Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Rams 2024 schedule
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May 15, 2024 at 8:52 pm #150917znModerator
from https://www.therams.com/news/nfl-schedule-2024-rams-tickets-information
Pacific Time
Preseason
Week 1, Aug. 11: Dallas Cowboys | 1:25 p.m.
Week 2, Aug. 17: at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05 p.m.
Week 3, Aug. 24: at Houston Texans | 10 a.m.Regular season
Week 1, Sept. 8: at Detroit Lions | 5:20 p.m. | NBC
Week 2, Sept. 15: at Arizona Cardinals | 1:05 p.m. | FOX
Week 3, Sept. 22: San Francisco 49ers | 1:25 p.m. | FOX
Week 4, Sept. 29: at Chicago Bears | 10 a.m. | FOX
Week 5, Oct. 6: Green Bay Packers | 1:25 p.m. | CBS
Week 6: BYE
Week 7, Oct. 20: Las Vegas Raiders | 1:05 p.m. | CBS
Week 8, Oct. 24: Minnesota Vikings (Thurs) | 5:15 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video
Week 9, Nov. 3: at Seattle Seahawks | 1:25 p.m. | FOX
Week 10, Nov. 11: Miami Dolphins (Mon) | 5:15 p.m. | ESPN
Week 11: Nov. 17: at New England Patriots | 10 a.m. | FOX
Week 12, Nov. 24: Philadelphia Eagles | 5:20 p.m. | NBC
Week 13, Dec. 1: at New Orleans Saints | 1:05 p.m. | FOX
Week 14, Dec. 8: Buffalo Bills | 1:25 p.m. | FOX
Week 15, Dec. 12: at San Francisco 49ers (Thurs) | 5:15 p.m. | Amazon Prime Video
Week 16, Dec. 22: at New York Jets | 10 a.m. | CBS
Week 17, Dec. 28/29: (Thurs/Fri?) Arizona Cardinals | TBD | TBD
Week 18, Jan.4/5: (Sat/Sun?)Seattle Seahawks | TBD | TBDHome games in order (9): SF, GB, Raiders, Vikings, Dolphins, Eagles, Bill, ARZ, Seattle
Away games in order (8): Lions, ARZ, Bears, Seattle, Patz, Saints, SF, Jets
5 prime time games: 2 SNF, 1 MNF, 2 TNF
First 2 games are away games, last 2 are home games. First 5 games before the bye include 2 home games. Next 12 games after the bye include 7 home games (including the 2 games after the bye).
In recent years healthy McVay Rams teams seem to pick up after the bye. I think it’s cause the coaches self-scout the team during the bye and adjust everything, which is really useful for a young team. Last year for example they were 3/6 before the bye and 7/1 after the bye. I wonder if having the bye earlier this year (week 6) means they find their next gear earlier this year.
Their only December-cold away game is the Jets, Dec. 22.
May 15, 2024 at 9:24 pm #150918canadaramParticipantI’m already exhausted by those prime time games. I’d prefer 17 one o’clock EST games every season. I dint care about the time zones and the Rams playing out west.
May 15, 2024 at 9:58 pm #150919znModeratorJ.B. Long@JB_LongLast year, the Rams faced 4 opponents coming off a bye. In 2024, the Saints are the only opponent with an open date before facing LA.May 15, 2024 at 11:51 pm #150921joemadParticipantBring ’em on!!!
GO RAMS!!
May 16, 2024 at 12:53 am #150922ZooeyModeratorLooks like about 16-1 to me.
I hate Thursday night football.
May 16, 2024 at 10:00 am #150923wvParticipantOpens at Detroit?! Omg.
I was hoping they would host Sacred Heart University, in the opener.
The NFL hates the Rams…..i mean…St.Louis.
w
v
May 16, 2024 at 10:43 am #150926ZooeyModeratorOpens at Detroit?! Omg. I was hoping they would host Sacred Heart University, in the opener. The NFL hates the Rams…..i mean…St.Louis. w v
I’m gonna be a little cynical here, and say that the NFL was actually aiming at creating a slate of games that would attract a lot of viewers, and not driven by hatred.
