Getting off to a hot start is vital for the LA Rams chances in 2024

While the LA Rams finished the 2023 NFL season with a record of 10-7, there are two different stories to tell about the team in 2023. Before the team's Week 10 BYE, the team fell to a record of 3-6. Paired with the 5-12 record from 2022, that set the team on a plummet of 8-18 for 26 games. While there might be some positive elements over the first nine games of 2023, the results speak for themselves.

But several events coalesced after the BYE that allowed this team to get back on track. The Rams starting five offensive linemen began to congeal and play well together. RB Kyren Williams began to consistently put up solid rushing. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford began to find his range with rookie WR Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. The team added vetera WR Demarcus Robinson to the offensive arsenal.

And the team started veteran DB John Johnson III to shore up the secondary.

What happened with all those differing elements merging is that the team began to find success, and then build on it. So what is in store for this feisty team to open the 2024 NFL season? Would you believe a very difficult schedule that hits this team before the Week 6 BYE? Just check this out:

• Week 1, Sept. 8: at Detroit Lions | 5:20 p.m. | NBC - Sunday Night Football
• Week 2, Sept. 15: at Arizona Cardinals | 1:05 p.m. | FOX
• Week 3, Sept. 22: San Francisco 49ers | 1:25 p.m. | FOX
• Week 4, Sept. 29: at Chicago Bears | 10 a.m. | FOX
• Week 5, Oct. 6: Green Bay Packers | 1:25 p.m. | CBS
• Week 6: BYE

The first five games of the 2024 NFL schedule for this Rams team could be one of the earliest make or break segments of any NFL team's schedule. As you can see, all five opponents are from the NFC Conference, and two of the team's first five opponents are from the NFC West Division.

So winning early is more than a bonus. Early success is going to be vital to ensure this team has the opportunity to compete in the post-season: