Looking back, the first half of the Rams’ 2020 schedule wasn’t all that difficult. They faced all four of the NFC East teams, which are all much worse than expected before the season began. They also played against a banged-up 49ers squad, an overrated Bears team and the Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa making his first NFL start.
The Rams are a respectable 5-3 and remain in the hunt in the NFC, but they’ll be tested far more often in the second half of the season. That begins in Week 10 after their bye when they host the Seattle Seahawks, who are one of the best teams in football.
They’ll also take on the Buccaneers, the 49ers, the Cardinals twice and Seattle again. Five of their final eight games are against NFC West foes, with six of their last eight opponents at or above .500 – and that doesn’t include a struggling Patriots squad.
The only truly easy game left on L.A.’s schedule is against the Jets in Week 15. Sean McVay isn’t worried about the tests his team will face, but is excited about the challenge, beginning with Seattle next weekend.
“I think it’s great. I mean, if you’re a competitor, you see some of these teams, it’s going to be outstanding for us,” he said this week. “I think [Sunday] is a great example of you’ve got to just be totally in the moment and so many things that you don’t expect to happen, happen in this league if you’re not just fully present and handling your business in the moment. Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good enough job of that [Sunday]. That’s why we’re at 5-3 instead of 6-2. You certainly always give credit to the Dolphins. For us, we know what the last eight games have on the schedule. If you don’t take care of that first game of that eight-game stretch, those other games at the back-half of the schedule don’t become as relevant or as meaningful. We know what kind of challenge the Seattle Seahawks will bring when they come here and we have a tremendous amount of respect for them and familiarity. We’re looking forward to getting an opportunity to compete and go get our sixth [win].”
If the Rams are going to push for a spot in the postseason, they’re going to earn it. Beating the Seahawks at least once would go a long way, as would knocking off the 6-2 Bucs in Week 11 on Monday Night Football.
The Cardinals are no slouches, either, playing some of their best football in years. If the Rams can manage to win both of their games against Arizona, it’ll greatly boost their chances of making the playoffs.
They’re not looking too far ahead and remain focused on their next opponent, the Seahawks, but it’s hard not to feel a sense of urgency with how daunting their remaining schedule is.
