Rams 2025 schedule

Los Angeles Rams 2025 schedule: NFC West champs will play 4 prime-time games

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6353353/2025/05/14/los-angeles-rams-schedule-2025/?source=emp_shared_article

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NFL schedule release.

LOS ANGELES — The biggest post-draft news of the NFL offseason has finally landed (is it just me, or is the rollout for the league’s schedule release getting longer each year?).

The Rams will travel the second-most miles in the NFL in 2025 (34,832) in part due to their trip to London as the visiting team against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. East Coast trips also include Baltimore (Week 6), Philadelphia (Week 3) and Carolina (Week 13).

Otherwise from a travel perspective, the Rams have a solid slate. The Detroit Lions have to come to Los Angeles instead of the Rams again playing at Ford Field (their most difficult road environment of late). Of their four prime-time games, three are on the West Coast (San Francisco at home in Week 5 on “Thursday Night Football”, Tampa Bay at home in Week 12 and at Seattle in Week 16 on TNF). Their final prime-time game in Atlanta in Week 17 will also tell the Rams about how high the 2026 first-round pick the Falcons traded them this spring will be, because it’s so late in the regular season.

Week 1 keys to victory

Against the Texans in Week 1, the Rams’ young defensive line will have an opportunity to open the year with a statement against Houston’s reconstructed offensive line. They’ll also have to deal with running back Joe Mixon, so it’ll be a good initial test for run-stopping free-agent addition Poona Ford at defensive tackle.

This opener is a reunion between head coach Sean McVay and now-Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley, who was the Rams’ tight ends coach in 2023-24.

Must-watch game: at Philadelphia Eagles, Week 3

There is no shortage of bitterness on the Rams’ side about how their last matchup ended in the 2024 divisional round.

Toughest stretch: Weeks 14-16

The Rams will likely once again be in the mix in a tough NFC race toward the postseason. The Cardinals, Lions and Seahawks will all be physical, competitive games and winning all three or a combination of the three can set them up with an edge heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

Game that has gotten tougher: home and at Seahawks, Weeks 11 and 16

If former Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp can stay healthy in the back stretch of the season, when both matchups are played between the NFC West foes, he’ll probably bring it against his former longtime team. Elsewhere, Seattle’s defense got better as time passed last year and should be a fierce group in 2025.

One game the Rams can’t afford to lose: vs. Detroit, Week 15
The Matthew Stafford/Jared Goff swap of 2021 unintentionally set up one of the more fun modern rivalries in the NFC between the Rams and the Lions. The Rams have most recently lost two heartbreakers in Detroit between the wild-card game at the end of the 2023 season and the overtime loss in the season opener in 2024.

Best offense the Rams will face: Eagles, Week 3

Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia offense ran all over the young Rams defensive line last season, even setting single-game rushing records in the process. The Rams believe they’ve fixed their run defense — and this contest will be an early chance to prove it.

Best defense the Rams will face: Eagles, Week 3

The Eagles were the bona fide most complete roster and best team in football last season on both sides of the ball — and even though the Rams’ offense produced against them in the divisional round, Vic Fangio’s group will always be among the toughest matchups in the league and will have new wrinkles in his second season as defensive coordinator.

Predicted record: 12-5

This is a better football team after nailing two consecutive draft classes and plugging around those ascending young starters with a top quarterback in Stafford, and small but important fixes elsewhere such as along the defensive line.

Predicted NFC West finish: First

1. Rams
2. 49ers
3. Cardinals
4. Seahawks

The Rams’ resume from their deep 2024 postseason run and first-place finish earns them this spot — the other three teams will simply have to prove they are better in 2025. Plus, L.A. improved its roster in key areas such as continuity along the offensive line, at tight end, receiver, interior defensive line and inside linebacker and were able to retain Stafford for at least one more season. In order: Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks. Seattle did make some moves to improve its offensive line but the book is out on how to pressure quarterback Sam Darnold and I am skeptical they’ve done enough to protect him. I loved Arizona’s offseason plan and think the defense is poised to break out, but they have fizzled out about midseason in recent years — and I’ll never bet against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers as being better than expected, especially after the Rams themselves set the offseason “sprint rebuild” blueprint the 49ers are now following.

Cameron DaSilva@camdasilva
The Rams asked the NFL to put them on the East Coast the week before their London game, making the travel easier

The NFL granted them that request and put them in Baltimore in Week 6

J.B. Long@JB_Long
Challenging, but fair, is how I’d categorize the Rams 2025 schedule.
There’s far more to like than there is to lament.

