2022 LA Rams schedule, hard at first, beginning to soften up

The LA Rams know who their 2022 opponents will be, but the team does not know when they will face those opponents just yet. So why are we talking about that schedule again? Well, we do have some more information to chew upon.

While the LA Rams have finished the season atop the NFC Western Divisions twice before, the NFL is set up in a way that prolonged success becomes more and more difficult to achieve. The better the team’s record? Their draft picks in the upcoming NFL Draft are in reverse order, essentially lowering their draft position the following year. Likewise, the higher a team finishes in their division in one year? The tougher their schedule becomes the following year.

And so, the LA Rams are on the hook for what initially appeared to very likely be the toughest schedule among all NFL teams in 2022. But as those NFL teams now plan to gear up for the 2022 NFL season, some are already making changes.

For some teams, we already know that they will have a new quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will no longer have quarterback Tom Brady, which will change the dynamic of that team significantly. But what of Aaron Rodgers’s situation with the Green Bay Packers? What about Russell Wilson’s situation with the Seattle Seahawks? Will the San Francisco 49ers trade QB Jimmy Garappolo as intended?

Just look at who the Rams must face?

At least two of the teams who the LA Rams face next season will have new coaches as well.

Away games

Seattle Seahawks (7-10)
Arizona Cardinals (11-6)
San Francisco 49ers (10-7) New QB
Los Angeles Chargers (9-8) * At SoFi Stadium
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) New QB
New Orleans Saints (9-8) New coaching staff
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)
Green Bay Packers (13-4) New QB?

Home games

Seattle Seahawks (7-10)
Arizona Cardinals (11-6)
San Francisco 49ers (10-7) New QB
Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Carolina Panthers (5-12)
Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) New coaching staff
Denver Broncos (7-10) New coaching staff
Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
Buffalo Bills (11-6)

In the end, several items that, at first blush, appeared to be very hard wins in 2022 are showing some signs of softening already.

Just as the Rams must now face the best in the NFL, these teams must face the best as well. Some teams have struggled in the past when they have been kicked into that Top-tier competition (2021 Seattle Seahawks).

We will revisit these teams and the Rams schedule again. But for now, the future is looking brighter. After all, the LA Rams are one of the two best teams in the NFL right now. Perhaps the competition should be more concerned about facing the LA Rams.