Can We Trust the L.A. Rams?

Second season in a new city, Jared Goff at quarterback, and a rookie head coach. You never thought the Rams would be 7-2 and leading their division, and neither did I.

This blog is going to study the Rams and their season, and tell all of you men and women what we have to look forward to for the rest of the season.

You all love betting on NFL games don’t you? This page is perfect for you to keep bookmarked any time the Rams are playing and you feel like making some money. I am going to talk about what has made them so successful up to this point, as well as discuss what lies ahead for this young and exciting team.

If you have watched the Rams play this season, then you should understand that this team means business. For those of you who haven’t caught a glimpse of Todd Gurley and company in action yet, let me go ahead and get you caught up.

7-2 Record – How’d They Get Here?

The Rams were 4-12 last season in their first year back in Los Angeles. They couldn’t even get their rookie quarterback on the field until week 11 because “he wasn’t ready”. So how in the heck is rookie head coach Sean McVay leading his team to a 7-2 record heading into week 11 this time around?

Well, where would you like me to start?

Offense

It’s pretty easy to praise their offense. They lead the National Football League scoring a whopping 32.9 points per game. They average 388.9 yards per contest, good enough for third in the NFL behind the Patriots and the Saints.

They are getting it done every which way. Todd Gurley leads the NFL with 7 rushing touchdowns and is fourth in total rushing yards. He leads the entire league in all-purpose yards (rushing + receiving) with 1,160 yards from scrimmage through the Rams first 9 games.

People who thought Jared Goff might be a bust are looking awfully silly now. The second-year quarterback from the University of California-Berkeley is turning heads this season with his efficient play. He ranks 7th in the NFL in both passing yards and touchdowns thrown, all while throwing only 4 interceptions. Only Alex Smith, Tom Brady, and Tyrod Taylor have thrown less picks out of the full-time starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Whether you want to admit it or not, Jared Goff is playing like an MVP candidate. Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur has his group clicking, as evident in the number of yards and points his offense is putting up.

Of course, you can’t win games just by having a good offense.

Defense

Let me be clear folks. The Rams defense is nasty. They are no joke. Defensive “guru” coordinator Wade Phillips has a mean bunch and they wreak havoc for opposing offenses. Led by stud defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the Rams defensive unit can get after the quarterback and cause headaches for the head coach on the opposite sideline.

They rank third in the NFL in points per game allowed, giving up only 18.0 points each time out. They are fifth in the league in sacks and rank second in the entire NFL with 12 interceptions. It’s not just the offense playing well in Los Angeles, the defense is balling out as well.

I could continue to pour on the statistics, talk about things like how they are third in the league in fumbles recovered. What I really want to point out is that during the Rams current 4-game winning streak, they are giving up a measly 10.2 points per game. when you are scoring 36 points per game over that stretch, I would call that dominating the competition.

So the question is- can the Rams keep this up. Can they continue scoring heaps of points while limiting opponents on the other side of the ball?

Can They Maintain This Pace?

Here’s the thing: the Rams aren’t fooling anyone any longer. They have the full attention of the league, they won’t be sneaking up on anyone. I love what they are doing on both sides of the ball. Their balanced attack on offense mixed with young and hungry defenders leads me to believe this team is for real.

What concerns me is their upcoming schedule. How they perform over their next five games will tell me everything I need to know. See, traveling to places like Minnesota and Seattle- you can’t fake it. Teams that aren’t prepared get embarrassed in spots like those. It will be interesting to see if coach McVay can get his squad in the right frame of mind. They also have to face the 7-2 Saints and the 8-1 Eagles. A road game at Arizona completes this problematic 5-game stretch for the Rams.

They don’t have to continue blowing teams out like they have been doing, although that sure would be a sight to see. What I would want to see if I was a die-hard Rams fans would be that the team shows up each and every week and contends. They don’t have to win all five games. Winning three of them while being competitive in the other two would certainly show me this team is not just trying to make the playoffs, but they are trying to win games and advance in the playoffs.

It may be a lot to ask for a team with a rookie head coach and a quarterback who has only started 16 NFL games in his career, but this is 2017. We can throw certain stats and pieces of history out the window because when it’s all said and done- it comes down to how you play on the field.

