Rams get to open the 2013 season at home after opening in Detroit last year. The Big Dead will hope to protect new QB Carson Palmer a little better than they protected Kevin Kolb - NINE sacks - the last time they were here.
Well, let's get the reunion game with Steven Jackson out of the way early, shall we? SJ39A joins a lot of offensive starpower in the Georgia Dome, but their offensive line may take time to jell after offseason changes.
So - Janoris Jenkins could start the season having to cover Larry Fitzgerald, Julio Jones (or Roddy White) and Dez Bryant? Lace those shoes tight. Tony Romo got the inexplicably big contract, but the Rams will have to do a lot better against Demarco Murray than they did in their last trip to the Jerry Dome.
Seems really unfair, to both teams, to set up such a physical matchup on just three days' rest. Rams better not plan on a third straight OT game in this series, since the 49ers have switched from David Akers to Phil Dawson at kicker.
Gotta be honest, the Rams' home schedule at least starts pretty favorably. Shad Khan gets to take on the first NFL team he tried to buy, and Blaine Gabbert returns home, if he's still employed by then. Jagwires were 1-7 on the road last season.
Texans will be coming off a Sunday night game in San Francisco. The Rams were 1-12, quarterbacked by Keith Null, and stricken with swine flu the last time these teams met. They stayed close by shutting down Arian Foster, but gave up 196 to Andre Johnson on 9 catches.
The Rams haven't won in Carolina since forever, and if they cover Steve Smith this week, it will also be for the first time. This game starts a tough 3-week run against dangerously mobile quarterbacks. Panthers were surprisingly just 3-5 at home last season.
Nice, Goodell, extra rest for the Seahawks before a key division game. Thanks a lot. They'll be coming off a Thursday nighter in Arizona. Major test for the Rams; Seattle's on the Super Bowl short list after adding Percy Harvin (if he can stay off IR this long) and a ton of defensive firepower.
Even worse scheduling by the NFL here: Rams coming off a Monday night war, Titans coming off...a bye week. Screw you, Goodell! A matchup against Gregg Williams won't exactly be what the doctor ordered after a battle with Seattle. Jeff Fisher surely would have preferred a lot better scheduling for his reunion game. The Rams BETTER be picking this for one of their throwback weeks, btw.
Second time this season Sam Bradford will square off against another QB taken first overall. Just a little reminder that Bradford's never had more to prove than he'll have in 2013.
Bye week. Nobody likes to settle, but looking at those first 10, I wouldn't be unhappy getting here at 5-5.
Marc Trestman (really?)'s Bears come here off a home game against the Super Bowl champ Ravens. This'll be the best chance this season at an actual full Dome. Jake Long should help the Rams improve on last year's performance against Chicago, when Bradford was sacked six times.
Daunting closing stretch for the Rams - all three road division games come in December. More brilliant NFL scheduling.
Game 13 - Sunday, December 8 - 3:25 - AwayAnother 2-INT performance by Jenkins isn't out of the question here - Carson Palmer has chucked 50 picks the past three seasons. Arizona was only 5-11 last season, but they did go 4-4 at home.
12 of the Rams' 16 games are against teams that went 7-9 or better last year. Rob Ryan gets a shot at getting back at the Rams for not hiring him in January, but he'll have to improve a historically-bad defense to do so. Steve Spagnuolo's 2012 D finished 32nd in the league and allowed over 440 yards a game.
And Tampa's defense finished just 29th in the league last season, not helped by Lance Kendricks' 80-yard TD against them last December. Lance is still catching his breath from that, btw. The Rams do at least have six games against bottom-10 defenses from last year.
Rams have to close in Seattle, where they never win, for the second straight season, as I stick another large pin in an uncomfortable place in my Roger Goodell voodoo doll.
I know I say something like this every year, but I'm not sure the NFL could have made this schedule any harder if they tried. Seattle gets extra rest before their game here. Tennessee WAS one of the most winnable games on the schedule before Goodell gave them an extra freaking eight days off. And what the hell is with all three road division games in the last month? In retrospect, shedding Steven Jackson and Danny Amendola from the roster doesn't seem to have been the best way to prepare for this schedule, either. If Jeff Fisher manages to bring this thing in at 8-8, Rams fans should be damn impressed.
-$-
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