By the end of the 2017 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams had drastically altered perceptions of their perennially mediocre franchise. They have improved their offense from worst to first and their record from 4-12 to 11-5.

That 11-5 record seems like anything but a fluke as it wasn’t comprised of fourth-quarter heroics and one-point victories; rather, it was achieved by a team that finished the year second on Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric for team efficiency and finished third (first if you remove week 17 when the Rams benched their starters for a meaningless matchup against the 49ers) in point-spread at a whopping +149.

But all was not good for these Rams.

Still, a 26-13 devastating Wild Card playoff loss to the Atlanta Falcons sent the Rams back to the drawing board. At the same time, having trade-savant general manager Les Snead and the offensive wizard head coach Sean McVay reconstructing a roster that was already pretty good is an enviable position.

And reconstruct they did. Through numerous trades and signings, this Rams team that was already one of the league’s best last year has added Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh, Brandin Cooks, Aqib Talib, and Sam Shields. Combine that with the fact that the league’s largely-returning* number one offense can only grow more comfortable with Sean McVay’s system in year two, and you’ve got a team that will intimidate opponents next year.

*Largely-returning: among the starters, only wide receiver Sammy Watkins was lost, and he was replaced by the arguably better (and certainly a better fit in McVay’s deep-ball centric system) Brandin Cooks.

But it’s easy to spout hypotheticals. To get a better sense of how this stacked Rams team should fare next season, let’s start looking at their schedule, which ranks 5th most difficult on the basis of 2017 winning percentage at .523.

Week 1 Primetime: Los Angeles Rams @ Jon Gruden’s Oakland Raiders

The Rams will kick off the season against the Oakland Raiders, first to challenge Jon Gruden’s squad in his second tenure with the team. Now, there are a couple of important facts to consider:

The Raiders clock in at #18 on ESPN’s FPI rankings, which is well below the Rams seating at #4. This translates to a big advantage for the Rams, obviously. Home teams win between 57 and 60% of games, which equalizes things out a bit for the Raiders. Jon Gruden is a definite x-factor here. Whether he can channel his former Super Bowl-self and ignite a fire under former MVP Candidate Derek Carr or if he looks a lot more like a coach that hasn’t been at the control pad in over 10 years will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.

While the Raiders seem like a team ready to bounce back after a 2017 season that failed to live up to the high expectations set for the Silver and Black, it doesn’t seem like it will happen in week one on the road against this high-powered Rams offense and newly-fierce defense.

In this world of predictions, the Rams’ newly acquired star corners do a good job holding down Derek Carr’s weapons, and the offense has just enough firepower to complete a comfortable victory in week one.

Prediction: Los Angeles Rams 28, Oakland Raiders 20

Week 2: Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals

Firstly, divisional games are never guaranteed. That said, the Cardinals are pegged for a down year wherein either veteran journeyman Sam Bradford or unpolished rookie Josh Rosen will be taking the snaps under center. ESPN’s FPI has the Cardinals all the way down at 29, which translates to a should-win game for the superior Los Angeles Rams.

The Cardinals do have some talent in star running back David Johnson and the ageless wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, but again, the Rams have more. Expect a Rams win, though the divisional nature of this game may make it a close one.

Prediction: Los Angeles Rams 34, Arizona Cardinals 17

Week 3: Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers

And the battle for Los Angeles commences in week three! The Chargers are a popular pick to make the playoffs this year despite falling just short last season because many believe they underperformed their capabilities. Add first-round rookie stud safety Derwin James to a defense that already included Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, and you’ve got a formidable defense to go alongside an offense with reliable veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and a deep receiving core.

The Chargers will battle the Rams for sure. While the Rams should be a better team this season and go deeper into the playoffs than the Chargers, the randomness of the league can sometimes take over and sitting at an unblemished 2-0 for the season, I could see the Rams dropping this tough game in the final minutes.

In my prediction, Jared Goff throws for two touchdowns and Todd Gurley adds a third on the ground, but an unlucky late fumble that turns into 6 points for the Chargers, who grittily hang around all game despite several drives stalling with field goals, is the difference maker here.

Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers 22, Los Angeles Rams 21

Week 4: Los Angeles Rams vs. Minnesota Vikings

This is the first crucial game on the Rams’ schedule for the season. It is very possible this tiebreaker comes into play late in the season as both the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams are among the four-or-so frontrunners in the NFC heading into the season.

However, I am not as high on the Vikings as many in the media are. Case Keenum had an absurd season last year, finishing #2 in QBR. While it is true that Kirk Cousins is a better quarterback, I cannot see him performing better than Keenum did last year. Furthermore, while Dalvin Cook will be a welcome return for the Vikes, it’s difficult to see him improving the Vikings’ running game much when it was already ranked #10 in the league for yards. I don’t think he’ll perform well enough to account for the slide from Keenum’s career-best season to Kirk Cousins, who is good but not great.

The Vikings are undeniably a loaded team and one that has a legitimate Super Bowl chance this season. However, I’ll take the Rams at home in this theoretical bounce-back game, even against one of the conference’s best.

Defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh will wreak havoc on a shaky Vikings interior offensive line, creating problems for both Cousins and Cook all day. The Vikings defense will also create problems for the Rams, and both teams will score off of a turnover in this one.

A late 45-yard touchdown on a screen pass to the dynamic Brandin Cooks will be the difference in this one.

Prediction: Los Angeles Rams 20, Minnesota Vikings 17

That’s it for now, folks!

Those are my predictions for games 1-4. Stay tuned for my predictions on games 5-8, coming soon.

Have a question? Want to talk about sports? Loved the article? Contact the writer by email at alexxanthakis@aol.com

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