The Los Angeles Rams will be featured under the lights quite frequently once again in 2024. After just two primetime games last season, the Rams will be playing in that special time slot on five difference occasions this year and it all starts in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. The Rams will play on Sunday Night Football twice, Thursday Night Football twice, and have one game on Monday Night Football. If the Rams want to show the nation that they are legit, they will have plenty of opportunity to do just that. With five games in primetime, there is plenty to look forward to. Here are the Rams five primetime games ranked. Let us know which game you are most looking forward to in the comments./cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355685/usa_today_22128527.0.jpg)
1. at Detroit Lions (Week 1 - SNF)
It’s going to be tough to beat the first primetime game of the season for the Rams in terms of excitement. As teams find success around the same time, short-term rivalries begin to form. From 2017-2020, that team was the New Orleans Saints for obvious reasons. The Rams and Saints were both among the NFC’s teams at the time and it was all capped off by the alleged controversial call in the conference championship game.
These two teams saw each other last year in the wild card round with the Lions coming out on top by one point with a controversial ending of its own. The Rams won the Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford after the blockbuster trade with the Lions. Given the recent history between these franchises, Week 1 on Sunday Night is sure to be a barn burner.
2. at San Francisco 49ers (Week 15 - TNF)
While there will be a lot of anticipation for the Week 1 matchup against the Lions, the most important primetime game is the one in Week 15 against the 49ers. This game will be played late in the season and the winner will likely have a leg up on the NFC West heading into the season’s final stretch.
There is a chance that both teams head into this game with at 8-5 or 9-4 record. The Rams will have somewhat of a disadvantage as they have a tough matchup against the Buffalo Bills the Sunday before. However, the 49ers could have a challenging game agains the Chicago Bears the week prior as well. If the Rams are going to win the NFC West, this is a must-win game.
3. vs. Miami Dolphins (Week 10 - MNF)
The game against the Miami Dolphins won’t have playoff or division implications. However, it will be Jalen Ramsey’s return to SoFi and his first time against the Rams since the team traded him last summer. There aren’t any hard feelings between the two sides and Ramsey will almost certainly get a positive reception.
As for the game itself, the Dolphins have tended to flame out against strong opponents in the past. With that said, there could be a lot of offensive fireworks in the game. The Dolphins defense has a lot of question marks and the same can be said about the Rams. This could come down to which quarterback comes up big for their team down the stretch.
4. vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 12 - SNF)
It’s going to be interesting to see what the potential playoff implications are with this game. There is a chance that these two teams are fighting for seeding among the top-four places in the NFC and winning this game would be huge. However, the Philadelphia Eagles also stumbled down the stretch last year. It is worth wondering if that carries over into this season.
The Eagles got the best of the Rams early in the year in 2023, but had they played later on, it’s hard to say that Los Angeles wouldn’t have come out on top. Now, the Rams will get the Eagles in the back-half of the season as they navigate life without Jason Kelce.
5. vs. Minnesota Vikings (Week 8 - TNF)
Ranking this game fifth isn’t to say that this is going to be a bad game or that fans won’t be looking forward to it. In reality, depending on where both teams are at, there could be wild card tiebreakers on the line here. The chess match between Sean McVay and Brian Flores will also be an interesting one to watch.
However, the Minnesota Vikings are a team in a competitive rebuild. Nobody quite knows what to expect out of JJ McCarthy during his rookie season. There a chance that the Vikings are a year away from being seriously competitive. The Vikings with Flores and the talent on defense could give the Rams some trouble. Jared Verse will likely be looking to get a rookie-on-rookie sack going up against McCarthy. Still, the Rams should come out on top.
