when they play the Cardinals.
Weird scheduling note: Thanks in large part to their trip to London, the Rams will be traveling more miles than any other team in the NFC this year and the second most miles in the NFL. The Rams will be traveling 29,974 miles in 2019, which ranks second in the league, behind only the Raiders (32,023).
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
