LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Rams are heading to London again. The team will face the Cincinnati Bengals at London’s Wembley Stadium Oct. 27, the NFL announced Wednesday. The league unveiled the schedule for five international games for the 2019 regular season.
The Rams will face the New Orleans Saints in their home opener Sept. 15 in a rematch of the NFC championship game best remembered for a non-penalty call, the NFL announced Wednesday.
The Rams defeated the Saints, 26-23, in overtime Jan. 20, completing a comeback from a 13-0 first-quarter deficit. Rams cornerback Nickell Robey- Coleman was not called for a penalty on a third-down pass intended for Tommylee Lewis with one minute, 49 seconds to play and the ball on the Rams’ 13-yard line, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell later said a penalty should have been called against Robey-Coleman.
Though it will be the Rams’ third trip to London since returning to Los Angeles, it will be the team’s first international game in two years because last year’s game scheduled for Mexico City had to be scrapped at the last minute due to field conditions. The game was shifted to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum following an inspection of the field at Estadio Azteca that determined the playing surface “does not meet NFL standards for playability and consistency,” according to the league. The London match will be considered a home game for the Rams.
The Rams will open their season Sept. 8 by playing at Carolina.
The Rams seven-game home schedule includes “Sunday Night Football” games against the Chicago Bears (Nov. 17) and Seattle Seahawks (Dec. 8) and a “Monday Night Football” game against the Baltimore Ravens (Nov. 25).
The remainder of the home schedule at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum consists of games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sept. 29), San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 13) and Arizona Cardinals (Dec. 29).
The Rams will play two prime-time games on the road, a “Sunday Night Football” game Sept. 22 against the Cleveland Browns and a “Thursday Night Football” game against Seattle Oct. 3 on Fox.
Their other road games will be against the Atlanta Falcons (Oct. 20), Pittsburgh Steelers (Nov. 10), Arizona (Dec. 1), Dallas Cowboys (Dec. 15) and San Francisco (Dec. 21 or Dec. 22).
City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.