The preseason will look different than it usually does this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the NFL is trimming the preseason in half, eliminating two weeks from the exhibition schedule.
Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason will be canceled, meaning all of the games will be played in Weeks 2 and 3, which run from Aug. 20 to Aug. 31. In order to make it fair for all teams, the NFL will tweak the preseason schedule so that each team gets one home and one away game.
As of now, the Rams are scheduled to face the Chargers on Aug. 22, a road game, and the Broncos at home on Aug. 29. Both games will effectively be home contests, though, since the Chargers also play at SoFi Stadium.
The games that are slated to be cut from the Rams’ preseason schedule are Aug. 14 against the Saints at home and Sept. 3 at Allegiant Stadium against the Raiders.
The goal for the NFL is to limit the amount of travel and exposure players and coaches have to the coronavirus. Additionally, cutting the first and last weeks of the preseason will allow a longer ramp-up period after players report for training camp around July 28, and a bigger window before the season starts in September.
