The Los Angeles Rams are looking to make it back-to-back years with a playoff appearance, potentially even contending for a third Super Bowl berth since 2018. They have plenty of difficult matchups on the docket in 2024, including road games against the Lions, 49ers and Jets, but there are also some favorable matchups against the likes of the Patriots and Cardinals.
But which games on the Rams’ schedule are the easiest and which ones are the toughest? We ranked all 17 based on difficulty, going from the most favorable games to the most challenging.
Yes, the game is in New England but if the Rams can’t beat the Patriots in the second half of the season, they probably don’t deserve to make the playoffs. The Patriots will probably be starting Drake Maye by this point and while C.J. Stroud showed us last year that rookie quarterbacks can have a huge impact right away, the Patriots’ roster is lacking talent across the board.
The Raiders don’t have a great option at quarterback with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell being their top choices, which will probably make things challenging for Antonio Pierce in Year 1 as the team’s head coach. Being at home makes this game much easier for the Rams, too.
The Rams’ second-to-last game of the season is a home matchup with the Cardinals. The fact that it’s a home contest makes it slightly easier for L.A. than their Week 2 matchup in Arizona, and if there are injuries this late in the season, the Rams have better depth to overcome them than the Cardinals do.
I simply don’t think the Saints are going to be very good in 2024. Derek Carr was a huge disappointment last season and the running game was ineffective with an aging Alvin Kamara. It’s possible they take a step forward next season in Year 2 with Carr, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
The Vikings’ offense is loaded with talent, led by Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. We don’t know who their quarterback will be in Week 8, either Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, but they’re both downgrades from Kirk Cousins so Minnesota could take a step back in 2024.
The Bears finally (appear to) have a quarterback with Caleb Williams, the top overall pick in the draft this year. They also have D.J. Moore and added both Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze in the offseason. That’s a lot of offensive firepower to account for. Fortunately for the Rams, they’ll get Williams early in the season before he settles in as a rookie QB.
Seattle will still have Geno Smith under center, and he’ll be throwing it to one of the best receiving trios in football: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. The defense will look a bit different without Quandre Diggs but Devon Witherspoon is a baller at cornerback.
The Cardinals should be healthy in Week 2, which means Kyler Murray will be throwing to Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. It’s still an offense that’s lacking talent, particularly at wideout, but Murray could make Arizona more dangerous with his speed and elusiveness.
The Rams get the Seahawks on the road in Week 9 and Lumen Field is always a tough place to play. Seattle should still be viewed as a bottom-two team in the NFC West and the Rams have never had much trouble winning in the Pacific Northwest.
Here’s where the schedule really flips and the games get tough. The Rams get the Dolphins at home in Week 10, a Monday Night Football game at SoFi Stadium. As good as the Dolphins are expected to be, they showed some flaws late last season and the Rams’ zone defense should be able to limit big plays down the field.
It’s a toss-up between the Dolphins and Packers on this list because both are promising teams, but they could fall below expectations. Fortunately for the Rams, they get both teams at home, which is especially advantageous compared to going to Lambeau Field again. Hopefully this year, the Rams get a fair shot at the Packers with a healthy Matthew Stafford.
The Eagles added Saquon Barkley this offseason and still have both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside for Jalen Hurts to throw to. In other words, their offense is going to be a nightmare to defend. That being said, the defense has some holes that can be exploited and Jason Kelce is no longer anchoring the O-line at center.
Even with the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, the Bills are expected to once again be one of the top teams in the NFL. Josh Allen is the reason for that, and he’s beaten the Rams in each of his two career starts against them. This will undoubtedly be a tough matchup for the Rams.
The Rams get the 49ers early in the season, a Week 3 home matchup at SoFi Stadium. San Francisco has had the Rams’ number in recent years but the Rams are equipped to go toe-to-toe with the 49ers thanks to their revamped offensive line and physical running game.
A December game on the road against the Jets could be dicey. Assuming Aaron Rodgers is healthy, along with Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Breece Hall and Sauce Gardner, the Jets are going to be one of the better teams in football. This late in the season, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be available, but going across the country for an early 1 p.m. ET kickoff in December is challenging.
Right off the bat, the Rams will be tested on the road against the Lions – the exact team that ended Los Angeles’ season in the wild-card round four months ago. With this being Week 1, each team’s key players should all be available, making this a heavyweight bout on Sunday Night Football in the season opener. You can bet the Detroit crowd will be just as raucous as it was in the wild-card game when Stafford and the Rams visited Ford Field.
The Rams’ toughest game of all is against the 49ers in Week 15, a road battle at Levi’s Stadium. With both teams expected to be in playoff contention at this point, it’ll likely be a pivotal game late in the year, one that could also decide the NFC West title race. San Francisco is unsurprisingly the favorite to reach the Super Bowl again and is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.