Rams' season could be decided by one brutal five-game stretch

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,425
Name
Dennis
gettyimages-894379404.jpg

Rams' season could be decided by one brutal five-game stretch

We’ve known for months that the Los Angeles Rams were staring down the fifth-toughest schedule in the NFL next season. That sort of competition was to be expected after they claimed the NFC West crown in 2017, “earning” the Rams a first-place schedule next season.

On Thursday night, we found out the exact order of Los Angeles’ 16 games, which kicks off on Monday, Sept. 10 against the Oakland Raiders. The start of the Rams’ schedule doesn’t look too daunting – three of their first four games are at home, including three against non-playoff teams from 2017 – but as you scroll down the list, it gets tougher and tougher.

Only two other teams have three straight road games on their schedules with the Rams’ coming between Weeks 5 and 7: Seattle, Denver and San Francisco. That’s not even the most difficult stretch of games on the Rams’ calendar, either.

Los Angeles will face its toughest test right in the middle of the schedule. From Weeks 7-11, the Rams will ultimately determine their fate for next season. Here’s what that group of games looks like:

screen-shot-2018-04-20-at-2-29-03-pm.png


On paper, that doesn’t seem like an overly challenging five-game stretch. Only two of those teams, the Saints and Chiefs, made the postseason in 2017 and the combined records of the five teams was 43-37. However, there are a few caveats.

The 49ers won five games to close out the season with Jimmy Garoppolo at the helm, while the Packers were without Aaron Rodgers for much of the season. The Seahawks finished 9-7, but they were very much in the hunt late in the year.

Three of those five difficult games will be at home, which helps the Rams, but only two will be true home games. Week 11 against the Chiefs is in Mexico City, so it’s essentially a road game for both teams.

Additionally, two of the five games are in primetime, which always impacts the outcome of a contest. The Rams will play the Packers after facing the 49ers on Sunday night, making an already difficult matchup even tougher.

Now, that’s not to say the Rams will go 0-5 in this stretch, but let’s group the schedule into three parts: Weeks 1-6, 7-11 and 12-17.

Facing the Raiders, Cardinals, Chargers and Vikings gives the Rams an easy start to the year. Let’s say they come out of that stretch 3-1 – 2-2 at the very worst. They should beat the Broncos and Seahawks the next two weeks, making it either 5-1 or 4-2. To close out the year, they face the Lions, Bears, Eagles, Cardinals and 49ers. In that five-game stretch, we’ll say they go 4-1 – 3-2 in a worst-case scenario.

Combining those two groups of games, the Rams are likely to have a record somewhere between 7-4 and 9-2. If it’s the former, there will be a great deal of pressure for Los Angeles to go at least 4-1 in the middle of the season. In doing so, the Rams would finish with an overall record of 11-5 – very respectable, but not one that will get them home-field advantage or even a first-round bye.

There are a lot of different scenarios that can play out, but in only one of these groups of games do the Rams have a legitimate chance to come out of it below .500. It’s obviously still very early, but that five-game span could very well determine the Rams’ season.

Finish below .500 in the five games before the bye and they could be facing the very real possibility of needing to go 4-1 in the final five weeks to win the division. Win four of those five games and the Rams have a great chance to win the West for a second straight year.

Defending the division crown won’t be easy, and the NFL did the Rams no favors in the middle of the season. Not only do they go 11 straight weeks – 15 if you include the preseason – without a break, but they’ll face five playoff-caliber teams from Week 7 to Week 11.

[theramswire.usatoday.com]
 

Corbin

THIS IS MY BOOOOOMSTICK!!
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
11,099
I wouldn’t call it brutal, hardest game is vs NO on the road and we play well on the road so IDK what to say to this article.
 

badnews

Use Your Illusion
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
5,326
Name
Dave
Gosh. Oh no.
This is me terrified.
 

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,425
Name
Dennis
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
Brutal?

No.

9ers, Chiefs and Seattle will be blowouts.

