Rams 2018 Schedule Includes Several Prime Time Games

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Rams will open the 2018 regular season by playing a Monday night game at Oakland Sept. 10 in Jon Gruden's official return to coaching after a nine-season absence, the NFL announced Thursday.

Gruden gave Rams coach Sean McVay his first job in coaching, hiring him as a coaching assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008.

The game will be the second game in ESPN's traditional season-opening "Monday Night Football" doubleheader. Gruden was a "Monday Night Football" analyst from 2009 to 2017.

The Rams will play host to the Arizona Cardinals Sept. 16 in their home opener at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The seven-game schedule at the Coliseum also includes the first two regular-season night games since the Rams returned to Southern California in 2016 -- a Thursday night game against the Minnesota Vikings Sept. 27 and a Sunday night game against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles Dec. 16.

The other games at the Coliseum will be against the Los Angeles Chargers (Sept. 23), Green Bay Packers (Oct. 28), Seattle Seahawks (Nov. 11) and San Francisco 49ers (Dec. 30).

The Rams will play in Mexico City Nov. 19 against the Kansas City Chiefs in a "Monday Night Football" game. The game is considered a Rams home game.

The Rams will also play road games against the Seattle Seahawks (Oct. 7), Denver Broncos (Oct. 14), San Francisco (Oct. 21), New Orleans Saints (Nov. 4), Detroit Lions (Dec. 2), Chicago Bears (Dec. 9) and Arizona (Dec. 23).

The NFL also announced the dates and start times of both of the Rams preseason games. The Rams will face Oakland Aug. 18 and Houston Texans Aug. 25 in games beginning at 1 p.m.

Preseason road games against the Baltimore Ravens Aug. 9 and New Orleans Aug. 30 were previously announced.

City News Service; Photo by Paige Austin