Against all odds, Rams could get back to .500 this season

Against all odds, Los Angeles Rams could get back to .500 this season
By Alden Gonzalez

[www.espn.com]

As if making the transition back to Los Angeles weren't enough, the Rams face an exhausting regular-season travel schedule, with one trip to London and five others to the eastern half of the United States. And on top of all that, their opponents may be the toughest, because four of their games will come against two teams -- the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals -- that may just be the best in the NFL. Talk about a hectic calendar year. Still, I have them finding a way to get back to .500 after nine straight losing seasons. Former Rams beat writer Nick Wagoner, who now covers the San Francisco 49ers, also predicted 8-8 back in mid-April. But we took different paths, especially at the end.

Week 1: Monday, Sept. 12 at San Francisco 49ers, 10:20 p.m. ET

It would be really cool if the Rams and 49ers could somehow reignite their intense rivalry from the 1970s. But for now, the 49ers are the team the Rams must beat up on in their division. The Rams lost to the Niners in last year's regular-season finale, but they'll be a lot healthier now and should take this one, opening their season on the right foot in front of a national TV audience. Record: 1-0

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET

So this will be fun. It'll be the Rams' first regular-season game in 37 years at Los Angeles Coliseum, which promises to be stuffed with 90,000 fans. And returning there will be Pete Carroll, the longtime USC coach who now guides the heated division rivals. The Rams will be riding an emotional wave, but the Seahawks are due for a win. They dropped both games against the Rams last year and are too good not to figure something out. Record: 1-1

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 25 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET

The Rams have won this matchup four straight times, but the Bucs should be getting better. Facing them on the road, with Jameis Winston throwing against a secondary that will probably still be learning how to play together, will be a tough test. Los Angeles falls here, too. Record: 1-2

Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 2 at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET

The Cardinals set franchise records in wins (13) and points (489) last season and many believe they are even better this year. When they last met in Arizona, the Rams unveiled Todd Gurley, who rushed for 146 yards in his first game with significant carries to help his team sneak out with a win. Arizona will be better prepared this time. Record: 1-3

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 9 vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:25 p.m. ET

This is a good time for the Rams' first regular-season home victory. The Bills are a flawed team on both sides of the ball that struggled to put pressure on the quarterback last season. The Rams will be fueled by a desperate home crowd and should cruise in this one. Record: 2-3

Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 16 at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

The Lions figure to throw the ball a lot, even without Calvin Johnson, but the Rams' star-studded defensive line should consistently get pressure on Matthew Stafford. And the offense should be able to score on a Lions defense that generally lacks playmakers. This is another win. See, it's getting better. Record: 3-3

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. New York Giants (London), 9:30 a.m. ET

There's some bad precedent here. The Rams gave up a whopping 45 points to the Patriots the last time they played in London. Yeah, that was 2012. But Odell Beckham Jr. had 148 receiving yards against the Rams as recently as 2014. And winning back-to-back games with this schedule -- fly cross-country to Detroit, then head directly for Europe -- is not easy. Record: 3-4

Week 8: Bye

Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 6 vs. Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. ET

Call me crazy, but I have this as the surprise, uplifting victory of the Rams' season -- at home, coming off a bye, against the reigning NFC champions. The Panthers won 15 games last season, promise to be great again and are led by a top-five (top-three? top-two?) quarterback in Cam Newton. So I don't really have a logical explanation for why the Rams will win this game; I just think they will. Record: 4-4

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 13 at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

Another tough game on the road after a long flight. The Jets have a solid defensive line that could make it difficult for the Rams to run the ball effectively. And they'll be dangerous throwing it with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker lined up on opposite ends. This one may not go well. Record: 4-5

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 20 vs. Miami Dolphins, 4:05 p.m. ET

The Dolphins enter the 2016 season with an assortment of questions, mainly at quarterback and on defense. And the Rams will be back home. They'll take this one to move back to .500 for the fourth time. Record: 5-5

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 27 at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET

The Saints have a potent passing game but a horrid pass defense, one that allowed a league-high 476 points while intercepting only nine passes (26th) and recording only 31 sacks (25th). I would take Drew Brees in a shootout over practically anyone, but the Rams' defense is much better than this. This is the day they move back above .500. Record: 6-5

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 4 at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET

... And then, just like that, it's over. Let's see -- on the road, against a Patriots team that may be one of the best in the Bill Belichick era, with Tom Brady far removed from his suspension and probably terrorizing the league again. Yeah, this is probably not the game for the Rams. Record: 6-6

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 11 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 4:25 p.m. ET

The Falcons are a combined 5-9 since the start of December over the past three years. The Rams will be back home against a team that is expected to be right about mediocre in 2016. If they can keep standout wide receiver Julio Jones from going off, they should be just fine. Record: 7-6

Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 15 at Seattle Seahawks, 8:25 p.m. ET

The Seahawks went a relatively pedestrian 5-3 at home last season. But over the previous three years, they won 22 of 24 regular-season games at CenturyLink Field. They'll probably have a lot to play for at this time of year, making it really difficult for the Rams to leave Seattle with a win. Record: 7-7

Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 24 vs. San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET

I marked the Nov. 6 game against the Panthers as the Rams' uplifting victory of the season -- and I have this one as their big letdown, on Christmas Eve. Bah humbug. The Niners will be a lot more comfortable with Chip Kelly's offense by then and will pull an upset here. Record: 7-8

Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 1, vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET

But the Rams will still have something to play for. Motivated to reach eight wins for the first time since 2006, and the first time in Jeff Fisher's five years as head coach, the Rams ride the home crowd to a win over the dominant Cardinals, who may be looking ahead to the postseason by this point. Whether a .500 record is good enough to get the Rams there too remains to be seen. Record: 8-8