Unbeaten Rams Battle One Loss Saints
The fans at Mercedes-Benz Superdome see the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints when they take their seats on Sunday. This is the top NFC matchup in week 9 of the NFL. The winner of this game has the inside track to home-field advantage in the playoffs. TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Rams -2. O/U: 57. The Rams almost saw their perfect record go by the boards last weekend. They will face perhaps a more daunting challenge this weekend in what could be a battle for supremacy in the NFC. The Rams are the lone undefeated team at the midway point of the season. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are surging as well and the offense is clicking on all cylinders. Brees has the Saints at 6-1 on the season. The Rams will be facing an elite quarterback for the second time in as many weeks. They squeezed out a 29-27 victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers last week. That ran their record to 8-0.“You’re looking at another week where a guy, first ballot Hall of Famer, all-time leading passer, completing 77 percent of his balls,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said of the prospect of facing Brees.New Orleans owns the league’s second-longest winning streak, behind only the Rams, with six consecutive victories. They knocked off Minnesota 30-20 in a rematch of last season’s NFC playoff game to extend the streak.
Saints & Rams Offenses Should Have a Shootout Today
Todd Gurley II has been unstoppable for The Rams. He has rushed for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns, which are both league highs. The workhorse has also posted 31 catches for 351 yards and four scores. Gurley II accounted for 195 yards from scrimmage against Green Bay. Gurley II joined Jim Brown and Priest Holmes as the only players with at least 15 TDs through the first eight games. Quarterback Jared Goff has 17 TD passes and only five interceptions. He will get one of his top targets back in Cooper Kupp, who has a team-best five touchdown receptions despite missing the past two games with a sprained knee. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald has registered an NFL-high 10 sacks. This is for a unit that acquired pass-rushing linebacker Dante Fowler from Jacksonville at this week’s trade deadline. The Saints eked out a one-point win at Baltimore when the Ravens missed a tying extra point. New Orleans then relied on its defense to avenge last season’s loss at Minnesota. They got an interception return for a score and a fumble return that set up a TD. Brees tossed his first interception last week, but has 14 touchdown passes and has a league-leading 77.4 completion percentage. His gaudy 118.2 passer rating is also tops in the NFL. Brees has thrown for 1,045 yards with eight touchdowns, along with zero interceptions in his last three at home. Alvin Kamara’s workload has been reduced with the return of fellow running back Mark Ingram from a four-game suspension. He had a rushing and receiving score last week to boost his season total to nine touchdowns. Kamara is expected to play despite missing practice Thursday due to illness. Defensive end Marcus Davenport did not practice for a second straight day. WR Michael Thomas has 14 receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns in two games versus Los Angeles. PREDICTION: Saints 30, Rams 27NFL Betting Odds & Trends
| Los Angeles Rams | ||
|---|---|---|
| LA Rams is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| LA Rams is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Rams’s last 9 games | ||
| LA Rams is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 8 of LA Rams’s last 12 games on the road | ||
| LA Rams is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing New Orleans | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Rams’s last 5 games when playing on the road against New Orleans | ||
New Orleans Saints |
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|---|---|---|
| New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games | ||
| New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games | ||
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games | ||
| New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home | ||
| New Orleans is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 8 games at home | ||
| New Orleans is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing LA Rams | ||
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games when playing at home against LA Rams | ||