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          NFL Nation

          Los Angeles Rams 2022 schedule: NFL's toughest schedule awaits defending Super Bowl champs

          • Sarah Barshop, ESPN Staff WriterMay 12, 2022, 08:20 PM ET
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              Sarah Barshop covers the Los Angeles Rams for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Green Bay Packers for ESPN Milwaukee. She then moved to Houston to cover the Texans. She came to ESPN after working as a writer and editor for Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @sarahbarshop.
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          The Los Angeles Rams' 2022 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

          The 2022 NFL season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Buffalo Bills vs. the Rams at SoFi Stadium. ESPN opens its schedule with Monday Night Football on Sept. 12 featuring the Denver Broncos at the Seattle Seahawks.

          The NFL expanded to 17 regular-season games last season. The final regular-season games for the 2022 season will be played Jan. 8, 2023. The playoffs begin Jan. 14 and continue through Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

          Here's what's in store for the Rams:

          Schedule

          Sept. 8: vs. Buffalo (TNF)

          Sept. 18: vs. Atlanta

          Sept. 25: at Arizona

          Oct. 3: at San Francisco (MNF)

          Oct. 9: vs. Dallas

          Oct. 16: vs. Carolina

          Oct. 23: BYE

          Oct. 30: vs. San Francisco

          Nov. 6: at Tampa Bay

          Nov. 13: vs. Arizona

          Nov. 20: at New Orleans

          Nov. 27: at Kansas City

          Dec. 4: vs. Seattle

          Dec. 8: vs. Las Vegas (TNF)

          Dec. 19: at Green Bay (MNF)

          Dec. 25: vs. Denver

          Jan. 1: at L.A. Chargers (SNF)

          Jan. 8: at Seattle

          Strength of schedule: 1st, .567

          Rams | Tickets

          Biggest takeaway

          Not only do the Rams have the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL, but their road schedule is especially brutal. The Rams play the Packers, Buccaneers, Chiefs and Saints away from SoFi Stadium, including a tough stretch from Week 11-15. Los Angeles' home schedule is easier, but the Bills, Cowboys, Raiders and Broncos won't be a walk in the park either.

          Revenge game

          Rams vs. Seahawks, Week 13. Not long after linebacker Bobby Wagner signed with the Rams, he said getting to play Seattle twice a year was the "cherry on top" of signing in Los Angeles because he wasn't happy with how the team handled his release. "I'll make sure they see me every time we play them," Wagner said. "They'll know where I'm at and I'll make sure I tell them. It won't be a quiet game for me."

          What the oddsmakers think

          The oddsmakers have the Rams win total at 10.5. I'll take the over. Yes, the Rams have the toughest strength of schedule in 2022, but they had the second-toughest last season and still won 12 games.

          Bold prediction

          The Rams win at least five of their first six games. Four of that stretch are at home and two are against the Falcons and Panthers.