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I'm not sure if the Rams will win 5, 6, 8 or shock us with 10 victories in 2017. What I do know is this Schedule is full of twists, subplots and the storylines make for a lot of intriguing match-ups.
2017 Los Angeles Rams
WEEK 1 VS COLTS
Andrew Luck and his Indiana gang fly West to Los Angeles to face the new look Rams. Luck has been beaten and battered with a weak offensive line the last couple of seasons but he's a battle tested warrior and is better than most NFL quarterbacks even when he's only 80% healthy.
Luck has had some recent surgeries because of the beatings he's taken the last two seasons but this warrior has been a star quarterback in the NFL since he's been drafted and he's been surrounded by mostly average talent for the duration of his career. Luck is one of those rare quarterbacks that can elevate the players around him.
Luck's Colts have been scrappy and competitive practically every year since he's been under center and he's still only 27 years old. The thing about Andrew is that even without satisfactory protection from his front wall, he's been able to put the team on his back more often than not. During the offseason the Colts signed a couple of linebackers and well known defensive tackle free agent Jonathan Hankins to help bolster their defense.
Luck has been one of the Top quarterbacks in the NFL the since he's been drafted and he's a big time baller that never quits. Even if the team he's competing against has a double digit lead in the second half, the Colts are never out of reach for Andrew to pull a rabbit out of the hat. One would think the Rams will need to put some decent points on the board to have a legit chance in this game. Assuming the Colts will be held under 23 points is not likely going to happen so McVay's offense will probably be put to the test in his very first game as HC..
WEEK 2 VS REDSKINS
This week two home game contest at the Los Angeles will be the Rams first drama laden storyline of their 2017 regular season schedule. Rams rookie head coach Sean McVay was hired on the Redskins coaching staff in 2010 and as the assistant tight ends coach. In 2011 he was promoted to senior tight ends coach. After proving himself as a tight end coach he was promoted by Jay Gruden to be the Redskins offensive coordinator on January 15, 2014.
McVay was successful as the Redskins offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 and his coaching reputation was starting to get noticed in some NFL circles. His quick rise up the coaching ranks eventually led to the Rams surprisingly making him at age 30, the youngest head coach in NFL history. During McVay's time as the Redskins offensive coordinator he was one of the big components for developing back to back franchise tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Much of Cousins success has been credited to McVay and he's since been touted as a young modern day innovative offensive mind. McVay's Rams will be hosting his former Redskins team and close friend and mentor HC Jay Gruden in this early week two season matchup at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. McVay is familar with much of the Redskins roster and so is former Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Barry the former Redskins defensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 was hired by McVay to be the Rams linebackers coach and assistant head coach.
WEEK 3 AT 49ers
Two new first time rookie NFL Head Coaches Kyle Shanahan vs Sean McVay. These newly hired head coaches will always be tied together for various intriguing reasons. They are paired up against each other in the NFC West and their teams will play each other twice annually. The 49ers and Rams have a long history as division rivals dating back to 1950. McVay and Shanahan are friends and they have a past personal working relationship together as coaches in the NFL. Both of these new head coaches are offensive minded and share some of the same offensive philosophies.
During the Rams head coaching search, Kyle Shanahan was considered one of the favorites to be their new HC and the quarterback whisperer to help their failed 2016 number one overall pick Jared Goff. In the early stages of the HC interviewing process, NFL Playoff rules kept the Rams from interviewing Shanahan until a later date. Fate took a twist during the first stages of head coaching interviews as Sean "billy the kid" McVay had an outstanding first interview with the Rams brass. After his first interview he quickly became a serious dark-horse contender to get the Head Coaching job.
When it was finally time for the Rams brass to interview Shanahan, McVay already had a second strong interview and then "Blizzard-gate" happened. The Rams brass were in Boston where they had finished interviewing two HC candidates from the Patriots staff and were scheduled to catch a flight shortly after so they could interview the hot HC candidate Shanahan.
The Rams brass told the media that they had to cancel their flight because of the storm that hit Boston. Subsequently after the delay from the blizzard, the interview was never granted to Shanahan and McVay was hired by the Rams making NFL History. Shanahan eventually was the last new head coach to be hired by the 49ers and he signed a 6 year guaranteed contract.
This strange twist of fate will always keep these two rookie head coaches tied together especially when their teams will battle one another two times a year for the duration of their coaching careers in the NFC West division. Last year the Rams opened their regular season in Santa Clara, California against the 49ers on Monday night football and the result was a disastrous 28-0 blowout. Tempers were flying high in this game and their best defensive player Arron Donald lost his cool when the game was out of reach and slammed his helmet on the field out of frustration.
