The Rams have seven prime-time games in 2026. They could still have an eighth. And a ninth.
In Week 17, two games will land on Saturday. NBC and Peacock will have a game at 4:30 p.m. ET. Peacock will have a game at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Four games have been identified as potential candidates to slide to Saturday: Commanders at Jaguars, Chiefs at Chargers, Broncos at Patriots, Rams at Buccaneers. Eventually, two will be tabbed to move.
It’s possible, given the inclusion of Rams-Buccaneers in the quartet of options, that their game will be parked at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday.
In Week 18, all games are fair game to be picked for the final game of the regular season. If Seahawks-Rams has the NFC West title or the No. 1 seed on the line, it becomes a prime candidate to cap the season.
Once upon a time, there was a limit to the number of prime-time games a team could play. Of course, there were other rules, too; initially, all teams played on Thursday after playing on Sunday. (We’ve asked the league whether there’s currently a hard limit on the number of prime-time games a team can play.)
Now, it’s about programming the best possible games, as often as possible. Which is generally good. The habit of giving all teams at least one standalone showcase under the lights has yielded to the practical value of going back to the deepest wells with the best water.
The message to the bad teams is abundantly clear: Don’t suck.
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