Zooey wrote:

There are several teams that have matchups more interesting than any Cowboys/x matchup. It feels a little like high school.

They seem to be sticking with established, status quo money makers.

from https://frontofficesports.com/most-watched-nfl-teams/

Despite a poor season, Dallas still outdrew teams with winning records. As the NFL’s most valuable franchise, Dallas uses their well-known brand to attract fans nationwide.

I don’t defend it. But it looks like the NFL is in “recession’s comin” style thinking. It’ as if they’re openly saying “Schedule the established money makers that draw national audiences, this is not the time to re-think this”

Will a weaker O-Line and brutal schedule result in a down year for the Chiefs?@colincowherd pic.twitter.com/9g1cp4G834

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 15, 2025

from 7 takeaways from Rams’ 2025 schedule

Cameron DaSilva

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2025/05/14/rams-schedule-2025-takeaways-nfl-games-dates/83620964007/

Only one outdoor game in the final five weeks

The Rams will be playing inside a lot late in the year. Their only outdoor game in the final five weeks is at Seattle on Dec. 18, a Thursday night matchup where the weather will probably be cold and potentially rainy.

They play the Panthers in Week 13 but after that, they’ll be indoors against the Cardinals, Lions, Falcons and Cardinals. In the second half of the season, they’ll only play two outdoor games in the final 10 weeks. That’s good news, especially considering how many East Coast trips are on the schedule.

Philadelphia and Baltimore trips come before the weather gets cold

Speaking of East Coast treks, the Rams will get two cold-weather cities out of the way early. They’ll face the Eagles in Week 3, which should come with some mild weather on Sept. 21. They’ll then play the Ravens in Baltimore on Oct. 12, another game that won’t feature any snow or adverse weather conditions (hopefully).

Had the NFL put either of these games in November or December, the Rams could’ve been facing some snow or frigid temperatures. The league did them a favor by putting both the Eagles and Ravens early on.

Five early kickoffs

It’s never easy for a West Coast team to kick off in the 10 a.m. PT window but the Rams will do that often. They have early games against the Titans and Eagles in Weeks 2 and 3, as well as against the Ravens in Week 6 and the Panthers in Week 13. It’s surprising that neither the Eagles nor the Ravens game was put in the late-afternoon window or in prime time.

The Rams will also play the Jaguars in London in Week 7, a 6:30 p.m. PT kickoff at Wembley Stadium. They’ll have a bye week after and will be on the East Coast the week prior, but these early kickoffs will be challenging.

Heavy emphasis on divisional games in second half

The Rams only play one divisional game before Week 9. That’s a Week 5 matchup with the 49ers. After Week 9, they’ll play five divisional games in the last nine weeks. Playoff seeding and divisional races often come down to beating rivals, so the Rams will have to take care of business in the second half of the season.

The only non-NFC West games after Week 9 are against the Bucs, Panthers, Lions and Falcons.

Two Thursday night games but some extra rest after the last one

The Rams got the short end of the stick by having to play two Thursday night games, meaning they’ll be playing those contests with short rest: Week 5 against the 49ers (following Colts game) and Week 16 against the Seahawks (following Lions game).

The good news is they will have some extra rest after each of those games, particularly following their Week 16 game against the Seahawks; they play the Falcons on Monday Night Football the following week, so it’ll be like a mini-bye.

No three-game road trips

At no point this season will the Rams have to play three consecutive road games. It’s rare for a team to do that but it’s not unprecedented – and it can really wear on a team when that happens. They’ll have back-to-back road games four times (Weeks 2 and 3, 6 and 7, 13 and 14, 16 and 17) but those are mostly manageable road trips.

They could choose to stay out east between Week 2 and 3 when they face the Titans and Eagles, and they’ll be in Baltimore before flying to London for their Week 7 game against Jacksonville.

Won’t face any teams coming off a bye

One underrated benefit of the Rams’ schedule is they won’t face a team coming off a bye. That means no one will have a significant rest advantage against them, leveling the playing field in each matchup. In 2023, they faced four teams coming off a bye and last year, they played just one team following a bye.

Zooey wrote:

I didn’t hate every player, I will admit that, and I didn’t hate Madden. They even had several players I admired, but I hated the “assassin” ethos, and the fans that embraced that. And Al Davis was the scumbag among scumbags.

I agree with all that. And with hating Tatum.

To me they were Madden, Stabler, Caspar, Belitnikoff, and that OL.

The team I purely hated back then was the Staubach-then-Danny White Cowboys.

First photo of Christian Bale as Al Davis, and Nick Cage as John Madden in the upcoming film “Madden

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.

