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We already knew the Rams’ 2023 schedule was going to be tough just by looking at their list of opponents. With the 49ers, Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys, Packers and Ravens all on the docket, the Rams were going to be tested this season, no matter when those games took place.
Well, now that the schedule has been laid out, Los Angeles’ slate of games is even more difficult thanks to the rest differential with its opponents.
FOX Sports’ Warren Sharp calculated every team’s net rest edge, which essentially tells us the difference in days off between games compared to their opponents. For example, if a team coming off a bye is facing a team that just played on Sunday, the team coming off a bye would have a rest edge of +7, for the extra 7 days off they’ll have before the game.
For the Rams, only one team has a worse net rest edge: the 49ers. The Rams’ total comes in at -17, meaning they’ll have 17 fewer days of rest than their opponents this season. The 49ers are last in the NFL at -20. The Jets, Bears and Commanders have the best rest edges in the league at +12.
The problem for the Rams lies in the fact that they’ll face four teams coming off a bye: the Steelers in Week 7, the Cowboys in Week 8, the Ravens in Week 14 and the Commanders in Week 15. They also have one other game where the Rams have a -1 rest edge because they play the Bengals on Monday night in Week 3, followed by a road trip against the Colts in Week 4 – one fewer day of rest than the Colts will have that week.
we need to focus closely on rest disparity this yr since imbalance is at historic highs
which teams benefit most?
which are challenged most?
let’s dig in team-by-team
start by reading this for @NFLonFOX https://t.co/TVnV7w09bU
INTRODUCING: 2023 Net Rest Edges
🔖bookmark! pic.twitter.com/pkEqRw4r0S
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 16, 2023
Being a West Coast team, the Rams are no strangers to brutal travel schedules, and this year, they’ll fly the fourth-most miles of any team in the league. But adding in a negative rest edge makes matters even worse.
At the very least, the Rams should be healthier than they were last season when they lost several starters and had to start 11 different offensive line groups in the first 11 weeks, which was one of the biggest issues for Los Angeles last season.
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