The Los Angeles Rams are entering the 2026 season with the kind of expectations that usually come with a team already deep into January football. After reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2025, Sean McVay’s group is now being priced like the NFL’s top threat.
DraftKings has the Rams favored to win the NFC West, the NFC and the Super Bowl heading into 2026. They also own the league’s highest win total projection, and they’re listed at +590 to finish with the most regular-season wins in the NFL. The only other team in that market with shorter than 11/1 odds is the Baltimore Ravens at +790.
That lofty number makes sense when you look at the roster. Matthew Stafford, the reigning league MVP, led one of the league’s best offenses in 2025, with the Rams tied for first in EPA/Play. Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams are all back, giving Stafford the same core that powered that production a year ago.
Los Angeles also went big on the defensive side, adding Trent McDuffie and Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in two major trades. That kind of aggressive move signals a team that knows its window is now, especially with Stafford nearing the end of his career.
There’s even a possibility Aaron Donald returns from retirement for the 2026 season. Donald last played in 2023, and while that would add another proven star to an already loaded roster, a BetMGM trader recently said the Rams’ odds wouldn’t change if Donald came back because of the uncertainty about what he could still do at age-35.
McVay remains the biggest reason to take this team seriously. The Rams were in the mix for the NFC’s No. 1 seed last season before the Seahawks edged them out, and they may have a small scheduling edge in 2026 with a second-place schedule.
But the road to 12 wins is still a tricky one. Four of their 17 games will come against San Francisco and Seattle, and the full 2026 slate includes nine games against teams that reached the playoffs in 2025. Dallas, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are also on the schedule.
That’s why the Rams are such a fascinating case. They’re talented enough to win the Super Bowl, and they already won 12 games in 2025. Still, the combination of a brutal division, a demanding schedule and the wear and tear that comes with a veteran roster makes another 12-win season a difficult climb.
The feeling here is that Los Angeles can absolutely get there - but the bigger focus may be the Super Bowl rather than the regular-season win total.
In Other News...
Aaron Donald's Rams Return Hinges On One Huge Reality
Aaron Donalds possible return to the Rams is turning into more than just a football question. The former defensive tackle has already taken two workouts with the team and is expected to have more before making a decision on coming out of retirement, which has kept the conversation alive around a player whose standard in Los Angeles was set at an elite level for years.
The biggest wrinkle is the business side, where the Rams and Donald are working through how to handle the $30 million owed from his previous contract and whether there is a new financial arrangement that makes sense for both sides. Even with the workouts underway, the larger issue remains whether Donald would be comfortable returning only if he can still play at the kind of high level that defined his career. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Rookie Battle Just Got Tighter Before Final Roster Cuts
The Rams have spent most of August sorting out the edges of their rookie class, and the preseason has given them a clearer sense of which first-year players have pushed themselves into the conversation. With the finale against the Chargers looming, the focus is less on flashy moments than on consistency, health and whether those young players can hold up enough to survive the final cutdown decisions.
Several rookies have made their case in different ways, whether through recent game contributions or by simply staying on the field as the roster churns around them. Injuries have also shaped the picture, leaving some spots more open than they looked a couple of weeks ago, and the last tune-up should go a long way toward clarifying who is truly in position to make the 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Make A Tough Call On One Draft Pick Soon
The Rams are getting close to the part of camp where the margin for error gets razor-thin, and that has put seventh-round draft pick Tim Keenan III in an uneasy spot. He came into the offseason as a developmental defensive lineman the team could try to mold over time, but the preseason has not given him much of a boost compared with others fighting for the same roster space.
With final cutdowns approaching, Keenan is one of the names to watch because the Rams could decide his best path is off the 53-man roster and back on the practice squad if he gets through waivers. For a late-round pick, that kind of move is never ideal, but it is also part of the business when a team has to balance long-term upside against immediate depth. [Read more 🡒]