Much has been made about how tough the NFC West is expected to be this season, with all four teams looking like playoff contenders. Having six games against the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals is no bargain for the Rams, testing their mettle throughout the season – particularly in the second half of the campaign.
However, the rest of the Rams’ schedule isn’t all that difficult. They got a favorable draw with the NFC East and AFC East, which might be two of the weaker divisions in football this season. As tough as those NFC West games will be, the Rams benefit from playing the Giants, Washington, Dolphins and Jets in 2020.
Touchdown Wire ranked every team based on strength of schedule, which was determined by Football Outsiders’ average opponent DVOA. The Rams came in with the 10th-easiest schedule in the league, though it’s still tougher than the Cardinals’ and Seahawks’.
Average Opponent DVOA: -0.7%
Sure, the Los Angeles Rams get the Seahawks and the 49ers twice each, plus meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles on the road, but most of their other games look rather favorable. The Rams face the NFC East this year, giving them outings against the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team, plus they get both the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.
The 49ers have the 11th-toughest schedule in the league based on this metric, having to face the Packers and Saints. The Seahawks have the sixth-easiest, while the Cardinals have the third-most favorable, benefiting from a game against the Panthers.
Having an easier schedule definitely helps, but the Rams still have to take care of business against their division rivals, as well as the Cowboys, Patriots, Bills, Eagles and completely revamped Buccaneers. Having three 1 p.m. ET kickoffs in the first five weeks of the season won’t help, either, making three trips to the East Coast early in the year. In all, they’ll travel to the Eastern Time Zone five times this season.