The NFL stacked the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams’ schedule with high-stakes matchups at the beginning and end of the season to maximize intrigue across the league.
The Rams open the 2026 season in Melbourne against the San Francisco 49ers and close the year with two games against the Seattle Seahawks in their final three weeks.
Last season, it felt inevitable that either the Rams, Seahawks, or 49ers would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, a three-way rivalry ultimately decided by only
a few points in the NFC Championship Game.
Do you like the Rams having an opportunity to start and finish the season on a massive stage, or did the NFL screw L.A. with one of the toughest schedules in football?
What is the most underrated game on the Rams schedule this season?
The Weeks That Matter Most
Week 11 bye week
The Rams land a semi-late, perfectly reasonable bye week in the middle of the season. No complaints there.
Seahawks in Weeks 16 and 18
The Rams and Seahawks played arguably the game of the year in 2025, an overtime thriller won by Seattle on a two-point conversion.
The NFL clearly believes the rivalry is appointment viewing because it scheduled Rams-Seahawks twice in the final three weeks instead of settling for a weaker late-season primetime matchup.
Do the Rams benefit from seeing Seattle twice in such a short span, or is the NFL setting up a brutal finish for Sean McVay’s team?
Opening in Australia
We’ve known for months that the Rams would open the season against the 49ers in Australia, but that doesn’t make the travel any less challenging.
At least the Rams return to face the Giants in Week 2 with extra rest, which could help offset some of the disadvantage from opening internationally.
Most brutal early-season stretch: Weeks 3-5
Two weeks after the opener against San Francisco, the Rams travel to Denver to face the Broncos in Week 3, then fly across the country to Philadelphia before returning home to host Josh Allen and the Bills.
With four primetime games in the first five weeks, do the Rams have the toughest early-season schedule in the NFL?
Brutal late-season stretch: Weeks 12-18
The Rams finish the year against a gauntlet of playoff-caliber opponents: the Seahawks twice, plus the 49ers, Packers, Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Cowboys.
That stretch reinforces how important it will be for Sean McVay to avoid the slow starts that have plagued the Rams in previous seasons.
L.A. can’t afford to enter Thanksgiving with a 5-5 record — or worse — and expect to survive this closing stretch.
Rams 2026 schedule:
Week 1 – “vs” 49ers, Melbourne, 9/10
Week 2 – vs Giants, MNF, 9/21
Week 3 – at Broncos, SNF, 9/27
Week 4 – at Eagles, 10/4
Week 5 – vs Bills, MNF, 10/12
Week 6 – vs Cardinals, 10/18
Week 7 – at Raiders, 10/25
Week 8 – vs Chargers, 11/1
Week 9 – at Commanders, 11/8
Week 10 – at Cardinals, 11/15
Week 11 – BYE
Week 12 – vs Packers, Thanksgiving Eve, 11/25
Week 13 – vs Chiefs, TNF, 12/3
Week 14 – at 49ers, 12/13
Week 15 – vs Cowboys, 12/20
Week 16 – at Seahawks, 12/25
Week 17 – vs Bucs, 1/2 or 1/3
Week 18 – vs Seahawks, 1/9 or 1/10
