The Los Angeles Rams will have their hands full in the upcoming season, but there are a few matchups they could take advantage of.
The 2026 NFL season is slowly approaching, and the Los Angeles Rams are set to make some serious noise.
After falling short in 2025 to the eventual champions, the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams will look for some revenge and finish at the top of the football world in 2026.
However, they have a long way to go in that department. First, the Rams will have to go through a gauntlet of matchups in the regular season. Los Angeles holds the 13th toughest strength of schedule based on 2025 records, and many of their matchups are the furthest thing from easy.
Every NFL schedule has a few softer spots, and with that in mind, we took a look at what could end up being the Rams' three easiest matchups of the upcoming season.
1. Arizona Cardinals
This one doesn't come as a shock. The Cardinals have been at the bottom of the NFL barrel for most of this decade, and all signs point to that continuing to be the case in 2026.
In the past four seasons alone, the Rams have dominated the season series over their division rivals, going 6-2, and sweeping the series in 2025. Since Sean McVay became head coach of the Rams in 2017, he’s dominated Arizona, going 14-3, including a playoff win in 2021 on their road to a Super Bowl title.
The Rams have dominated in the past against the Cardinals, and there is no reason why that should change in 2026, no matter how the schedule plays out.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are another team that has struggled for the better part of the century. While they have improved their roster, adding Fernando Mendoza and bolstering their offensive line, the Rams could be too much for a rookie quarterback.
Las Vegas may not be a cakewalk like before, but given the Rams' tough schedule, the Raiders remain one of the easiest of the bunch.
If Mendoza is the starting quarterback, he may have a tough day ahead dealing with the Rams' pass rush that includes Byron Young, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and more.
3. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the league last season, ranking 30th in total defense and 32nd in pass defense. However, they’ve undergone a major defensive overhaul with key additions in safeties Caleb Downs and PJ Locke.
Still, the Cowboys' rebranding defense may not be enough for the Rams' high-powered offense. Los Angeles is expected to be a well-oiled machine on both sides of the ball, and if that is the case, they will be a handful for Dallas.
There may not be any truly "easy" games on the schedule for the Rams this season, but these are the matchups where their elite talent could give them a clear edge and allow them to overpower the teams listed above.