The Rams number one overall draft pick Jared Goff, grew up less than an hour from San Francisco and the 49ers were his childhood favorite team. Goff wasnt close to being ready to start last seasons opener and he didn't even dress for the game. This led to much speculation if he was worthy of the number one pick. Goff should be starting this game when they square off in Northern California with lots of friends and family watching from inside the stadium.
WEEK 4 AT COWBOYS
Will the stars in Dallas be too overwhelming for the Rams to compete? Plenty of subplots on the menu for this match-up. The 2015 offensive rookie of the year Todd Gurley will compete against 2016 phenom rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. The other key match up will be the 2016 offensive rookie of the year quarterback Dak Prescott against Rams quarterback Jared Goff who was selected 134 picks earlier in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The young star quarterback in Dallas was voted rookie of the year and proved to be the best rookie quarterback of the entire 2016 draft class. Just like the ghost of Wentz, Goff is also hiding in the quarterback shadows of Prescott. The superior level of play from the two successful quartbacks selected after Goff in 2016 is not going to fade away until Jared shows that he can match their level of play in the 2017 season.
Another subplot is Wade Phillips who was a former head coach for the cowboys and was fired by Jerry Jones back in 2010. Sean McVay will be on the big stage standing on the Rams sidelines inside Jerry Jones extravagant AT & T Cowboys stadium. If McVay finds time to glance up in the press box, he might see Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sharing a cocktail together. Jones had a big part of getting the other owners to approve the Rams move back to Los Angeles and this game is sure to provide plenty of pregame drama story lines.
WEEK 5 VS SEAHAWKS
The kings of the NFC West 3 of the last 4 seasons have had recent struggles with the Rams the last few years under their former head coach Jeff Fisher. Now that Fisher's been fired, the new young rookie head coach Sean McVay will get his shot at them.
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll was the former HC of the USC Trojans has coached for three different teams in the NFL compiling 103 regular seasons wins on his resume. Carroll also has a Superbowl ring on his finger and recently signed an extension through the 2019 season.
Their week two battle last season was the first home regular season game played in Los Angeles since the Rams moved back to Southern California. The game was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum where the Rams will call home until their new state of the art stadium opens in 2019. Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson showed up in LA with a bad wheel and both teams were unable to produce much from their offenses. This match-up last year was not a very exciting game to watch unless you're a big fan of defense and field goals since neither team was able to score a touchdown.
This game in LA last year was a hard fought 9-3 defensive struggle that was saved by the Rams defense in the last minute of the 4th quarter. The Seahawks were driving inside of Rams territory for a possible game winning touchdown and the Rams defense needed to hold them one more time. The game ended in dramatic fashion as the Rams defense caused a fumble that was recovered by middle linebacker Alec Ogletree to clinch the victory.
WEEK 6 AT JAGUARS
From the warm weather of sunny Los Angeles, California to the even warmer humid weather of Jacksonville, Florida. This game will be another matchup of rookie head coaches Sean McVay vs Doug Marrone. The Jaguars were one of the 2016 darling teams predicted by many in the NFL media circles to make a playoff push. The Jaguars failed to win even 4 games and ended up firing their head coach.
The Jaguars inconsistent quarterback Blake Bortles took a big step back from his 2015 season and the team imploded after big expectations. The Jaguars were busy in the 2015 Free Agency even busier in the 2016 free agency period. On paper their defense easily looks top 10 quality and if they gel sooner than later, they could be a force to be dealt with.
With the draft just days away the Jaguars are predicted my many draft experts to select star LSU beast running back Leonard Fournette. If Fournette does end up being their pick, this game could turn into a ground war battle between Fournette and Rams second year star running back Todd Gurley.
WEEK 7 VS CARDINALS (London)
The Rams final game of the 2016 season was played in LA and their dreadful offense against NFC West division foe Arizona was hard to watch for even the most loyal Rams fans. The Cardinals and their fiery older head coach Bruce Arians showed no mercy as they destroyed the Rams 44-6 in front of a less than half empty Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum stadium.
The Rams ended their season looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL as the final score was tallied up. The 2016 season left a bad taste in the mouth of the Los Angeles fans and the season finale officially put an end to the Rams honeymoon return to Los Angeles.
The Cardinals defense sacked Goff 7 times before he was eventually benched and often times he looked like a lost battered, wasted first round draft pick. There will not be a home game played in Los Angeles between these teams this year because London will again substitute as one of the Rams home games.
[WEEK 8 BYE WEEK]
WEEK 9 AT GIANTS
Eli, Odell, Brandon Marshall, Jenoris Jenkins and the talented New York Giants host the Rams in a game that might look nothing like their 2016 matchup last year. These teams have played two times in the last three years with the Giants winning both contests.