.@RamsNFL @JaredVerse1 v @Eagles @saquon opens this game up in the 1st Q with this "62 yd Door Dash TD" and Verse still thinks about "what if" he got Barkley OOB. Verse' thinking is how players become great. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/brnkzb0Je6

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) May 14, 2025

NFL SCHEDULE LEAK

Buccaneers at Rams – Week 13 Thanksgiving Night pic.twitter.com/BvLgfqOOnC

— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) May 13, 2025

from PFF, 2025 offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams: https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-2025-offseason-grades-all-32-nfl-teams#LAR

LOS ANGELES RAMS: B+
Retaining Matthew Stafford was a big win. He didn’t enjoy his best season in 2024, posting a 73.3 PFF passing grade, but losing him would’ve meant a full roster rebuild. Los Angeles did well to swap Davante Adams for Cooper Kupp, and the front office made a solid addition of Poona Ford to their young and improving defensive line.

The Rams didn’t address cornerback at all, a worrying development with Darious Williams (59.8), Ahkello Witherspoon (62.6) and Cobie Durant (61.5) posting lower PFF coverage grades last season. Their draft class was small, but Terrance Ferguson, Josaiah Stewart and Chris Paul will be important players for the team. Plus, the Rams received Atlanta’s first-round pick next year by trading out of the first round.

Now that free agency and the NFL Draft are over, what are your thoughts on @BuckyBrooks' Top 10 rankings? 📊

Read More: https://t.co/rNlXqoX3ry pic.twitter.com/K83PWnBl5E

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 13, 2025

…

from Brooks, NFL top-10 rankings: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/nfl-top-10-rankings

7. Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay has quietly crafted a championship-caliber roster with an elite quarterback and a set of co-WR1s (Davante Adams and Puka Nacua) who can take over any game. Throw in an underrated running game with a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher (Kyren Williams) and an emerging defense with a collection of young, hungry defenders with big play ability; the Rams are well-positioned to swipe the NFC crown this season. If the Rams can avoid the injury bug, the defending NFC West champs could make some noise as a title contender.

The Rams needed front office scouting help.
Presto!
A Titans' new direction drops a perfect front office replacement right in the Rams' lap
H/t: @JFowlerESPN #RamsHouse #LARams #Titans #Jaguars #NFLDraft
(via @milroyigglesfan)https://t.co/K3TLAnvgYX

— Ramblin' Fan (@RamblinFan) May 12, 2025

Always love a @tednguyen.bsky.social article. Ted and I are on the same page here thinking Terrance Ferguson could play a big slot in McVay’s vision for his 2025 offense. http://www.nytimes.com/athletic/630…

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@jourdanrodrigue.bsky.social) 2025-04-30T15:47:50.964Z

…

from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6307769/2025/04/30/nfl-draft-best-scheme-fits-membou-loveland/

7. Terrance Ferguson, TE, Los Angeles Rams
Play style: Move tight end who can find the holes in zones

Scheme: Balanced run scheme that utilizes a traditional drop-back game rather than play action

Few teams are as adept at understanding a prospect’s strengths and weaknesses and how they fit into their scheme as the Rams. Their latest was Ferguson, whom they said they were targeting in the first round, before trading down and still landing him in the second round. On paper, the Rams potentially have one of the most explosive offenses in the league with receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The team has been searched for a tight end since last year when they attempted to trade up for Brock Bowers. Sean McVay compared Ferguson’s play style to Chris Cooley and Travis Kelce, who are closer to big slots than in-line tight ends.

“Those are big, lofty comparisons,” McVay added, “so I’m certainly not saying that he’s those guys yet. But there’s a lot of instincts. He plays with a change of pace when the ball gets in his hands. I think he can play in the C area, he’s moved around the formation. When things go off-schedule, he shows what a feel he has to find soft spots. … I’m really excited to get him in that tight end room.”

Though Adams gives the Rams more juice downfield in the passing game, Kupp did a lot of the dirty work for the Rams in the run game and created yards after the catch. Ferguson will help replace some of what Kupp did as a blocker. McVay won’t ask Ferguson to block defensive ends one-on-one frequently as a rookie — they still have Tyler Higbee for that — but he’ll be able to crack block and insert on linebackers. Also, with Nacua and Adams lifting the coverage, Ferguson can work choice routes against linebackers and run after the catch.

wv wrote:

So do Hawaiians generally root for the Rams? Hawaii is closer to LA than to, say, Minnesota, right?
The Rams need to sign an UDFA from Hawaii every year.

w
v

from https://www.cabletv.com/sports/most-popular-nfl-teams-by-state#:~:text=What%20NFL%20team%20does%20Hawaii,a%20role%20in%20the%20fandom.

What NFL team does Hawaii root for? Most Hawaiians support the Los Angeles Rams, likely because of their proximity and the fact that many games are broadcast on Hawaii’s local channels. The San Fransisco 49ers are also a popular team in Hawaii, but the addition of Puka Nacua to the Rams might play a role in the fandom