Vincent Bonsignore, who used to cover the Los Angeles Rams as a beat writer and now cover the Las Vegas Raiders, authored a piece in the NY Post this week that explains how LA is facing “the most daunting schedule I’ve ever seen”.
While Bonsignore no longer covers the Rams, he was intimately familiar with how LA’s front office operates and applies a broader context with his overall NFL understanding. When Bonsignore speaks on the Rams, fans should listen. The Rams’ schedule will either test them as eventual champions or expose them for premature offseason hype:
Here is where the league did the Rams no favors whatsoever.
Not only do they have to wait until Week 11 to finally get a break with their bye week, but immediately after that respite they will gear up for one of the most brutal stretches of games we’ve ever seen.
It all starts with the Wednesday night Thanksgiving Eve game against the Packers at SoFi Stadium, followed by a Thursday night game at home against the Chiefs. Up next are the 49ers in Santa Clara, followed by a home game against the Cowboys.
If they survive all that with their heads above water and still in contention for the division title, a three-game mad dash to the finish line awaits them in which they’ll get two chances to knock out the Seahawks.
Or, vice versa.
Earlier this week I previewed the end of season gauntlet the Rams will face. This brutal stretch will either elevate Los Angeles into bonafide contenders or push them to the brink of elimination.
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Week 12 vs Green Bay Packers (Thanksgiving Eve)
Week 13 vs Kansas City Chiefs (Thursday Night Football)
Week 14 at San Francisco 49ers
Week 15 vs Dallas Cowboys
Week 16 at Seattle Seahawks (Christmas Day)
Week 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 18 vs Seattle Seahawks
The Buccaneers are the weakest opponent in this slate of games; however, even Tampa Bay can be formidable. While they finished outside the playoffs in 2025, they’ve continued finding offensive weapons and added Reuben Bain to a defense that desperately needed more pass rushers.
Los Angeles will host the Chiefs late into the season, which means by this point Patrick Mahomes should be relatively back to normal. It would be more ideal to face the former MVP early in the season while he is still knocking the rust off from last year’s season-ending injury. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson should both have a lot to play for against their old team.
And just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get worse, the NFL asked the Rams to close the season with two matchups versus the reigning Super Bowl champions in the final three weeks. The NFC West could easily hang in the balance, and the outcomes of these games could certainly decide whether the Rams will make the playoffs at all. Last year’s three close matchups have made future contests must-see TV, and LA earned the right to play on Christmas Day.
It is way too early to let our minds wonder to November. Much football must be played before that point. The NFL is a league of parity where forces constantly pull every team back towards average. What seems like a tough matchup in May could easily become very winnable by the time the calendar flips. In turn, there are also no easy games because bottom feeders often find a way to make quick leaps and rejoin the contention conversation.
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While it’s exciting to finally have the schedule, the most enjoyable part of the process will always be the journey. With two contests against the Seahawks in the schedule’s final three weeks, the Rams likely will control their destiny in the NFC West until the bell rings on the regular season. They just need to make it into the tournament.
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