May 16, 2024 at 11:50 am #150928ZooeyModerator✈️ How many miles will your favorite #NFL team travel this season?@billsperos breaks down the numbers:
👉 https://t.co/ppSs1Vftd8 pic.twitter.com/jsmJCo95np
— Bookies.com (@bookies) May 15, 2024
May 16, 2024 at 11:59 am #150929joemadParticipantRams open up with 4 road games in a row….
Week I at Detroika
Week II in the desert heat
Week III at Levi SoFi
Week IV at Da Bears
I think the over of 8.5 games this season is a safe bet….
May 16, 2024 at 10:38 pm #150933znModeratorThe Rams have a tough opening five games, but the back half of the schedule should set them up for a strong playoff push.
10 takeaways from the Rams 2024 schedule release. https://t.co/rNeEVrd3UD
— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) May 16, 2024
May 16, 2024 at 11:50 pm #150935znModeratorStu Jackson@StuJRamsOne interesting note from this year’s schedule: The Rams’ Week 10 home game against the Dolphins will mark their first Monday Night Football played at SoFi Stadium in front of their fans. Hosted Bears in Week 7 in 2020, but no fans in stands due to COVID rules..Rams played on Monday Night Football 5 times from 2021-23 (2x in 21 and 22, 1x in 23), all were on the road.May 18, 2024 at 3:23 am #150962znModeratorRams’ 2024 Schedule: Instant Reaction
J.B. Long
It’s my favorite day of the offseason, and we’re coming in hot.
At long last, the schedule is real – and it’s amazing. I’m absolutely thrilled with it and hope you are, too.
Let’s check the basics, and we’ll start by ripping the Band-Aid.
The bye lands in Week 6, and that’s brutally early. Earliest since returning to Los Angeles, in fact. 2015 was the last time the Rams had an open date this high on the slate.
Thursday Night Football lands in Week 8 at home against the Minnesota Vikings. That’s not bad… Except for the fact that there’s a second TNF, this time at San Francisco in Week 15.
There’s nothing good about having to double up. It’s easily the worst part of the hand the 2024 Rams have been dealt. But if we’re looking for silver linings, at least the first Thursday is versus a team from the central time zone, potentially with a rookie starting quarterback. And the second is a short flight up to the Bay Area for the rematch with the 49ers, perhaps streamlining the short week of preparation?
Also, if you’re somehow intact after that Week 15 trip to Santa Clara, and especially if you come away victorious on Thursday, December 12, then you’re teed up for a closing kick with a de facto “mini-bye” leading into the three-game finish at New York and home to Arizona, Seattle.
On to objectively better news.
There’s only one true road back-to-back and it’s right out of the gates, at Detroit and at Arizona in the first two weeks. Technically, the Rams also play back-to-back road games in December, but those are separated by 10 days (at Santa Clara on a Thursday, followed by a flight to New Jersey the following week).
The best home schedule I’ve been a part of opens against the rival San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. Wouldn’t want it any other way.
And that brings us to long homestands. For numerous reasons, it’s best to avoid three consecutive home games, if possible. And the Rams have essentially done that in 2024 – a definite boon for a nine-game home schedule.
While the Rams won’t get on a plane in October, the bye week breaks up their month-long SoFi Stadium residency.
As it turns out, the Rams only leave the state twice in the final seven weeks of the season. Four of their final five games are in California, including the big finish – hosting Arizona and Seattle to close out the regular season.
Follow the Formula
As we’ve done in the past, let’s get a quick refresher on the league’s scheduling formula.
The home or away nature of assignments is all predetermined on a rotating basis, such that every NFC team hosts and travels to all the other NFC opponents at least once every four years, and likewise for every AFC opponent at least once every eight seasons.
Thus, we’ve known the Rams opponents since early January; we just didn’t know the dates, times, or television assignments until now.
The Rams always play their NFC West rivals, home and away – those are the core six games.
They’ll also take on the entirety of two daunting divisions in 2024: the NFC North and AFC East – there are another eight games.
