LA Rams will face AFC West in year of their arms race

The LA Rams seem to know what it takes to win games. Since the LA Rams have paired up General Manager Les Snead with Head Coach Sean McVay, the Rams have piled up a 55-26 win-loss record in five seasons, and have a 7-3 win-loss record in the NFL Playoffs.  If you are doing the math, that is a .679 winning percentage in regular-season games, and a .700 winning percentage in the post-season.

Beyond all of that, the LA Rams are now 1-1 in Super Bowl appearances in the last five seasons.

It was only a matter of time before the NFL took note and began to emulate the LA Rams roster-building tactics. Well, don’t look now, but the AFC West Division appears to have embraced the LA Rams‘ “F*** Them Picks” philosophy wholeheartedly. So much so that the AFC West Division has declared an Arms Race.

The AFC West, comprised of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Denver Broncos, was already a very competitive NFL Division.  With an aggregate win-loss record of 38-30, and sent three teams to the NFL playoffs.  They nearly rivaled the NFC West, whose teams include the LA Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks, and who had an aggregate win-loss record of 40-28. The NFC West also sent three teams to the NFL playoffs.

Rams schedule increasingly difficult

The LA Rams are already aware of their 2022 NFL season opponents, and the Rams are already bracing for quite likely the most difficult season in the NFL in terms of Strength of Schedule. That is the result of the LA Rams winning the NFC West Division, which triggers the Rams to face the first-place teams of the other NFL Divisions.

In addition to those teams, the LA Rams will also face teams from the AFC West and NFC South divisions. While the NFC South Division may be weaker in 2022 due to the retirement of Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady, the AFC West is loading up so that each of the four teams now is arguably a Super Bowl contender for the 2022 NFL season.

The LA Rams games against AFC West teams are currently set where the Rams will face the Broncos and Raiders at home, while traveling to face the Chiefs and Chargers on the road. The curious matter is that, due to the Rams and Chargers both playing at SoFi Stadium, the Rams contest against the Chargers will seem very much like a home game.

In 2021, the LA Rams were 3-3 against NFC West teams. They were 1-0 against the NFC East, 3-1 against the NFC North, 1-0 against the NFC South, 1-0 against the AFC North, and 3-1 against the AFC South.  Of course, the LA Rams enjoyed significant in 2021, and now have a full season under their belts. So the Rams should be even more competitive for the 2022 NFL season.

Based on the appearance of the Rams schedule for 2022, they will need to be.