ST. LOUIS, MO -- The St. Louis Rams will open their 2012 regular season slate at Ford Field as they face the Detroit Lions on Sept. 9. In Week 2, the Rams host the Washington Redskins at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis’ home opener on Sept. 16.
"The schedule release is one of the most exciting days of the offseason," Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. "Between a nationally-televised home game and the opportunity to play internationally, our schedule features some unique opportunities for our team. Like all NFL schedules, ours is a challenging one, but we’re excited to get to work and prepare to meet those challenges."
The Rams and Lions have previously met six times in Week 1, although the two teams haven’t done so since 1980. The Rams visit Detroit in the opening week for the first time since 1965. Overall, the Rams and Lions have met 82 times with Detroit holding a 42-39-1 advantage in the all-time series. The trip to Detroit allows Fisher to make his Rams debut against one of his former assistants. Lions Head Coach Jim Schwartz was a member of Fisher’s staff for 10 seasons in Tennessee.
The Redskins’ visit to St. Louis for the third-straight year, and this season marks the fifth-consecutive year in which the Rams and Redskins face each other. Washington holds a 24-10-1 record against the Rams following a Redskins victory in Week 4 of last season. St. Louis travels to Chicago on Sept. 23 to play the Bears for the first time since 2009.
In Weeks 4 and 5, the Rams will enjoy a two-game home stretch against NFC West opponents. They’ll host the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30, and the Arizona Cardinals will visit the Gateway City on Thursday, Oct. 4 on NFL Network. The Rams-Cardinals contest will be the first primetime game in St. Louis since the Rams hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 20, 2007.
On Oct. 14, the Rams visit Miami to play the Miami Dolphins in Week 6. In Week 7, the defending NFC North champion Green Bay Packers travel to the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams hold a 46-44-2 lead in the series, one that dates back to 1937.
The Rams will play a regular-season game on international soil for the first time as they serve as the home team against the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 28. After playing in London, St. Louis will have its bye in Week 9 (Nov. 4).
Following their bye, the Rams travel to San Francisco to play the defending NFC West champions. The 49ers hold a narrow 62-61-2 record in the all-time series. In Week 11, the New York Jets visit the Edward Jones Dome for the first time since Week 17 of 2004.
St. Louis will play back-to-back games against divisional opponents again in Weeks 12 and 13. The Rams travel to Arizona on Nov. 25 and host the 49ers on Dec. 2. In Week 14, the Rams will play the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
The Rams’ final home game comes on Dec. 16 when the Minnesota Vikings come to town. The Rams and Vikings last squared off in 2009, and Minnesota owns a 22-16-2 advantage in the all-time series.
St. Louis wraps up the 2012 regular season with consecutive road games at Tampa Bay (Dec. 23) and at Seattle (Dec. 30).
