Ever since Sean McVay’s second season in 2018, the Los Angeles Rams have been a big draw for the NFL. After being a team that rarely played in prime time, the Rams became a staple of night games over the last five years.
Unfortunately, the league isn’t high on Los Angeles heading into the 2023 season and the schedule reflects that. After playing at least four prime-time games in each of the last five years – 26 in total since 2018 – the Rams will have just two prime-time contests this season.
They will be in Week 3 against the Bengals on Monday Night Football and in Week 16 against the Saints, a home game on Thursday Night Football. There are no Sunday Night Football games on the Rams’ schedule, nor will any of their six divisional matchups be in prime-time slots.
It’s hardly surprising that the schedule-makers opted to keep most of the Rams’ games in the late-afternoon window; nine of their 16 games with times set will be at either 1:05 p.m. PT or 1:25 p.m. PT.
This is a team that’s in rebuild mode and with a lack of star power – Leonard Floyd, Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson are all gone – they aren’t exactly a team many casual fans want to watch right now.
It’s a stark contrast to the spotlight the Rams have been under after reaching two Super Bowls in a span of four seasons, but they’ll embrace the underdog mentality.
