Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce himself said that he didn’t expect the NFL to give them more than five games this season. The reason for this modesty is not lost on fans: the powerful Chiefs have proven they too can crack. But their loss became the Los Angeles Rams‘ win, who have the most primetime games for the 2026 schedule. It’s surprising how they’ve done it, but the NFL is never one to shy away from capitalizing on an advantage.

“The NFL is all in on the Rams,” sports reporter Chase Coburn said on May 17. “You’ve got the Lakers in the NBA, the Dodgers in MLB. Just in general, L.A. is a draw. It’s Hollywood.

“The NFL, despite being the most popular sport in America, has never really checked that L.A. box because there have been so many moving pieces. Who is the L.A. team, right? Because it was the St. Louis Rams, it was the San Diego Chargers. So you didn’t really have that devoted, passionate fan base with that marketable, recognizable logo and brand in that individual city,” Coburn added. “But, I think the Rams are starting to emerge as the team in LA.”

The NFL has two teams in Los Angeles now, but the Rams have done the heavy-lifting, with an overall record of 624-606-21. They’ve been here longer than the Chargers, who began their journey 13 years after the Rams had moved to LA from Cleveland. But its only now that the region is getting some recognition from the league.

Ever since Sean McVay has been in charge of the show in Los Angeles, the team has been packing a solid punch in the NFL. From 2017 to 2025, the Rams have gone 92-57 overall, have been to the postseason seven times, and have won the Super Bowl once. They have proved that they’re not here to be on a Cinderella run. Since 2018, the NFL has consistently awarded them at least four primetime games.

Quietly, the Rams have been putting Los Angeles on the map. And now, you can’t ignore their allure. ESPN lists the Rams as the current favorites to win Super Bowl LXI at +800 odds. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said that this year, the Rams are the “darlings” of the NFL.

The Rams are also led by reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and receivers Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. The defense also features stars such as Jared Verse. The Rams also acquired All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Chiefs. This combination of sustained winning, star power, and a massive media market has turned the Rams into one of the NFL’s premier teams.

Somehow, none of these names holds the might that those of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid do. The Rams might not have edged past the Chiefs with more primetime games had the 2025 season not been a nightmare for the latter. But the Rams’ historical legacy is a lot dimmer compared to that of Kansas City. Los Angeles has only now become an asset for the league. But Kansas City, being a far smaller town, is a marquee name in the league. The Chiefs still have six primetime games this season, despite finishing on 6-11 last year, and Mahomes is still recovering from his ACL and LCL injuries.

But this is also where the Rams win, and the Chiefs lose. A lot of the branding for the Chiefs happens by way of the few stars it has on the roster. The Rams, however, have gained popularity as a team rather than because of a few names. Matthew Stafford had to win the MVP honor at the age of 37 (two days before he turned 38) to enjoy the fame he has entering the 2026 season. But there are so many other stars who have helped get the team to this level, like three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald.

This latest schedule is more like a long-term reward for sustained dominance. On the other hand, the indomitable Kansas City Chiefs proved that they can also be rattled. One shaky season, and it seems like the Chiefs’ dominance in the NFL is over.

However, despite the Rams getting to celebrate being treated like royalty by the NFL,  it is not entirely a cakewalk.

Rams Face Brutal Travel Schedule Amid Dangerous NFC West Gauntlet

The Rams are scheduled to travel a staggering 34,847 miles during the upcoming season. This ranks second most in the NFL, with the least total being the Carolina Panthers’ 8,740 miles. In the brutal and hyper-competitive NFL landscape, franchises search for every possible marginal advantage they can find. And for the Rams to be logging so many miles this season certainly does not make their road toward meeting these massive expectations any easier.

Another challenge the Rams face is the difficulty of their schedule, which is the second-hardest in the league. This is especially true within their own division. In the NFC West, the Rams will have to face reigning Super Bowl champions Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers, despite finishing 3rd in the division, had a 12-5 record.

The Rams open their season with the 49ers at Mexico City, and travel back home to Los Angeles for a clash against the Giants. The toughest stretch of the schedule is made up of the games with the Green Bay Packers, Chiefs, and Seahawks. Three of its last five games are on the road. The league is giving the Los Angeles some attention, but it won’t be easy to prove they are worthy of maintaining it.

How the “darlings” of the NFL fare against such a testy schedule is going to make for a lot of entertaining games. Maybe rival fans will get to warm up to the Rams during the course of the season because of this.