Rams staring down menacing nightmare scenario with 2026 schedule

The Los Angeles Rams came oh-so -close to reaching the Super Bowl earlier this year. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. They fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and had to watch as their divisional foes went on to win it all a few weeks later.

Rams fans are hoping the team can replicate the success it had a season ago but finish the entire job this time around. Sadly, that's going to be a challenge, as the Rams' 2026 regular season schedule looks to be one of the hardest in the entire league.

According to Warren Sharp, the Rams will have the fifth-hardest schedule in 2026, at least going by projected win totals for the upcoming season. And with the season opening by playing in Australia, players face plenty of jet lag as well as tough opponents.

Rams have fifth most difficult schedule for 2026

Normally, the team that finishes in first place has the toughest schedule since they're playing other first-place teams but that's not the case here. In fact, the Seahawks sit at 22, six spots ahead of Los Angeles. The third-place 49ers somehow ended up with the eighth-easiest schedule of the year, while the Cardinals, the worst team from the NFC West, have the hardest schedule going into 2026.

This is both frustrating and concerning to fans. The good news is that the Rams will already be used to playing tough teams by the time the playoffs roll around (assuming they get there, of course). That said, having an easier schedule obviously makes reaching the postseason simpler. We saw last season how the Patriots went from worst to first thanks to their less-than-daunting schedule of opponents. The Rams won't have that luxury.

Hopefully, the Rams can navigate their challenging 2026 slate and then be ready for what's awaiting them in the playoffs. If not, then they probably wouldn't last long in the playoffs anyway. These will be the kind of games and experiences that they'll need to have under their belt later on when the lights get brighter, so hopefully, Sean McVay's guys are up to the task.

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