The Los Angeles Rams finished with a record of 10-7 in each of the past two seasons. While that may leave an impression that the team is simply not making much headway, the team most certainly did finish stronger than they started in 2024. And the team nearly knocked off the eventual Super Bowl Champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, in a Divisional Round contest that went down to the wire.
As a result of winning the NFC Western Division, the Rams get no favors from the 2025 NFL schedule. The team will face the typical pair of games against NFC West Division rivals, plus AFC South and NFC South Division teams. Finally, the team rounds out the schedule with other divisional winners. So the Rams will face the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and even the Baltimore Ravens.
It seems clear that the Rams will need to bring their A game each week to win games this season. While we do not yet have the weekly details of who the Rams face on which dates, we do know who the Rams face at home and away this season. And from that information, and knowing how the teams performed last season, we can make some educated guesses about which games could be the most pivotal for the Rams in 2025:
Here are three games that stand out to me as hugely impactful for the Rams in 2025. They are:
(3) - At Philadelphia Eagles
We have so many questions about the Los Angeles Rams defense based on how they performed against the Eagles offense. But the only way to get answers is to face the Eagles again and see how the team performs. The Rams put up a solid fight in the playoffs, but after two losses and giving up an ungodly amount of rushing yards to Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, the team invested in NT Poona Ford, whose expertise is stuffing the run.
Of course, you can expect the Rams front office to address the need to get even stingier during and after the 2025 NFL Draft. But nobody will know whether the steps taken by the Rams made the run defense better or worse. Only standing up to Saquon Barkley will tell the tale.
(2) - Hosting Detroit Lions
Another dominant NFC team of late has been the Detroit Lions. And the Rams have lost the past two games against the Lions, both played on the road. Will changing the stage to SoFi Stadium change the outcome of the game? The Lions are powered by former Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who has proven to be more than a Sean McVay lackey. He has done a masterful job running the Lions offense, for the most part.
But it's time for the Rams to squelch the enthusiasm of the Lions fans. Since facing their former QB Matthew Stafford, their demeanor has taken a turn to the dark side. The Rams need to win the game, not just to restore balance to the NFL 'Force,' but to set the stage for positive results if tiebreakers become a factor in setting NFL Playoffs seeding.
(1) - At Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals were surprisingly the toughest competition for the Rams in the NFC West Division in 2024. I am tossing out the Week 18 contest of the Rams suiting up backups to play in the meaningless last game of the season. The Rams were humbled by the Arizona Cardinals in Arizona by the score of 41-10.
The score shocked everyone.
While some fans may not be overly concerned over the Cardinals, they have done a sneaky good job this offseason. If the additions of Josh Sweat and Calais Campbell work out, their defense will be improved. The Cardinals offense still boasts RB James Conner, TE Trey McBride, and Marvin Harrison Jr. If Harrison can improve in his second season, the Cardinals have the makings of a tough competitor.
The LA Rams have been concerned with the San Francisco 49ers, and to a lesser extent the Seattle Seahawks, in recent years. But it was clear in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season that the Rams can no longer take the Cardinals for granted as an automatic win.
Those are three games that I have highlighted on my Rams 2025 NFL schedule. Did I miss any? As always, thanks so much for reading.
