Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Saints vs Rams: Who will make a step closer to the postseason?
Thursday Night Football will bring us a matchup between two teams with playoff aspirations as the New Orleans Saints are visiting the Los Angeles Rams at the SoFi Stadium.
Are the Saints a legit playoff contender?
The Saints are second in the NFC North with a 7-7 record. They lost their third straight game at the beginning of November, and it seemed like the season was over. Somehow, the Saints bounced back and won the last two games, allowing only six points in each of them. They were especially dominant in the 24-6 win over the New York Giants. The Saints are sixth in the NFL in points allowed with 19.1 and 11th in allowed yards per game with 311.9. As long as the Saints play that good of a defense, they can hope to reach the postseason, but a lot will depend on the outcome of this game.
The Rams turned the season over
Before having a buy week in Week 10, the Los Angeles Rams were 3-6. No one knows what really happened when the team had a week more to prepare, but they are 4-1 since then, and the only loss came in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens. The Rams are coming off a 28-20 win over the Washington Commanders last week, and they are now second in the NFC West with a 7-7 record. The Rams have 357.2 yards per game, which ranks them eighth in the NFL, and are one spot lower when it comes to points per game with 23.4.
Betting Trends
The Rams are 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against New Orleans. They have scored last in 9 of their last 17 games.
Player to watch
Running back Kyren Williams is the main reason for the Rams’ recent success. Williams recorded at least 114 yards in 4 of the last 5 games and is coming off an impressive performance against the Commanders having 27 rushing attempts, 152 yards, and one touchdown.
Injury Reports
Isaiah Foskey, Lonnie Johnson Jr., and Ryan Ramczyk are out for the Saints while Tre Tomlinson will seat this one for the Rams.
Prediction and Conclusion
Both teams have turned things up in the second part of the season, and this is a game that will boost one of them even more. It’s been 14 years since the Saints beat the Rams in Los Angeles, and the home team is a 4-point favorite going into this one. The Saints have a solid defense, but slowing down the Rams would prove to be a real challenge. The Rams have won three straight home games, so we would go with the Rams and the over in a seven-point teaser.