Their matchup last season in London was an old fashion defensive 17-10 grudge match that finally ended late in the 4th quarter when former Rams quarterback Case Keenum thew a game ending interception in the end-zone because of an audible miscommunication with former Rams WR Brian Quick. Neither the Giants or Rams offenses were able to move the ball with any consistency and this game provided 15 punts between both teams.
This 2017 rematch will be in New Jersey this time and the talented Giants Roster could be a ton for the Rams to handle on the road. This game will be a another big stage for the Rams new head coach Sean Mcvay. He and his staff will need to have the young Rams prepared and dialed in to be competitive in this contest.
WEEK 10 VS TEXANS
The 2016 Houston Texans were NFL's number one ranked defense and they will be getting back the consensus NFL's best defensive player in JJ Watt. No doubt one of the main subplots in this game will be Aaron Donald vs JJ Watt because a few NFL pundits think Donald belongs in the conversation as the NFL's best defensive player.
The Texans last season without JJ Watt still finished with the number one ranked defense. With the sudden emergence of DE Jadeveon Clowney
their defensive line could be a quarterback crushing unit. The Texans will square off against the Rams who fielded last seasons worst ranked NFL offense and this makes for a unique match-up.
With 5 months to go until the regular season starts, both of these teams at the moment have unproven starting quarterbacks and questions about their offenses in general. This contest could be a throwback from the 70's with the special teams and defenses putting up more points than both teams offenses combined.
The Rams recently hired old school defensive coordinator legend Wade Phillips and ironically he was a former successful defensive coordinator for the Texans from 2011-2013. Can Phillips put a defensive product on the field that can match the mighty Texans defense blow for blow?
Will the Rams young rookie HC Sean McVay have his offense prepared and be able to deliver a clever game plan that can catch the Texans defense sleeping? Will the Rams have enough talent on their revamped offensive line to keep Jared Goff in the game for all four quarters? Lots of questions still to be answered with this future match-up by the time kickoff arrives.
WEEK 11 AT VIKINGS
The Rams will bring their young 2016 number one overall pick quarterback to Minnesota and match him against their former 2010 number one overall pick quarterback Sam Bradford who is now the signal caller for the Vikings. Bradford is playing for his third NFL team since he was drafted by the Rams and traded to the Eagles for a brief one year stint in 2015.
Bradford had a very solid year for the Vikings in 2016 and would definitely enjoy throwing some touchdown passes against his former team that gave up on him after his injury issues by trading him to the Eagles for Nick Foles and a 2016 second round draft pick that was used in the Goff trade up with Tennessee.
Bradford never had good luck with the Rams due to his fluke knee injuries and lack of a supporting cast. Rams new free agent center John Sullivan was a former pro-bowl center at one time for Minnesota and could be the starter in this contest against his former team. The real story-line for this game will be the former number one picks Bradford vs Goff. These two quarterbacks slinging the ball around adds lots of sizzle and intrigue to this week 11 match-up.
WEEK 12 VS SAINTS
This rematch from last years beat down in the Bayou now heads to the City of Angels. Drew Brees and his high octane offense demolished the Rams defense last season in New Orleans putting 49 points on the score board.
After Jared Goff had his coming out party in the first half, he finished the game looking like Cinderella and turned into a pumpkin in the second half. Goff failed to lead the Rams to any second half points and the Saints out classed the Rams on every level. Goff looked like he was ready to take the next step in New Orleans who had one of the NFL's worst defenses but he never found his rhythm again after halftime and the final score was an abysmal 49-21 final.
The rematch will be in Los Angeles this time and the Rams will have a new look on defense under the watch of Wade Phillips and they will have a new offensive scheme under rookie head coach Sean McVay.
The Rams might be forced into another shootout against Brees and company and unless Goff can play consistent for two halves, the results could end up being another loss unless things have changed since there November 27, 2016 meeting. This game should be a good measuring stick of where the new look Rams are headed under the new leadership and coaching of Sean McVay and Wade Phillips.
WEEK 13 AT CARDINALS
Last season the Rams upset upset the Cardinals on their home turf in Arizona for the second consecutive year. This game ended with a thrilling 17-13 Rams victory putting them in a early season first place tie with Seattle at 3-1 in the NFC West standings. This wild low scoring game ended with Carson Palmer throwing a Hail Mary pass in the end-zone that was intercepted by former Rams starting safety Tim McDonald on the last play of the game to clinch the victory.
