The National Football League unveiled each team's new 17-game 2021 regular season schedule on Wednesday. That means that the fans in Los Angeles will get a glimpse of the upcoming opponents for both the Rams and Chargers at SoFi Stadium for the first time.
After a season played in front of no or limited crowds in 2020 because of COVID-19, the $5 Billion state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium is expected to be opened at full capacity, provided California continues to stay on the pathway to full reopening.
“We are excited to welcome our fans to the best stadium in the world,” Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said. “SoFi Stadium is unlike any other stadium in the NFL and we can’t wait to enjoy a homefield advantage created by our fans.”
The Rams will open the season on NBC's Sunday Night Football as Matthew Stafford suits up for the first time in Blue and Yellow against his old NFC North rival the Chicago Bears.
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It marks the second-consecutive season the Rams will open the season at home on Sunday Night Football. Last season, the Rams opened SoFi Stadium with a 20-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
In addition to the Rams' season opener, the team will appear on NBC's primetime TV slot again on November 7 against the Tennessee Titans. The team also will be broadcast nationally on ESPN’s Monday Night Football twice (Week 10 at San Francisco; Week 14 at Arizona) and by FOX, NFL Network, and Amazon for their Thursday Night Football programming in Week 5 at Seattle.
The Los Angeles Chargers will open the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Washington. They will host the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium in their home opener in Week 2.
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The Chargers are scheduled to host three nationally televised games during the 2021 schedule, and will close out the season in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
Other notable games across the NFL in 2021 feature the league's return to London, England on Oct. 10 when the Atlanta Falcons face the New York Jets. A week later, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and new quarterback Trevor Lawrence meet the Miami Dolphins.
The first game of the 2021 season will kickoff on Sept. 9 as Tom Brady begins his quest for an eighth Super Bowl title when the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys. It’ll be Dak Prescott’s first game since sustaining a gruesome ankle injury last October.
Brady also returns to New England to face Bill Belichick and the Patriots in a Sunday night game on Oct. 3.
The 17th game, which was added in the new CBA last year, features teams from opposing conferences that finished in the same place within their respective divisions at the end of the previous season. AFC teams have the extra home game this year.
“One of the tremendous benefits of each team playing 17 regular-season games is the ability for us to bring more games to more fans,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “The CBA with the players and the recently completed media agreements provide the foundation for us to continue to grow our game around the world.”
The regular season concludes on Jan. 9, 2022, featuring all divisional games for the 12th consecutive season. Super Bowl 56 is on Feb. 13, 2022, in Los Angeles.
The Pro Bowl will be played a week earlier at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Official dates and times for both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers 2021 schedules are below:
| 2021 Los Angeles Rams Schedule | ||||
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | PT | TV |
| PRE 1 | TBD | Los Angeles Chargers | TBD | KABC-TV |
| PRE 2 | TBD | Las Vegas Raiders | TBD | KABC-TV |
| PRE 3 | TBD | at Denver Broncos | TBD | KABC-TV |
| 1 | Sep. 12 | Chicago Bears | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| 2 | Sep. 19 | at Indianapolis Colts | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 3 | Sep. 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 4 | Oct. 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 1:05 PM | FOX |
| 5 | Oct. 7 | at Seattle Seahawks (Thu.) | 5:20 PM | FOX/NFLN/Amazon** |
| 6 | Oct. 17 | at New York Giants | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 7 | Oct. 24 | Detroit Lions | 1:05 PM | FOX |
| 8 | Oct. 31 | at Houston Texans | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 9 | Nov. 7 | Tennessee Titans | 5:20 PM | NBC* |
| 10 | Nov. 15 | at San Francisco 49ers (Mon.) | 5:15 PM | ESPN |
| 11 | Bye | |||
| 12 | Nov. 28 | at Green Bay Packers | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 13 | Dec. 5 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 14 | Dec. 13 | at Arizona Cardinals (Mon.) | 5:15 PM | ESPN |
| 15 | Dec. 19 | Seattle Seahawks | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 16 | Dec. 26 | at Minnesota Vikings | 10:00 AM | FOX |
| 17 | Jan. 2 | at Baltimore Ravens | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 17 | Jan. 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 1:25 PM | FOX |
BOLD denotes Rams home games
(*) – Sunday night games in Weeks 5-17 subject to change; Week 18 game TBD
(**) – NFL Network and Amazon simulcast subject to change
If games are cancelled or played without spectators, any tickets purchased directly from the Rams or through Ticketmaster for Rams home games will be refunded within 30 days of cancellation or decision to play without spectators. Season Ticket Members will receive a pro-rata refund of the season ticket purchase for any impacted games or the option to credit that amount toward season tickets in 2022. Tickets purchased on the resale marketplace will be subject to resale marketplace policies.
