The Rams made it to the divisional round in the 2024 playoffs, giving the Eagles their biggest scare of the entire postseason. The Rams, and the rest of the NFC West, could be ready to make some noise in 2025.
When the NFL reconfigured the 32 teams into eight, four-team divisions in 2002, the league prioritized variety over parity. Every year, eight of the 17 games for every given team are determined by a joint rotation. One cycles through the three other divisions in that team’s conference, and the other flips through the four teams in the other conference.
For the Rams and the NFC West, the click-clack of the schedule rotation lands this year on the AFC South and the NFC South. Arguably the two weakest divisions in the league, the formula gives the Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, and 49ers a chance to fatten up their records — the same way the NFC North did a year ago, when the Lions, Vikings, Packers, and Bears faced the teams of the AFC South and the NFC West.
Because the Rams won the division, they’ll get the slightly tougher overall draw, with games against the first-place teams from the NFC East (Eagles), NFC North (Lions), and AFC North (Ravens). The Seahawks will play the second-place teams from those divisions (Commanders, Vikings, Steelers). The Cardinals face the third-place teams (Cowboys, Packers, Bengals), and the 49ers draw the fourth-place teams (Giants, Bears, Browns).
Last year, only one NFC West team made the playoffs. This year, the NFC West could be looking at two or three playoff teams — and the champion might be able to compete for a bye.
For a team like the Rams, not having to go to Philly or D.C. or Detroit in January would be a massive advantage. Given that they kept quarterback Matthew Stafford, added receiver Davante Adams, and enjoy a young and ascending defense, the Rams could be in the mix for the kind of regular season that could put them in line for a Super Bowl berth in 2025.
Thanks in large part to the schedule rotation, which will make up nearly half of their games.
