For years, the Kansas City Chiefs carried an aura that made them feel untouchable. No matter the deficit, no matter the stage, the assumption was always the same: they would find a way. But after last season’s struggles and Patrick Mahomes suffering an ACL injury, that sense of inevitability started to disappear. The franchise that once stood as the unquestioned face of the NFL suddenly looks vulnerable, and even people inside the building seem to recognize it. For instance, star tight end Travis Kelce was not expecting much more than three or four prime-time appearances this season, a telling sign of how dramatically expectations around Kansas City may be shifting.

And the Los Angeles Rams play a part in it. The franchise has the most prime-time games for the 2026 schedule, becoming the new face of the league. It’s surprising how they’ve done it, but the NFL is never one to shy away from capitalizing on an advantage.

No wonder the Rams have seven prime-time appearances this season. That matches the most ever given to a team in a single NFL year, tying the marks previously set by the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. So, it looks like the NFL is all in on the L.A. team.

For years, the league struggled to truly plant its flag in Los Angeles because the city never really had a stable football identity. One franchise had roots in St. Louis, another came over from San Diego, and fans were constantly left asking which team actually belonged to L.A. That instability prevented the kind of deeply loyal fan base and instantly recognizable brand that other major markets enjoy. But now, with the Los Angeles Rams becoming increasingly visible, there’s a growing belief that they are finally starting to establish themselves as Los Angeles’ team.

The NFL has two teams in Los Angeles now, but the Rams have done the heavy-lifting, with an overall record of 665-641-21. They’ve been here longer than the Chargers, who began their journey 13 years after the Rams had moved to LA from Cleveland.

Plus, ever since head coach 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.

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 quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, and head coach 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. 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.

So, 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 the reigning Super Bowl champions, the 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 Melbourne, 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.