The Los Angeles Rams had a fantastic 2018. Sadly, however, their season ended with a loss in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.
2019 is now in their sights though – as we look ahead to their schedule for the upcoming season. What are five must-watch games for the defending NFC Champions?
5. Cincinnati Bengals – Week 8
Admittedly, the Los Angeles Rams fans shouldn't have to worry too much about this one. Every game should be taken seriously, but this is quite a mismatch. That being said – this game will be played in London.
The London games are always interesting for a few reasons. It wipes away Home Field advantage for both teams. It also creates the jet-lag/uncomfortable excuses. Bad play from a good team wouldn't be the most shocking thing to happen.
It's also worth noting that the Rams are 1-2 in London games (the Bengals are 0-0-1 with a tie against the Washington Redskins in 2016).
4. Cleveland Browns – Week 4
The Cleveland Browns are a team that should be circled on any opponents schedule. They're one of the most interesting rosters in football – especially after the acquisitions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Kareem Hunt.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield was a stud in his rookie year, and the quarterback will only get better.
Cleveland went 7-8-1 last season and are poised to be one of the most dangerous football teams in the NFL in 2019. This should be an exciting game against two star-studded rosters.
3. Seattle Seahawks – Week 5 & Week 14
Russell Wilson just got PAID. He's given the Los Angeles Rams a lot of problems over the years. Even those Los Angeles is considered the toast of the division; you can't count out Seattle. They've proven that they'll always find a way to win.
It's also worth noting that the Seahawks are currently the biggest threat to Los Angeles in the NFC West.
That being said, the Rams have won the last three contests and six of the previous eight.
Admittedly, this is kind of cheating as they play twice and I'm not highlighting one in particular.
With two matchups, it's always interesting to see what will happen between these two teams. The Rams undoubtedly have the better roster at this point – but don't doubt Wilson and the Seahawks – or they'll make you pay.
2. Chicago Bears – Week 11
The Los Angeles Rams lost three games in the regular season in 2018 – finishing with an incredible 13-3 record.
One of those three losses was to the Chicago Bears.
The Bears are actually an excellent matchup for the Rams. They have a terrifying defense that can contain the high-scoring offense of Los Angeles. Not many teams can say that.
Although the offense isn't great, it's good enough to put some points on the board and could be further improved in 2019.
There's also the fun thought of Khalil Mack vs. Aaron Donald. Technically they'll never meet each other on the field, but both getting to showcase their skills on defense in the same game is exciting.
There's a reason this game is scheduled for Sunday Night Football in week 11. Both teams should be very good again in 2019. That makes this a matchup everyone should want to tune into.
1. New Orleans Saints – Week 2
Could it be anyone else? The New Orleans Saints were another one of the three teams to hand the Los Angeles Rams a loss in 2018. In fact, they ended the Rams perfect season bid – which was up to 8-0.
However, the Rams got their revenge in the playoffs – defeating the Saints in the NFC Championship game.
Of course, the major talking point here is the no-call on the Pass Interference. Yes, that was one of the worst blown calls of all-time. However, it wasn't the only missed call of the game.
Many love to point to it due to the high-leverage situation it was in. The Rams weren't given the benefit of calls all game though. For example, Jared Goff was clearly face-masked on a play near their end zone. Had he gotten the call, Los Angeles would've gotten the first down and would've been able to ice the game.
With that in mind – yes it was a terrible missed call. It's not fair to pretend like that wasn't the only bad call in the game though.
Nevertheless – both teams will be fired up for this game. Los Angeles will want to prove it wasn't just a bad call that got them the win. New Orleans, on the other hand, will want to get revenge on the Rams and prove they only lost due to the miserable call.
It also doesn't hurt that this will be a matchup of two teams that went 13-3 (best records in football) last season and are legitimate Super Bowl Contenders in 2019.
This is a week two matchup, which might make this even better. Neither team will have had a chance to live up to or back down from expectations. They'll both be looking for hot starts to the year and what better way than a massive statement win.
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