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USA Today Sports Media Group
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Cameron DaSilva

Predicting Rams’ 2024 record with game-by-game picks

The Rams’ fully 2024 schedule has been released, laying out their 18-week slate, which begins with a Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions. The Rams will be seeking their second consecutive playoff appearance after making the postseason in 2023, but the road won’t be an easy one.

There’s a long way to go before the regular season begins, seeing as we haven’t even reached mandatory minicamp in June yet, but it’s always fun to project what the Rams’ final record will be at the end of the year. Will they finish above .500 for the second straight year? Will they win enough games to take home the NFC West crown?

Here’s our best guess as to how the Rams’ season will go in 2024.

Week 1 at Lions

David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford would love nothing more than to get revenge on the Lions after losing in his return to Detroit this past January. He and the Rams will be back in Detroit for this matchup with the Lions and it’s sure to be another shootout between two high-powered offenses. The Lions are the complete package in the NFC, while the Rams are close to being a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but it’ll be Detroit winning this one at home against Stafford and the Rams again.

Prediction: Loss (0-1)

Week 2 at Cardinals

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Just as the 49ers have had the Rams’ number, the Rams have had Arizona’s. That should continue in 2024 in both of Los Angeles’ matchups against the Cards, once again seeking the sweep against Arizona. With the Cardinals lacking a true homefield advantage, the Rams shouldn’t have too much trouble beating them on the road.

Prediction: Win (1-1)

Week 3 vs. 49ers

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers are still viewed as the team to beat in the NFC West and one of the top teams in the entire NFL. The Rams have struggled against them since 2019, winning only one of their 10 regular-season matchups against San Francisco in the last five years, which was Week 18 last season when both teams were resting starters. It’s going to be a tough matchup but the Rams are better suited to beat San Francisco now with their beefed-up offensive line and rushing attack.

Prediction: Win (2-1)

Week 4 at Bears

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Bears are a promising team with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze joining D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen on offense, but there are likely to be some growing pains still. The Rams are the more experienced team and despite being on the road, they should be able to take care of Chicago at Soldier Field and come away with a win.

Prediction: Win (3-1)

Week 5 vs. Packers

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The Packers had a similarly successful season as the Rams last year, exceeding expectations with the youngest roster in football. Jordan Love certainly looks like the real deal at quarterback and Green Bay has the weapons around him to make a deep playoff run – including free-agent signee, Josh Jacobs. The Rams benefit from being at home in this matchup instead of at Lambeau Field, but the Packers are still going to be a tough out.

Prediction: Loss (3-2)

Week 7 vs. Raiders

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders don’t know who their starting quarterback will be but it’s looking like Aidan O’Connell will be the guy. He showed flashes of being a capable starter in 2023 but he’s a limited passer and doesn’t have good mobility, so the Rams should be able to sell out to stop the run and make O’Connell beat them. Los Angeles has too much firepower on offense for the Raiders to keep up with.

Prediction: Win (4-2)

Week 8 vs. Vikings

(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Assuming J.J. McCarthy is the starting quarterback when the Rams take on Minnesota, there won’t be much tape for Los Angeles to watch in preparation for the Vikings. But what should be even more worrisome is slowing down Minnesota’s pass catchers, led by Justin Jefferson. The Rams’ secondary could be a question mark throughout the year but Los Angeles will do enough to take down Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings at home.

Prediction: Win (5-2)

Week 9 at Seahawks

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Going up to Seattle always makes for a tough road trip, given how difficult it is to win in that environment. The Seahawks still aren’t as talented as the Rams on either side of the ball, but they’ll take this one at home because they do still have a talented receiving corps and a running back in Kenneth Walker II who’s a handful to tackle.

Prediction: Loss (5-3)

Week 10 vs. Dolphins

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

There isn’t a team with more speed or explosive playmakers across the board than the Dolphins. However, it’ll all come down to whether Tua Tagovailoa can stay healthy and the offensive line can protect him well enough. They showed flaws last season after a hot start to the year and with the Rams’ newfound physicality on offense, they should be able to wear down Miami and come away with a home win.

Prediction: Win (6-3)

Week 11 at Patriots

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots are probably going to be one of the worst teams in the league again. Even with either Drake Maye or Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, New England doesn’t have the talent to beat the Rams, nor does it have Bill Belichick at the helm to game plan for Sean McVay’s offense. The Rams will beat the Patriots pretty easily on the road.

Prediction: Win (7-3)

Week 12 vs. Eagles

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Eagles fell apart late last season and into the playoffs, suffering a terrible collapse on defense where they simply couldn’t tackle anyone. Jalen Hurts will likely be an MVP candidate again and though Philadelphia lost Jason Kelce to retirement, the offensive line is still very good. And the addition of Saquon Barkley to an offense that already features A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert makes them dangerous.

Prediction: Loss (7-4)

Week 13 at Saints

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams took down the Saints last season at home, but they’ll be on the road at the Superdome this time around. While that certainly makes it a tougher matchup, it’s hard to say the Saints are significantly better than they were last year. Derek Carr is still their quarterback, which limits the upside of the offense, and Alvin Kamara is only getting older and less explosive.

Prediction: Win (8-4)

Week 14 vs. Bills

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Bills might look a bit different in 2024 after trading away Stefon Diggs and letting Gabe Davis leave in free agency but Josh Allen will have them in playoff contention no matter what. Being at home helps the Rams instead of traveling to chilly Buffalo, but the Bills are going to be a challenging team to beat next season, even with a remade receiving corps.

Prediction: Loss (8-5)

Week 15 at 49ers

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

As badly as the Rams would love to beat the 49ers twice, it’s difficult to see that happening. The 49ers are physical, run the ball well and have a pass-catching trio of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle that rivals any in the NFL. The Rams will lose a close one to San Francisco, continuing their struggles against their division rivals.

Prediction: Loss (8-6)

Week 16 at Jets

Danielle Parhizkaran / USA TODAY NETWORK

Assuming Aaron Rodgers is healthy for this matchup, it’s going to be a battle for the Rams. New York fortified its offensive line in free agency and the draft, while also adding Mike Williams to play alongside Garrett Wilson at wide receiver. Breece Hall is a problem in the backfield, too. The Jets should be much better in 2024 with Rodgers under center and with this game being a road matchup across the country for the Rams, it’ll be New York coming away with a win – especially in a cold-weather environment late in the year.

Prediction: Loss (8-7)

Week 17 vs. Cardinals

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals should be better next season than they’ve been in the last two years after adding Jonah Williams, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson and Trey Benson. It’ll still come down to the play of Kyler Murray, who has historically struggled against the Rams and could continue to do so in 2024. The Rams will take down the Cardinals at home in fairly comfortable fashion.

Prediction: Win (9-7)

Week 18 vs. Seahawks

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The Rams swept the Seahawks last season and while it might be tough to do that again in 2024, they should be able to beat Seattle at home. The Rams have the better quarterback, offensive line and running game, which should yield a bunch of points against a Seahawks defense that struggled to generate pressure last season. The addition of Byron Murphy II will help, but the Rams are still the better team on paper.

Prediction: Win (10-7)

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