NFL schedule release should have the Rams in prime time rotation

The Los Angeles Rams should be a significant feature when the 2018 NFL schedule is released on Thursday.

An early Christmas present arrives on Thursday for fans of the Los Angeles Rams, as the National Football League releases its 2018 schedule one week ahead of the NFL Draft. So while fans in LA will have to wait a bit for the teams first pick, they can fill that time finding a “must see” game.

Additionally, this is also something of a litmus test for the league to see if they can do a better job scheduling the Rams in the Los Angeles market IN a prime time window, something long past due.

Yes we know that the heavily East Coast centric media, who regularly stumbles all over itself to see the overrated NFC East, will have its share of Cowboys vs. ‘pick a team’, and I get that.

Reluctantly.

But if the league has grown beyond is own intellectual biases, and that always remains to be seen, they will have the Rams hosting games in prime time at the fabled, and yes aging, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It’s long past due, and a team trending as the Rams are, should be in a heavy prime time rotation.

The NFC West is also interesting with up and comer San Francisco and starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners ran off five straight wins to end the 2017 campaign, including a Week 17 win against the Rams in the Coliseum.

Worthy of note, the 49ers almost beat Los Angeles in Week 3, a Thursday Night game that may have been the best of the slate, and was an absolute shoot-out from the opening gun to 00:00 on the clock, resulting in a 41-39 win for LA.

Meaning Rams versus Niners should be something OTHER than a regional telecast.

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Other games you hope the NFL gets right in that prime time window include the Green Bay Packers in Los Angeles, the Rams at the Oakland Raiders with Jon Gruden and Sean McVay a smart story backdrop, and the Rams at the New Orleans Saints. Drew Brees and Jared Goff is a great head-to-head  prime feature, especially on Sunday night game.

The NFL has a captive audience with the LA market and a team trending WAY up. If the schedulers get it right, Los Angeles may become what the league has always wanted, with the Rams ready to deliver in prime time.