The Rams are about to run out of reasons why they cannot get rolling.
After going through a two-game gauntlet facing the Eagles and Bills, the schedule that follows offers an opportunity to turn their uneven start into something considerably more convincing.
Six games. Seven weeks. Five opponents whose collective struggles should have the Rams thinking about how much ground they can gain before December.
If ever there was a get-right stretch, this is it.
The Rams follow Buffalo with the Cardinals, Raiders, Chargers, Commanders, Cardinals again and Packers. A bye separates the second Arizona game from Green Bay’s Thanksgiving Eve visit. Then come the Chiefs and a trip to face the 49ers, bringing considerably less room for error.
The assignment between now and then should be clear: Stack victories, establish some consistency and arrive at those December showdowns with something sturdier than the promise of eventually becoming the team everyone expected.
There is enough opportunity here to demand that much.
Through Sunday, Arizona was 1-4, the Chargers 0-5 and Washington 1-3-1. The Raiders and Packers were each 3-2. Although the Raiders have dropped two straight, and are showing signs that despite their promising start, they still have a ways to go in their rebuild.
Those five teams have a combined 8-16-1 record. Count the Cardinals twice to reflect the actual six-game stretch, and the mark falls to 9-20-1.
That does not guarantee anything. It does, however, put the responsibility squarely on the Rams.
A team with championship ambitions should be able to take advantage of that schedule. Especially one that needs to replace the uncertainty of its opening month with a clearer sense of what it can reliably do.
The distinction matters.
Winning a game can change the mood. Playing well for a month can change the trajectory of a season.
That is the opportunity sitting in front of coach Sean McVay.
The Rams do not need six weeks of offensive fireworks. They need repeatable football: productive early downs, manageable third downs, drives finished with touchdowns and fewer possessions wasted by mistakes.
They need a defense capable of getting off the field without requiring the offense to win a weekly rescue mission.
And they need to show that their best stretches can become their standard.
The schedule even offers some logistical relief. Three of the six games are at SoFi Stadium, and two of the three road trips are to Las Vegas and Arizona. Washington represents the only trip east during the stretch.
There should be room to practice, recover and sharpen the details that separate a talented roster from a dependable team.
Of course, treating these opponents as automatic victories would be the easiest way to squander the opening.
The Raiders and Packers still have winning records. Green Bay just beat Chicago 31-7. Las Vegas, despite consecutive losses, already demonstrated it can put together a winning streak.
Those are reasons to approach the stretch seriously. They are hardly reasons to lower expectations.
For the Rams, splitting these six games would feel like an opportunity lost. Going 4-2 would represent progress. A 5-1 run would give them the kind of momentum and cushion that could materially change their December outlook.
Those are reasonable standards for a team asking to be judged as a contender.
The danger is spending another month explaining why the pieces have not quite come together. At some point, the conversation must move beyond potential and toward production.
This stretch should be that point.
The Chiefs and 49ers will provide their own examinations soon enough. The Rams should spend the intervening weeks making sure those games are opportunities to improve their standing rather than desperate attempts to repair it.
That means taking control early against struggling opponents, finishing games they should win and refusing to let one bad afternoon become two.
The Rams have an opening to get right.
They need to make it count.
