LA Rams BYE week offers a timely period to regroup

The LA Rams may or may not end up among the teams who compete in the postseason at the end of the 2023 NFL season, but even the LA Rams entire organization is okay with that. This is a team that truly has adopted the art of chess to the NFL, and is willing to sacrifice this year to outflank the other 31 NFL teams in 2024.

So what does the 2023 NFL schedule offer for a very young and inexperienced LA Rams roster? Quite a bit, believe it or not. If you want to test the young group of players, the LA Rams schedule definitely offers that as the team's three September 2023 games are against three of last season's NFL Playoff teams.

Do the LA Rams have more intriguing facts about their 2023 schedule? Well, the NFL has done the Rams organization no favors in terms of easy sledding this year. The Rams hold the ninth most difficult schedules (based on 2022 performances) in the NFL this season. That is fine with the Rams coaching staff, a group that appreciates the competitive nature of the game and wants to put the new Rams players through their paces throughout the season.

If you want the Rams to optimize the value of their 2024 NFL Draft picks, then this rigorous 2023 schedule will certainly push the Rams toward that objective.

Hello BYE week - November 12, 2023

The Rams schedule does offer another bit of intrigue. This year, the LA Rams compete in nine games before the November 12 BYE week, and then the schedule resumes for the remaining eight games. Curiously, the Rams have four home games before their BYE this year, and four home games after their BYE. Perhaps most curious, the Rams have a three game home stand in October 2023, which opens against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 8, followed by hosting the Arizona Cardinals on October 15, and concluding with a home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 22.

While the Rams' BYE is not deep into the season, I like where it falls this season. The LA Rams will likely be interested in tweaking the roster, whether or not injuries occur, and the BYE will offer an ideal opportunity to do so. After nine games, the Rams coaching staff should have enough evidence over who is meeting expectations, exceeding expectations, or not meeting expectations.

This is a work-in-process sort of season. There is more to be learned about this team than the standard 17 games might offer. Who will step up in the Rams secondary? Who will emerge as the team's WR3 or TE2? The Rams have a lot of riddles to solve about this team, not only for 2023, but for 2024 as well.