In 2016, Cardinals running back David Johnson stole the spotlight from the Rams 2015 rookie of the year Todd Gurley when their NFL sophomore seasons ended. These two teams have built up a feisty division rivalry in recent years with some dramatic exciting finishes lately in Arizona. They have split their games over the last two seasons with both teams winning on the road. This second meeting in 2017 could provide some new twists and turns for these NFC West division rivals.
WEEK 14 VS EAGLES
Strap on your seat belts for this unique quarterback duel between Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. Can you set the table any better than this storyline with all the drama that has surrounded these two players in the last eleven months. These two quarterbacks will forever be tied together having been the top two selections in the 2016 draft.
The number one and number two overall picks in the draft square off in a fascinating first meeting as their teams signal callers. These two young quarterbacks were the talk of the 2016 NFL Draft and one of the main story lines is that the Rams actually had their choice of either player.
The Rams passed over Carson Wentz and selected Jared Goff causing many Rams fans that were Wentz supporters to hold their breath and hope for the best that Goff was the correct choice. Their rookie seasons have since come and gone and without any dispute, the second overall pick Wentz was the superior quarterback in their rookie seasons and he seems to have a promising career ahead of him.
The Rams brass instead selected Goff the "Air Raid" California quarterback and he looked far from a starting caliber NFL signal caller and didn't even see the field until the 10th game of his rookie season. Though he had a poor supporting cast, Goff left a lot to be desired on the field in his rookie campaign and too many times he looked like he didn't even belong on an NFL field. This match up between the Rams and Eagles is about as unique as you can ask for when you look at all the dynamics surrounding these two young quarterbacks.
Another subplot for this game is the Rams recent signing of former Eagles star outside linebacker Conner Barwin who was cut this off-season for age and salary cap reasons. He signed a one year deal with the Rams and this should add a little more drama to this match up. Barwin would obviously enjoy making some big plays against his former team in this week 14 contest.
WEEK 15 AT SEAHAWKS
The vaunted Seahawks have the NFC West divisions best quarterback in Russell Wilson and their defense should still be good enough for this team to make another deep playoff run in the upcoming 2017 season. This NFC West rivalry will take on some new twists with the head coaches being 35 years apart in age. This will be McVay's second meeting against Pete Carroll and his Seahawks. This time the game will be played in Seattle with with their historic raucous loud home crowd known as the 12th man.
In Last seasons contest at Seattle rookie quarterback Jared Goff got his bell rung when he tried to scamper down the sidelines for a touchdown but he failed to see "Legion of Boom" star Richard Sherman. Goff got blasted in the shoulder and head at the three yard-line and was concussed causing the end of the night for him at the 9:03 mark in the 4th quarter. The Seahawks won this game in Seattle last year with by a comfortable 24-3 score.
WEEK 16 AT TITANS
This contest between Los Angeles and Tennessee has some extra luster because the Titans are the team that traded their 2016 number one overall draft pick to the Rams for a plethora of draft picks. This was an easy trade down decision for the Titans to make because they already had a good young quarterback on their roster.
The trade these two franchises made last year added a lot of spice to the 2016 NFL draft. When the Titans selected Heisman Trophy winner Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL draft, they were in the drivers seat to accept trade offers from a quarterback needy team like the Rams.
The Titans still have two more draft picks coming in the 2017 draft that they received from the big trade last year with the Rams. They will have the Rams #5 overall selection in the first round and the #100 pick in the third round. These last two picks will complete last years blockbuster trade the Rams made to select Jared Goff.
Mariota came from a spread formation college system at Oregon but his talent transitioned well to NFL in his 2015 rookie campaign, where as Goff's transition from the Air Raid system didn't follow the same suit in 2016. With all the draft picks the Titans acquired from the Rams and many of those picks to likely be on the field when these two teams meet in Tennessee, this game will have plenty of subplots to the story-line for this match-up.
WEEK 17 VS 49ers
The last game of the 2017 season will be the second meeting between the highly touted rookie head coaches Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. This will be their second match up and will be played in Los Angeles. Hopefully for LA fans there will be playoff implications on the line. Last years week 16 contest in Los Angeles between these two teams ended with a complete meltdown by the Rams defense after the Rams took a 21-7 lead in the 4th quarter with 10:32 seconds remaining on the clock.
The Rams defense surrendered 15 unanswered 4th quarter points and lost the game 22-21 when Colin Kapernick ran for a two point conversion with :31 seconds left in the 4th quarter. With little time left on the clock, Goff was unable to drive the Rams into field goal range. The 49ers were a terrible team last season and they were only able to win two games. Ironically the only two games they won were against their division rival Rams. This game will have a telling story of how much better, the same, or worse these two teams are playing under their new rookie head coaches.
