Fans during cheer as the St. Louis Rams practice with the Dallas Cowboys at River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, CA, Monday, August 17, 2015. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff)
The Los Angeles Rams will return to the Coliseum on August 13, and they’ll do it in front of a national audience.
The NFL released the preseason schedule on Thursday, and the Rams will start the slate with a primetime matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. The two teams will kick off at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.
“We are excited to open the preseason on a national stage here in Los Angeles,” Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher said. “This is a historic year and we can’t wait to get in front of the fans for the first time at the Coliseum.”
Their Week 1 meeting will mark the first time the teams have played one another in the preseason since 2012. The Rams last hosted Dallas in California in 1983 in Anaheim.
The Rams will then host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 (Aug. 18-22), then take to the road against the Broncos and the Vikings. They will travel to Denver in Week 3 (Aug. 25-28) and to Minnesota in Week 4 (Sept. 1-2).
Dates for the regular-season schedule are expected to be released sometime in mid-April. In addition home and road games against NFC West rivals in the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks, the Rams will visit the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Detroit Lions.
In their first season back in Los Angeles, the franchise will host the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, and Miami Dolphins. The Rams are also the designated home team in an Oct. 23 game against the New York Giants in London’s Twickenham Stadium.