One way to shake things up after failing to make the postseason following a year where your team made the Super Bowl is by replacing key members of the coaching staff -- that's exactly what the Los Angeles Rams did this offseason. Out with the old, in with the new -- the Rams replaced their offensive and defensive coordinators. The team also bid farewell to other notable contributors such as running back Todd Gurley, wide receiver Brandin Cooks and edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. The hope is that the changes will rejuvenate the team and bring them back to Super Bowl contention. The shortened NFL offseason will certainly hinder the ease of transition. Only time will tell if head coach Sean McVay made the right decision to bring in some new blood.

What we can answer for you is exactly how the Rams schedule will play out -- week by week. Below, we'll break down the 2020 schedule by week and pinpoint all of the prime-time games to keep an eye on. We'll also dive into the Rams' strength of schedule, what we project as their toughest stretch of games, and more. Without further ado, let's dive right into it.

2020 schedule

  • Week 1, Sep. 13: vs. Cowboys (Sunday Night Football), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Week 2, Sep. 20: at Eagles, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 3, Sep. 27: at Bills, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 4, Oct. 4: vs. Giants, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 5, Oct. 11: at Redskins, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 6, Oct. 18: at 49ers (Sunday Night Football), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
  • Week 7, Oct. 26: vs. Bears (Monday Night Football), 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Week 8, Nov. 1: at Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 9: BYE
  • Week 10, Nov. 15: vs. Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 11, Nov. 23: at Buccaneers (Monday Night Football), 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
  • Week 12, Nov. 29: vs. 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 13, Dec. 6: at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
  • Week 14, Dec. 10: vs. Patriots (Thursday Night Football), 8:20 p.m. ET, Fox/NFL Network/Amazon
  • Week 15: Dec. 19/20: vs. Jets, TBD
  • Week 16, Dec. 27: at Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
  • Week 17, Jan. 3: vs. Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox

Home opener

The Rams will begin their season at home against the Cowboys and new head coach Mike McCarthy. A year ago, Los Angeles narrowly escaped a Week 1 road game against Carolina. It was a precursor to a 9-7 season.

The Pick Six Podcast gang fired up a new episode breaking down every eye-catching aspect of the NFL's schedule release. Give it a listen below, and be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform:

Toughest stretch

Coming out of a Week 9 bye, the Rams host the rival Seahawks. It is the beginning of a difficult five-game stretch. In order, Los Angeles plays Seattle, Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Arizona and New England. The NFC West team gets a brief reprieve in Week 15 against the Jets before concluding the regular season against the Seahawks and Cardinals. 

Those divisional games will ultimately determine who represents the NFC West in the playoffs.

Prime-time games

As noted above in the schedule breakdown, the Rams will be playing five prime-time games in 2020. They will have two on the road and three at home. In 2019, the Rams played in five prime-time games. Los Angeles defended their home field on Sunday Night Football against the Seahawks and Bears last season. They also traveled to play the Browns and Seahawks on Sunday Night Football and Thursday Night Football respectively. The Ravens came to town for a Monday Night Football special. 

Strength of schedule

Earlier this offseason, John Breech broke down the 2020 strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams based on combined opponent winning percentage in 2019. The Rams will face the 10th-toughest strength of schedule in 2020. For a complete look at every team's strength of schedule, check out Breech's breakdown here.

However, when basing strength of schedule on the over/under win totals for each team's opponents during the 2020 season at William Hill, the Rams go from facing the 10th-toughest schedule in the league to facing the seventh-toughest. For a complete look at every team's strength of schedule using this methodology, check out Jared Dubin's full breakdown here.