Does the NFL love the Rams or hate them?

It’s a facetious question, of course. But after getting a look at the Rams’ 2026 schedule, it’s fair to at least wonder.

On one hand, the league thinks so highly of the Rams that it is featuring them seven times in prime-time games. It’s the surest sign of all that the powers that be value them as a marquee franchise and must-see TV.

And why not, with the ever-popular and camera-ready Sean McVay patrolling the sidelines, an All-Star- caliber roster and quarterback Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP season.

Of course, the NFL wants to showcase all that swagger.

Nothing screams love more than a tip of the cap like that.

On the other hand, it sure seems like the NFL went out of its way to make it as tough as possible on the Rams this year.

Call it a coincidence or the necessary price of being one of the league’s best teams, but for the Rams to overtake the Seahawks for NFC West supremacy, let alone earn the top seed in the conference playoffs, they’ll have to navigate the incredibly daunting tightrope the NFL built for them.

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One that includes having to prepare for multiple games being played on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday nights, in addition to their standard Sunday games.

It means having to play the NFL’s inaugural Thanksgiving Eve game against the Packers and on Christmas night in Seattle against the Seahawks.

Not the end of the world, necessarily, but in a sport for which structure and routine are so prevalent, especially in terms of practice and preparation, having to consistently deviate from the norm can be a challenge.

McVay is never one to make excuses. But every bit of his ingenuity will be put to the test this year.

Did we mention it all gets started against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia? The Rams will face their bitter division rivals nearly 8,000 miles away from home on a Friday, local time.

But because of the massive time difference, it will actually be a Thursday game in the United States.

By the time they get back to Los Angeles, they will have technically gone back in time. Assuming they leave immediately after the game, their plane will touch down at LAX on Friday night.

Soon after returning from Australia, they face away games against a pair of 2025 playoff teams in the Broncos and Eagles, then return home to host yet another 2026 playoff team in the Bills.

It’s as formidable a three-game stretch as you’ll find in the NFL.

But that’s merely the appetizer for the real gauntlet the Rams will face over the last seven games of the season.

Here is where the league did the Rams no favors whatsoever.

Not only do they have to wait until Week 11 to finally get a break with their bye week, but immediately after that respite they will gear up for one of the most brutal stretches of games we’ve ever seen.

It all starts with the Wednesday night Thanksgiving Eve game against the Packers at SoFi Stadium, followed by a Thursday night game at home against the Chiefs. Up next are the 49ers in Santa Clara, followed by a home game against the Cowboys.

If they survive all that with their heads above water and still in contention for the division title, a three-game mad dash to the finish line awaits them in which they’ll get two chances to knock out the Seahawks.

Or, vice versa.

It starts with the trip to Seattle for a Christmas Night bout against the Seahawks. With Christmas falling on a Friday this year, that means a short week coming off the Dallas game.

They finish the season by making a long trip to Florida to play the Buccaneers, then return home to close things out against the Seahawks.

The good news is that the season finale is at SoFi Stadium, which gives them home-field advantage against the Seahawks.

But after the brutal 17-week obstacle course they have to go through to get to that point, will it even matter?

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