For the last few seasons, the Los Angeles Rams have had one of the toughest schedules in the NFL. That is unlikely to change in 2024, especially considering that the schedule makers did LA zero favors by giving them such an early bye week.

The Rams will have a Week 6 bye, the second-earliest any team can have their bye and the earliest the team has had one in the Sean McVay era. LA will be joined alongside the Dolphins, Vikings and the Chiefs for this dubious honor. While such an early bye piled on top of the difficult schedule isn’t ideal, Los Angeles should be well-equipped to handle it.

Under McVay, the Rams are 32-24 after a bye. Aside from the sh!tshow that was the 2022 campaign, LA has amassed a record of .500 or better following the bye in every season with McVay at the helm.

2017 – Week 8 Bye; Finished 6-3 [11-5 Overall]

2018 – Week 12 Bye; Finished 3-2 [13-3 Overall]

2019 – Week 9 Bye; Finished 4-4 [9-7 Overall]

2020 – Week 9 Bye; Finished 5-3 [10-6 Overall]

2021 – Week 11 Bye; Finished 5-2 [12-5 Overall]

2022 – Week 7 Bye; Finished 2-9 [5-12 Overall]

2023 – Week 10 Bye; Finished 7-1 [10-7 Overall]

The ‘22 season previously marked the earliest Los Angeles ever had a bye week under McVay and it obviously didn’t go over well. Injuries and poor roster construction hampered any chance the Rams had at defending their Super Bowl title. If anything, that season from hell was an outlier when looking through McVay’s general body of work in his other six years on the job.

Recent history might play into the Rams’ hands. In 2023, the Browns, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Chargers, Packers and Steelers all had their bye from Weeks 5-6. Four of those six teams made the playoffs last season.

The Packers and Steelers had their bye in Week 6 and were a combined 5-5 heading into their off week. Once they resumed play, Green Bay and Pittsburgh each finished 7-5, clinching unexpected postseason bids in the process.

It’s rather easy to complain about LA getting shafted with such an early break in the midst of playing three 2023 playoff teams within the first five weeks. No fan wants to see their team have an early bye. They would likely rather see their squad have a later bye to rest up for a playoff run, if it’s in the cards.

However, there is a silver lining about the upcoming schedule. The Rams will have two “mini-byes” between Weeks 8-9 and 15-16. Having that added rest sorta makes up for the lack of a bye later in the year.

Related: 10 takeaways from the Rams 2024 schedule release

No matter what happens though, all the Rams need to do is survive the first five weeks and navigate the rest of the season from there.