By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

After finishing the 2006 season on a three-game winning streak, the Rams will get the opportunity to continue their momentum with a pair of home games to open the season, the NFL announced Wednesday.

For the second year in a row, the Rams will open the regular season at home. Last year, it was with a victory against Denver. This year, the Carolina Panthers will travel to the Edward Jones Dome on Sept. 9 for a noon tilt.

The following week, division rival San Francisco will be in town for another noon battle. St. Louis split with the 49ers in 2006.

While the Rams will make no appearances on Monday Night Football this year and no scheduled games for Sunday Night Football (though that can change because of flexible scheduling), they do have one primetime regular season appearance on the slate. On Thursday evening, Dec. 20, the Pittsburgh Steelers will come to the Edward Jones Dome for an appearance on NFL Network.

Following the pair of home games to open the season, St. Louis hits the road for a pair of away games. The first comes on Sept. 23 with a game against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay followed by a Sept. 30 battle against the Cowboys in Dallas.
 On Oct. 7, the Rams return home for another NFC West battle with a chance to redeem themselves against the Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams dropped a pair of games to Arizona last season.

Perhaps the toughest stretch of games of the 2007 season comes with another pair of road games follows that tilt against the Cardinals with trips to face the vaunted Baltimore defense on Oct. 14 and to Seattle to face the division rival Seahawks on Oct. 21 at 3:15.

The Rams will hit the halfway point of the season the next week with a home game against the Cleveland Browns at noon on Oct. 28. The following week will be the team’s bye week, with the bye placed precisely in the middle of the season.

Coming off the bye, the Rams get back on the road for a pair of NFC games. On Nov. 11, the Rams travel to New Orleans to face last year’s feel good story of the league. The Saints went to the NFC Championship with quarterback Drew Brees in charge.

St. Louis follows that by wrapping up the season series with the 49ers on Nov. 18 at Monster Park. With a majority of the road trips out of the way, the Rams will get the benefit of finishing the season with four of their final six games at home. Those home games could be crucial for a possible playoff run after the team played two of the final three on the road last year.

That stint starts with two home games, including the always important finale against the Seahawks on Nov. 25. After that, the Rams will renew acquaintances with former NFC West rival Atlanta and Michael Vick on Dec. 2.

The following week, the Rams hit the road again to take on quarterback Carson Palmer and the Bengals on Dec. 9. The Dec. 16 game will see the Rams meet the Green Bay Packers for the second year in a row, except this one will be at the Edward Jones Dome in what could be on of quarterback Brett Favre’s final games.

After a short turnaround and a game against AFC power Pittsburgh, the Rams will spend Christmas in St. Louis before closing the season in another important divisional game against Arizona on Dec. 30.

All told, the Rams’ opponents were 121-135 in 2006 for a winning percentage of .473. That number has the Rams’ strength of schedule in a tie for the fourth easiest in the NFL.

In addition to the regular season slate, the NFL finalized the Rams’ preseason schedule Wednesday as well. The first game action will come on Aug. 10 against Minnesota at 7 p.m.

On Aug. 18, the Rams will make their only national television appearance against the Chargers at the Edward Jones Dome. The road game against Oakland is set for Aug. 24 or 25 and hasn’t been finalized yet. St. Louis will round out the preseason with the annual Governor’s Cup game against Kansas City on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.

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