The Rams are matched with like-place finishers in the remaining NFC divisions, in this case the 2023 runners-up from the South (New Orleans… yes, for the umpteenth year in a row) and East (Philadelphia) – those games bring us to 16.
And lastly, when the schedule escalated to 17 games, the NFL also instituted a like-place-finisher inter-conference battle. The Rams’ 17th game in 2024 is a home date with Las Vegas, after the Raiders finished second in the AFC West last year.
Sainthood, Confirmed
As an aside, the Rams will face the Saints for the eighth time in the past nine years when they head to the Superdome on the first day of December.
Guess what? They host the Saints again next year, too.
Nonetheless, sign me up for a bonus trip to the Big Easy in February, if necessary.
Feast or Famine?
The longest Thanksgiving drought in the NFL continues, as the Rams head to Detroit to open the season on Sunday Night Football rather than on November 28, as some had hoped.
In fact, the Rams dodge all holiday games this year – no Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Black Friday. (You’ll never hear the radio guy complain.)
Respect on their name?
Prime time assignments this year: five, most since 2020.
That’s more like it after just two last regular season – one Monday, one Thursday.
Also in 2023, the Rams were placed in five early-window regional kickoffs. This time around, they’re on track to play at 10 a.m. on only three occasions – Week 4 at Chicago, Week 11 at New England, and Week 16 at New York (flex potential here!).
Green Bay in LA
The Rams have traveled to Green Bay four straight seasons, losing each time.
It is worth noting that Matthew Stafford has only played in one of those games, however.
The playoff trip following the 2020 season was Jared Goff’s last game as a Ram before the trade. Stafford’s trip in 2021 was the final gut-punch of a winless November (that became undefeated December and eventually a Super Bowl). The last two years, the Rams have been quarterbacked by Baker Mayfield and Brett Rypien at Lambeau.
So, yes, it will be a welcome change to host the Cheeseheads, especially if Stafford is starting in Week 5.
Strength in Numbers
I think Warren Sharp’s methodology makes the most sense, especially this time of year, when it comes to weighing strength of schedule.
Before the sequencing of the schedule was made known, he had the Rams essentially right at league average. Of particular interest, he has the NFC West teams ranked consecutively, 15th through 18th.
So that’s a nice data point and some peace of mind that the playing field is roughly level within the division.
Watch Out For the West
Here’s what the market may be mispricing, though: Everyone’s going in on the North being the best NFC division. I see the West as better. (And we’ll find out in 2024 with 16 head-to-head games.)
The 49ers had won 12 straight NFC West games until the Rams beat them in Santa Clara last January. And the Niners are still the Niners. However, I think the division is rising to the challenge to dethrone them.
Seattle’s roster is in a great place, and the Seahawks feel like they won the coaching cycle.
And I truly believe the Cardinals are ready to make the leap. They’ve stacked multiple high-value drafts. Their staff had them playing appreciably better in 2023. By the end of last season, their running game was electric. And I’ve been banging this drum for years now – Aaron Donald was Kyler Murray’s kryptonite. Without him on the field, Murray’s flashed MVP potential. So beware in Week 2 (and beyond).
I’d love to be completely wrong about this. But going 5-1 against the NFC West, like the Rams did a year ago, may not be realistic.
Which is fine. 6-0 is the goal, anyway.
First Timer?
The Rams are scheduled to face five of the first 10 picks from the 2024 Draft, including the three quarterbacks.
Caleb Williams will be starting Day One in Chicago, and presumably in Week 4 when the Rams visit.
We’ll see about Drake Maye in New England, but you would assume by November he’ll be at the controls for the Patriots.
Getting J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings at SoFi Stadium in October (on a short week) could be a favorable draw for the Rams defense.
Some other first-round storylines I’m looking forward to…
The first receiver off the board is going to be a twice-a-year chore – Marvin Harrison, Jr. changes the math against Arizona.
You’ll notice the retooled Rams secondary runs the gauntlet right out of the chute – Lions, Cardinals, 49ers, Bears, Packers. We’ll have a grasp of what rush and cover life after Aaron Donald (and under new defensive coordinator Chris Shula) looks like right away.
