Rams schedule: What are the 3 must-win games of 2021?

Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan are friends. I’m pretty sure that every head coach in the NFC could enjoy a comfortable Friday dinner together, even if they were facing off against one another the following Sunday. Matthew Stafford might be buddy-buddy with Russell Wilson. Jalen Ramsey might even be the type to recruit Richard Sherman to the Rams, regardless if he’s already played for two division rivals.

There may not be as much angst and anger between teams as there used to be, at least, not in between Sundays. That doesn’t make the games any less important though, especially not when it comes to intra-divisional rivalries.

Because Shanahan could still get McVay fired one day, or vice versa. Right now, it’s McVay who has the better regular season record, but Shanahan who dominates the head-to-head matchups.

The LA Rams enter 2021 with a new quarterback and updated Super Bowl odds because of it. They must focus on all 17 games, not just two or three, but maybe whether or not LA returns to the Super Bowl does come down to just one contest. Or three. And beating the San Francisco 49ers might be the most pressing “to-do” on any of McVay’s lists.

Or maybe beating the Seattle Seahawks takes precedent, given last season’s division standings.

Or it could be that the Rams just want to get off to a 1-0 start in front of fans at SoFi Stadium.

Or perhaps you’d like to see LA get early-season confidence by upending the Buccaneers (again) in Week .

Or for some folks, getting a win over the former franchise quarterback because of the current franchise quarterback, that might be a must-win scenario for a Rams fan.

Or it could just be revenge against the team that ended your season in the playoffs last season, another date in Lambeau, with or without Aaron Rodgers.

The Rams have 17 games ahead in the regular season but surely some of them stand out as more “must win” than others. What three games are currently standing out to you on the schedule?

Rams 2021 Schedule

Week 1 - SNF vs Chicago Bears, 5:20 PM, NBC

Week 2 - at Indianapolis Colts, FOX, 10:00 AM

Week 3 - vs TB Bucs, FOX, 1:25 PM

Week 4 - vs Arizona Cardinals, FOX, 1:05 PM

Week 5 - TNF at Seattle Seahawks, NFLN, Amazon, 5:20 PM

Week 6 - at NY Giants, FOX, 10:00 AM

Week 7 - vs Detroit Lions, FOX, 1:05 PM

Week 8 - at Houston Texans, FOX, 10:00 AM

Week 9 - SNF vs Tennessee Titans, NBC, 5:20 PM

Week 10 - MNF at SF 49ers, ESPN, 5:15 PM

Week 11 - BYE

Week 12 - at GB Packers, FOX, 1:25 PM

Week 13 - vs Jacksonville Jaguars, CBS, 1:25

Week 14 - MNF at Arizona Cardinals, ESPN, 5:15 PM

Week 15 - vs Seattle Seahawks, FOX, 1:25 PM

Week 16 - at Minnesota Vikings, FOX, 10:00 AM

Week 17 - at Baltimore Ravens, FOX, 1:25 PM

Week 18 - vs San Francisco 49ers, FOX, 1:25 PM