The Los Angeles Rams enter 2026 with Super Bowl expectations, and the path from Thursday night to the title game is laid out with a lot of wins and just enough trouble to keep things interesting.
It starts right away against the San Francisco 49ers, with the Rams opening on the road on Thursday night. Even with questions about Aaron Donald’s absence and the team’s travel plan to arrive late, the pick is for Los Angeles to handle a division rival and set the tone with a 31-20 win.
The next two weeks keep the Rams in the spotlight. After a long trip to Australia, Donald could make his debut at SoFi Stadium in a home date with the Giants, and that one is projected as a comfortable 23-13 victory. Then comes a short-week road game against the Broncos in primetime, a matchup expected to be tight and defensive before the Rams squeeze out a 20-17 win.
From there, the schedule turns into a serious early test. Sean McVay is 0-4 against Nick Sirianni, including three losses over the last two seasons, but the prediction is that the Rams avoid falling to 0-5 and leave with a 24-20 win that pushes them to 4-0. The first loss arrives the following week against the Bills in what becomes the fourth primetime game in the first five weeks, with Buffalo getting the edge 27-23.
The Rams are then projected to respond the way a contender should. They get the Cardinals on a short week and win 34-16, then take care of the Raiders 35-13, regardless of whether Kirk Cousins or Fernando Mendoza is at quarterback. The first meeting with the Chargers since the preseason is expected to be competitive, but the Rams’ defense is projected to make Justin Herbert’s night difficult enough to produce a 24-20 win.
A road trip to Washington follows, and McVay’s return there is still treated as an important conference game. The Commanders are described as possibly being in a rut after reaching the NFC Championship two years ago, and the Rams are picked to win 27-17. Another Cardinals game lands just before the bye, and Los Angeles is forecast to roll 41-20 to head into the break at 9-1.
That bye comes at a useful point, even if some would have preferred it earlier. At 9-1, the Rams are positioned to make a push for the NFC’s top seed.
The second half begins with the Packers at SoFi on Thanksgiving Eve, a scheduling break that helps Los Angeles avoid a trip to Lambeau Field. With more than a week to prepare, the Rams are picked to win 28-24.
A week later, it’s back-to-back primetime games again as the Chiefs come to town on Thursday Night Football. The last primetime meeting between these teams is remembered as one of the best games ever, and this one is projected to be decided by another big play, with the Rams winning 27-21 in a revenge-flavored matchup for Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
The stretch run brings the season’s first road game against the 49ers, and this time the Rams are handed a 23-20 loss. Then comes a heavyweight matchup with the Cowboys, who could be one of the NFC’s better teams by that point. That game is projected to be another narrow defeat, 34-31, and the Rams are said to hit a rough patch with three straight losses late in the season.
They stop the slide in Tampa Bay. A trip to face the Buccaneers is expected to be just what Los Angeles needs, and McVay’s past success against Todd Bowles helps fuel a 27-17 road win. The regular season then ends with Seattle coming to town, and the Rams are projected to win 30-20 in a game that could carry division or No. 1 seed implications.
That would leave Los Angeles at 13-4 and just ahead in a competitive NFC race. The projection has the Rams sneaking into the conference’s top seed, with the Lions and Saints both part of the broader playoff picture.
From there, the postseason path gets familiar. The Rams and Seahawks meet again in the first playoff round, this time at SoFi, and Los Angeles is picked to win 27-24.
That sets up another reunion for Matthew Stafford, who is projected to face his old team in Detroit for a shot at the Super Bowl. The Rams are forecast to get there on a fourth-quarter game-winning drive from Stafford, taking that one 31-30.
In the Super Bowl, the opponent is the Bills, giving Josh Allen and Stafford the kind of matchup many would want for the Lombardi Trophy. Buffalo would be making its first Super Bowl appearance since the ‘90s, but the Rams are projected to finish the job with a late touchdown and win 34-24.
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Crosby ultimately stayed put with the Raiders after a proposed trade to the Ravens unraveled because of a failed physical, but the detail adds another layer to how aggressively the Rams chased impact talent up front. For a team always looking to tilt the line of scrimmage, it is a reminder that the splash they made was not the only one they tried to land. [Read more 🡒]