The Rams have gotten off to a great start in 2020, going 4-1 in their first five games. They’ve looked like one of the best teams in the NFL, but many have been quick to point out that all of their wins have come against the worst division in football, the NFC East.
The combined record of the Rams’ first five opponents is 7-13-1, which isn’t exactly impressive. But they’ll get a chance to prove themselves the rest of the way with one of the toughest schedules in the league.
According to Mike Clay of ESPN, the Rams have one of the five toughest strengths of schedule remaining, right there with the Jets, 49ers, Bills and Jaguars. Strength of schedule is based on record, and with six games against the NFC West still on the Rams’ calendar, it’s easy to see why their remaining games are so difficult.
Rest-of-season NFL strength of schedule:
Easiest:
Browns
Football Team
Cowboys
Ravens
ChargersToughest:
Jets
Rams
49ers
Bills
Jaguars— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) October 14, 2020
That’s not the only metric to show how tough the Rams’ remaining schedule is. Football Outsiders also has the Rams among the 10 most difficult with an average DVOA of 2.6% for their remaining opponents.
DVOA measures a team’s performance over average, putting into perspective how a team performs on a play by play basis. The 49ers have by far the toughest remaining schedule based on DVOA at 12%, which is 4.9% higher than any other team.
The Rams are fourth in DVOA at 25.5%, behind only the Ravens, Bucs and Seahawks, so the analytics paint a positive picture for L.A. – even if their opponents haven’t exactly been the toughest.
In the next three weeks, the Rams will face the 49ers, Bears and Dolphins. Then after their Week 9 bye, the only opponents with a losing record are the 49ers and Jets. The Rams have to take on the Bucs, Patriots, Cardinals and most importantly, the Seahawks.