Right now, everything I have seen from owner Stan Kroenke’s team tells me this team isn’t going to fall off. I expect them to experience some hardships due to the difficult upcoming schedule, but what doesn’t kill them will only make them stronger.

Don’t expect to see the Rams run the table and win every game, but an 11-5 finish is more than in sight. Last time I checked 11-5 has a good chance of winning the division if not surely locking up a Wild Card slot. The way the NFC West is looking, I anticipate the Rams and Seahawks to be battling out until the last week of the season.

The good news is if the Rams continue to play football the way they have proven they are capable of playing- Rams fans will be able to watch their team compete in the playoffs for the first time since Kurt Warner was at the helm running the “greatest show on turf” in 2004.

Betting Week 11

This Sunday, the Rams visit the surging Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. There will be more than 66,000 screaming fans wearing the purple and gold cheering on their beloved Vikings. Not many people had this one circled on their calendars back in August before the season began. Fast Forward a few months and we have two 7-2 teams, leading their respective divisions.

This should be a battle, as evidenced by the tight 2-point line. The home team from Minnesota is the favorites in a game that should feature two really good defenses battling it out. I’d certainly like to think that the Rams have the edge on the offensive side, being that the Vikings are onto the backup quarterback and backup running back.

The home-field advantage should play a big role in this one as Vikings are 4-1 at their place on the year. The over/under set at 46.5 should get some traction. With the Rams scoring nearly 33 points per game and the Vikings coming off an impressive 38-point effort last weekend, I expect to see casual fans on the over.

Don’t be shocked if the “sharps” see this one a different way. As good as both offenses have been playing, the heart and soul of each team lie in their defenses. I just have a hard time envisioning both teams marching up and down the football field scoring points in bunches. 46.5 isn’t an abnormally high total for an NFL football game, but it is on the slightly higher side. When I see two defenses that are this stout, that 46.5 number seems a bit inflated to me.

That’s what I like to do when looking for a bet. I don’t listen to the radio and hop on the public bandwagon. I look at a line and dive into the details and the data. I examine if I think there is a discrepancy in what the line is and what I think will happen.

This week both teams are playing good football and I’m not sure who will win. What I feel fairly confident about is that this game won’t be a shootout. I imagine a “20-17 type of game” to go down, which is why I’m going to put my trust in the under 46.5.

The Takeaway

News alert everybody: the Los Angeles Rams a really good football team. They have a tough schedule in front of them, but that shouldn’t stop them from making the playoffs this season. Depending on how the NFC playoff picture plays out, the Rams could find themselves hosting a home game or perhaps even having a bye week.

The reason they will get there is two-fold. They score more points in the league than anybody and they allow the third least number of points per game on defense. Scoring 32.9 points per game and giving up only 18.0 points per game- just ask anyone in the NFL. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that those numbers are a pretty good formula for winning games.

The National Football League requires a mentally tough coach who has a locker room of men that buy in and believe in the system. 31-year old rookie head coach Sean McVay has done a remarkable job in doing that over the first nine games, I only expect that bond and level of respect to grow.

Jared Goff is doing everything the Rams organization could have hoped for this early on in his career and running back Todd Gurley is showing he is one of the most dependable 3-down backs in the entire league.

In terms of how to bet the Rams game this weekend, it’s all about the under. A total of 46.5 points is simply too many points in a game featuring defenses of this caliber. As much as I love what the Rams are doing on offense, a road game against the Vikings determined defense is exactly the type of thing that will slow you down. I still think the Rams can win this football game, I just think they’ll have to do it in a “defensive slug-fest” kind of a way.

The bottom line is this Rams team is a legitimate contender in the NFC. The way the team is winning games shows me they are for real. How they play this Sunday in Minnesota will go a long way in telling me if the Rams “are a nice story” or if they are really smelling blood in the water and making a run for the Super Bowl.

Only time will tell. Watch the game this weekend to find out where this journey goes next. Before the game starts, do yourself a favor and bet on the under 46.5. I know you like watching entertaining football, I figured you might want to make some money while you are doing it!