Brock Bowers was clearly coveted by many, but wound up in Las Vegas at 13 overall. The first tight end selected will bring the Silver and Black to Inglewood in Week 7.
The Rams were in the market for defensive tackles, and the first went to Seattle, Byron Murphy II. Both matchups with him and the Seahawks land in the back-half of the schedule.
The Vikings also traded up to get Alabama’s Dallas Turner at 17, two picks in front of the Rams, who took their edge rusher in Jared Verse.
Los Angeles preferred Verse to Chop Robinson, another outside backer, who comes to town for Monday Night Football in Week 10 with Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham, Jr. and the Dolphins.
And then one bonus theme, from early in Round Two: The Eagles thought the Rams were jumping them for Cooper DeJean. Instead, they paid a king’s ransom to get Braden Fiske at 39 and Philadelphia was able to take their defensive back at 40. That might be mentioned on Sunday Night Football in Week 12.
Balancing Act
Finally, you may recall the Rams playing four opponents coming off their bye weeks last season. It might’ve been the understatement of 2023 to say that was a competitive disadvantage. LA went 1-3 in those contests against the Steelers and Cowboys (back-to-back), Ravens and Commanders (also back-to-back).
As of this writing, we don’t have visibility into the calendars of the Rams foes, yet. But as soon as they are public, we’ll follow up in the hopes of avoiding such imbalance in 2024.
May 21, 2024 at 4:04 am #150997znModeratorWarren Sharp@SharpFootball
do teams underperform in short week road games?you bet they do
the last 2 years, teams playing short week road games have won 43% of the time while covering the spread just 47.6%
take a larger sample (a decade) and dig in to focus more on late-season games, and it’s even worse
…
when looking only at games with negative rest edge, the 49ers have an unbelievable -32 days negative rest edge, most in the NFL since at least 1990
here’s where strength of schedule & rest meet to really hurt:
from Week 7 onward the 49ers play the NFL’s #4 most difficult schedule of opponents
during that span, 6 of those 11 games they are at a rest disadvantage:
Week 7 vs KC when KC is coming off their bye week
Week 8 vs DAL when DAL is coming off their bye week
Week 11 vs SEA when SEA is coming off their bye week
Week 13 vs BUF when BUF is coming off their bye week
Week 14 vs CHI when CHI is coming off a mini-bye
Week 18 vs ARI when ARI has extra rest with SF coming off MNFthe 49ers play 7 games against teams who have extra time to rest and prepare for the game
since 1994, a TOTAL of 3 teams in those 31 years played 7 games in a season where their opponent had extra prep
and they also play 3 short week road games, tied for the most in the NFL
one last thing:
the 49ers four games vs teams coming off a bye?
that’s tied for the most in the 35 years since 1990 with only two other teams
Sanjit Bhatia@SuperBowlSanjit
Rams had 4 teams coming off a bye last yearMay 21, 2024 at 10:24 am #150999ZooeyModeratorThe longest Thanksgiving drought in the NFL continues, as the Rams head to Detroit to open the season on Sunday Night Football rather than on November 28, as some had hoped.
I looked this up, and it’s mostly true. The Rams last played on Thanksgiving in 1975. The second longest drought is Cleveland which last played in 1989. Tied for third are the Chiefs and Bucs who both played last in 2006. Every other team has played since then. Except for one. The Jaguars have NEVER played on Thanksgiving.
May 22, 2024 at 7:31 am #151007znModeratorafter the initial wave of the schedule drop, we begin to see other elements that can’t be ignored – like the tough stretches that could decide a team’s season. For the Los Angeles Rams, there are two of those: one early in the year and one later on. In the middle, there’s a gettable portion of the schedule that should yield wins.
Weeks 1-3
at Lions (SNF)
at Cardinals
vs. 49ersThe second tough stretch comes later in the season from Weeks 12-15, a five-game span that includes two prime-time games, including a Thursday night showdown with those same 49ers again.
