The Los Angeles Rams already had it rough with back-to-back road games in Week 16 and 17, needing to travel to Minnesota and then Baltimore in consecutive weeks. The NFL just made it even tougher on Sean McVay’s team by moving up Sunday’s Rams-Ravens game.
The league announced that the Rams’ matchup with Baltimore has changed from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET and will remain on FOX. Panthers-Saints will move from 1 p.m. ET to 4:25 p.m. ET and will also be on FOX.
This is likely because FOX wants to get the Cardinals-Cowboys matchup to a bigger audience in the late-afternoon window, which is easier with Rams-Ravens kicking off in the early slot.
Two tweaks to Sunday’s games. #Ravens–#Rams moved up, #Panthers–#Saints moved back. pic.twitter.com/Dq4wDWPacf
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 27, 2021
It’s not ideal that the Rams will now have to play two 1 p.m. ET games in a row, especially with this one being in the Eastern Time Zone. Those games are always tough on West Coast teams, given the three-hour time difference.
However, they haven’t bothered the Rams much since McVay took over. Since 2017, the Rams are 8-2 in 1 p.m. ET games in the Eastern Time Zone, including two wins over the Colts and Giants this season.