A sneak peek at Rams 2025 NFL schedule sheds optimistic light on 2025

The LA Rams ended the 2024 NFL season in first place in the NFC West Division. The NFC West, long dominated the rest of the NFL, underwent two significant changes last season. The division was one of the weaker divisions in the NFL, ending the season with an aggregate record of 34 wins and 34 losses. Only the NFC South, AFC East, and AFC South Divisions had a worse record.

Fortunately, the LA Rams and the rest of the NFC West Division will face NFC and AFC South Division opponents in 2025. Two of the Rams 2025 opponents are among the Top 5 teams making selections in the 2025 NFL Draft. Four of the Rams 2025 opponents are among the Top 10 teams making draft selections.

That gives you the picture. The Rams opponents in 2025 will be boasting a long of rookie players, and will undoubtedly be trying to pivot from a very disappointed 2024 season to greater success next season. The thing is, those teams are starting a journey that the Rams have been making for several years. It's one thing to start that journey. It's another thing altogether different to make the steep climb back to success.

So who are the Rams opponents in 2025? They are:

Next season’s opponents for the Rams pic.twitter.com/h2jiZSwzBN
— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) January 6, 2025

Eight home games

Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts

Nine road games

Arizona Cardinals
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens

But there are more conclusions we can draw from the 2025 opponents than win-loss records. They are:

Some tough hombres on the schedule

The LA Rams will face six NFL playoff teams in 2025. That means that thanks to the team's first-place standing in the NFC West Division, the team gets the benefit of facing off against all other first-place teams next season. And many of those teams are pretty good. The Rams faced five playoff teams in 2024, so the quality of opponents at the upper tier next season will be rather formidable.

But a season is necessarily made or broken on the handful of opponents with postseason legacies. The Rams must defeats the teams that did not compete in the post-season last year. They are the teams that get advantages in terms of the NFL draft and coaching continuity (or a completely new coaching staff)) for a new season.

Rams run defense will be tested often in 2025

Assuming top running backs are unlikely to be on the move this offseason, the Rams run defense will square off against seven of the top 10 rushing offenses in 2025. That's an alarming fact, as the team was unable to stop Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley in both games facing him.

Now the Rams will add Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving to the mix.

Yikes!

That is not to say that the Rams can overload on run defenders. The team will face four of the NFL's five most proficient passing offenses in 2024. That is quite the logistical challenge for a young defense that rose rapidly to proficiency this past season.

Rams offense may benefit from weaker defenses

The opposite effect is true when flipping to the offensive side of the football. While the Rams will compete against three of the top five defenses in 2025, the benefit of the 2025 NFL schedule comes in the form of facing some of the worst NFL defenses in 2024. In truth, the Rams face off against the worst four NFL defenses from 2024.

Of course, those teams will work frantically to improve on defense in 2025. The question is, how quickly and effectively can they do so?

I expect the Rams offense to rebound in 2025, with all other variables remaining the same, from the malaise of 2024. But I also expect the team to aim at fielding a much stronger offense in 2025 as well. The effect of the NFL offseason should place this Rams team into a much better position to score points.

Should being the operative word.

There are wholesale changes in store for all 32 NFL teams. Some of those changes will be for the better, some for the worse. It's too soon to proclaim a 2025 season with any degree of certainty or logic. But the Rams 2025 opponents do not appear to be particularly intimidating on paper. That's a good place to start.

As always, thanks for reading.