Rams’ 2025 Schedule: Instant Analysis

J.B. Long

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-2025-schedule-jb-long-instant-analysis

If I had to nominate a summer refrain for the 2025 Los Angeles Rams, “start faster” would top the list of potential phrases.

As you recall, the Rams stumbled to 3-6 and 1-4 the last two seasons. In each 2023 and 2024, they were three games below .500 at the bye before furious rallies to get to double-digit wins and a playoff berth.

Thrilling as those campaigns were, there’s a reason they were considered historic and rare – that’s hardly a blueprint for success.

This fall, thanks to a Week 7 journey to face Jacksonville in London, the Rams will travel more miles than any team in the NFC. One silver lining is being assigned to the NFL’s International Series enabled the Rams to place their open date in Week 8 and effectively divide their schedule in half. Strategically, that’s ideal.

The question becomes, can they get to that juncture with a winning record, in command of the NFC West, and in the hunt for the NFC’s top seed?

It’s a tall order. But it should be the ambition.

Pick your preferred post-Draft power rankings. We’ll take ESPN’s for illustration. The Rams are scheduled to play nine of their 17 games against opponents ranked in the top half of the league. Just four of those occur in the first seven weeks before the bye, however, and only two of those contests are against opponents that rank in the Top 10.

Week 3: at Philadelphia (2nd)

Week 6: at Baltimore (5th)

Could you argue Los Angeles is set up for a second-half surge again in 2025? Absolutely.

How about instead of finding their footing late, though, they capitalize on what appears to be an early opportunity to send a message.

Deadline Hollywood

It’s always worth highlighting the NFL’s trade deadline for the Rams, especially now that they’re armed with multiple first-round picks.

While not officially announced, we can use 2024 as a template to project this year’s deadline to be the Tuesday of Week 10, November 4th. Or in the case of the Rams, between their Week 9 home game against New Orleans and a trip to Santa Clara.

Apropos of nothing: Remember that time Von Miller and Odell Beckham, Jr. made their Rams debuts against the 49ers in prime time? Didn’t go great that night, but worked out okay in the end, as memory serves.

Flex On Em

If the Rams need any bulletin board material for OTAs, here’s what I’d serve up:

10:00 a.m. assignments: 4

Prime time appointments: 4

Now, it’s important to note that the Sunday afternoon national games are incredibly valuable inventory – just ask the good people at CBS and FOX. If Tom or Tony are calling your game, you’re doing something right. The Rams have booked four such broadcasts: Houston (Week 1), at San Francisco (Week 10), at Arizona (Week 14), and Detroit (Week 15).

Therefore, a fair portrayal of external expectations would be that the NFL and its network partners plan to feature the Rams at least eight times on the initial schedule.

Still, don’t let the truth stand in the way of a good chip on the shoulder.

from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6364266/2025/05/19/nfl-2025-regular-season-must-watch-games/?campaign=13589786&source=athletic_targeted_email&userId=603890

Los Angeles Rams: at Eagles, Week 3
There is no shortage of bitterness on the Rams’ side about how their last matchup ended in the 2024 divisional round. Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia offense ran all over the young Rams defensive line last season, even setting single-game rushing records in the process. The Rams believe they’ve fixed their run defense — and this contest will be an early chance to prove it. — Jourdan Rodrigue

San Francisco 49ers: at Rams, Week 5
The 49ers tried to do a quickie, Rams-like revamp this offseason. Did it work? We’ll get an indication in Week 5 when the 49ers visit their division rival for a Thursday game in prime time. There are perhaps no more similar squads in the NFL. They run the same offense, have similar roster-building philosophies and often go after the same players in free agency and trades. The 49ers landed Christian McCaffrey; the Rams got Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams. — Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur

Seattle Seahawks: at Steelers, Week 2; vs. Rams, Week 11; vs. Vikings, Week 13
These three games feature the best subplots: DK Metcalf hosting his old team months after asking for a trade, Cooper Kupp against the team that deemed him no longer good enough, and Sam Darnold hosting the team that let him walk in free agency after a career year. All three players likely downplay the significance of those storylines in the lead-up to the games, but they’re all fierce competitors and will want to have huge games and lead their new clubs to victories. — Michael-Shawn Dugar

from 2025 NFL Win Totals: Over/Under Predictions for All 32 Teams— https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-nfl-win-totals-over-under-predictions-for-all-32-teams

Los Angeles Rams: 9.5
Prediction: Over

The Rams appear to be one of the better teams in the NFC after signing wide receiver Davante Adams. If Matthew Stafford has another productive season, this talented team could contend with the Eagles and Lions in the conference. Los Angeles also has the benefit of playing four games against the subpar AFC South.