Weeks 12-15
vs. Eagles (SNF)
at Saints
vs. Bills
at 49ers (TNF)
at JetsMay 22, 2024 at 9:57 am #151008znModeratorRams Wire@TheRamsWireRams will travel 6th-most miles of any NFL team in 2024….According to Bill Speros of Bookies.com, the Rams will travel the sixth-most miles of any team in the NFL in 2024. They’ll travel 24,263 miles across 26 time zones next season, with an average trip of 3,032.87 miles roundtrip.
Their longest trip is to Foxborough in Week 11 for a game against the Patriots, which is 5,179 miles roundtrip. The Rams’ Week 16 road game against the Jets isn’t far behind, spanning 4,899 miles roundtrip.
What’s working in the Rams’ favor is that they don’t have three consecutive road games at any point in the season, with just two instances where they’ll play two straight games away from home: Weeks 1 and 2 at Detroit and Arizona, and Weeks 15 and 16 at San Francisco and the Jets.
The Rams had the fourth-most travel miles in the NFL last season
May 23, 2024 at 12:47 pm #151022znModeratorWarren Sharp@SharpFootball
NFL 2024 Net Rest Edgesnet rest = total days of extra rest vs a team’s opponents over the course of the season
+16: BAL
+15
+14
+13
+12: NE, MIN, PHI
+11
+10
+9
+8: GB
+7: HOU
+6: TEN
+5: CHI, NYJ, BUF, ATL, KC
+4: JAX
+3: CAR
+2: PIT, CLE, DAL
+1
0: LV, NYG
-1: DET, LAR
-2: ARI, CIN, WAS
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7: TB
-8: MIA
-9
-10: NO, LAC
-11
-12
-13: SEA
-14
-15
-16
-17: IND, DEN
-18
-19
-20
-21: SF(positive net rest is good, negative is bad)
…
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis ranked every team based on their net rest edges, which calculates the total days of extra rest a team will have over their opponents over the course of an entire season. Last year, the Rams had the second-worst rest edge (-17), but that number is much closer to zero in 2024.
According to Sharp, the Rams only have a minus-1 rest edge next season, tied with the Lions. For comparison, the 49ers have the worst rest edge at minus-21 days, with the Ravens leading the NFL by a mile at plus-16 days. Most teams are within plus-5 and minus-2, so the Rams are around average.
May 23, 2024 at 1:07 pm #151023joemadParticipantWarren Sharp football:
Help me understand…….Why does his statement state negative 32 days for SF, then the list states negative 21 days for SF? why the different values?
“”””””the last 2 years, teams playing short week road games have won 43% of the time while covering the spread just 47.6%
take a larger sample (a decade) and dig in to focus more on late-season games, and it’s even worse
…
when looking only at games with negative rest edge, the 49ers have an unbelievable -32 days negative rest edge, most in the NFL since at least 1990″”””””
Rest Edge list: 49ers = negative 21 days.
May 23, 2024 at 1:39 pm #151026znModeratorHelp me understand…….Why does his statement state negative 32 days for SF, then the list states negative 21 days for SF? why the different values?
I had trouble with that too. He’s not very clear sometimes.
May 23, 2024 at 10:22 pm #151028InvaderRamModeratorHelp me understand…….Why does his statement state negative 32 days for SF, then the list states negative 21 days for SF? why the different values?
I had trouble with that too. He’s not very clear sometimes.
i think he’s trying to say that when you include only games with negative rest edge it’s -32. but when you total all games, some of which have a positive rest edge, the total is -21.
May 26, 2024 at 11:28 am #151046ZooeyModerator-21: SF
This is good for the league, imo, and they should try to do this scheduling every season.
June 1, 2024 at 11:45 pm #151033joemadParticipantHelp me understand…….Why does his statement state negative 32 days for SF, then the list states negative 21 days for SF? why the different values?
I had trouble with that too. He’s not very clear sometimes.
i think he’s trying to say that when you include only games with negative rest edge it’s -32. but when you total all games, some of which have a positive rest edge, the total is -21.
that makes sense…. integers and the number line.
I’ll need to cancel this word problem question to Jaime Escalante from the movie Stand and Deliver. (all you need is Ganas!)
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