49ers scare me for some odd reason I guess it's because close game against them on the road, when they had no Quarterback and the blow out loss at home, when the Rams played a cast of castoffs. IMO, 49ers will be the best to offer in the Division.
 

jrry32

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
29,790
We played a five-game stretch of @Minnesota, New Orleans, @Arizona, Philly, and @Seattle last year. That's a more brutal stretch, and we still managed to go 3-2.
 

nighttrain

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
9,216
We played a five-game stretch of @Minnesota, New Orleans, @Arizona, Philly, and @Seattle last year. That's a more brutal stretch, and we still managed to go 3-2.
And in my eyes, this years Rams would walk all over last years team, our D is so much better
train
 

TexasRam

Legend
Joined
Jan 13, 2013
Messages
7,684
49ers scare me for some odd reason I guess it's because close game against them on the road, when they had no Quarterback and the blow out loss at home, when the Rams played a cast of castoffs. IMO, 49ers will be the best to offer in the Division.

I hear Niner fans mention how they played us close at SF.

The game was a blowout until the end when some freak special teams blunders happened.

Cooper fumbles the kickoff after our prevent D gave them an easy TD.

Then they get an onside kick!!

And let’s not forget that We downed the ball inside the red zone to end the game.

We just failed to close out the game at the end and then had mercy on them to not run up the score.
 

Ants

Starter
Joined
Feb 8, 2016
Messages
572
I tend to look at it this way:

Other teams see the Rams on their schedule and think, "ugh, brutal" :shocked:
 

jap

Legend
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
6,537
It's hard to say how difficult or easy games will be until we see how well the Horns come together. Looking dominant on paper does not necessarily automatically transfer to actual contests. Then again, a team's divisional rivals tend to play that team the toughest since they play at least twice a year & know your personnel more intimately.

If we play to our full potential and avoid injuries (which can always be a crucial factor), we can actually sweep this five game stretch. However, players are imperfect humans, and it is highly unlikely we will ever play to our full potential. Plus, the injury bug visits every team often enough in a collision sport like football.

I am much more concerned with seeing how the various team subgroups (e.g., the OL, DL, LBs, DBs, WRs & TEs, RBs, QBs, & special teams) come together throughout TC and the pre-season before I start critically considering regular season games. The rapport between Jared & his fly guys will be extremely key if we are to clearly surpass last season's offensive showing. I want to see the Gurley Express running downhill with controlled aggression. I want to see Greg the Leg come back with a vengeance, and Johnny flipping fields with consistency again. I want to see Pharoh grow beyond last year's playoffs stage fright and advance as a ST return nightmare. And I definitely, definitely want to see Wade field the greatest defense he has ever coached.
 

Loyal

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
29,457
It just slays me about the lack of context in that 5 game, 49er win streak...Do it when when every game matters in the first half of the season in 2018, Jimmy G.
 

fanotodd

Diehard
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
1,687
Name
Fanotodd
For me, it's not so much the team's we play but how it's laid out. If you go by the article's point that playing in Mexico is in reality a road game, despite it being considered a home game, then the Rams not only have 3 straight road games in the first half, but it happens again in the second half! Talk about getting screwed.

The 9ers are going to be our biggest divisional competition this year and have beaten us 3 of the last 4 games. They are home against us after we have already played back to back road games.

That's followed by the packers.

Now, the KC game in Mexico, followed by the lions and bears doesn't scare me as much, but the lions game is on a short week after Mexico and those 3 straight road games precede the eagles game.

Nah, I don't like the way this is laid out. Not one bit.
 

kurtfaulk

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
15,970
For me, it's not so much the team's we play but how it's laid out. If you go by the article's point that playing in Mexico is in reality a road game, despite it being considered a home game, then the Rams not only have 3 straight road games in the first half, but it happens again in the second half! Talk about getting screwed.

The 9ers are going to be our biggest divisional competition this year and have beaten us 3 of the last 4 games. They are home against us after we have already played back to back road games.

That's followed by the packers.

Now, the KC game in Mexico, followed by the lions and bears doesn't scare me as much, but the lions game is on a short week after Mexico and those 3 straight road games precede the eagles game.

Nah, I don't like the way this is laid out. Not one bit.

The rams have a bye after the Mexico game.

.
 

551staaa

Unsubstantiated Reality
Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
441
One thing I have learned about looking at schedules over the years is this: No one knows how teams will look this year. It is literally a crap shoot to try and predict a season in April. Teams unexpectedly rise (let's be honest, our Rams last season) and fall (last years Raiders, Packers, and Cowboys come to mind). What were the odds that all four NFC divisions would be won by the four teams that finished third in 2016? What seems like an easy win in April can become an almost impossible win in December. Like everything in life, we'll know how it turns out AFTER it turns out.
Besides, Rams go 19-0 this year.