A rematch of last season’s controversial NFC championship game will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, with the visiting New Orleans Saints (1-0) out to avenge a bitter loss to the Rams (1-0) on their opponent’s home field this time around. The Saints got off to a slow start in a 30-28 win over the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football and failed to cover the spread as 6.5-point home favorites, so that could be a factor here against the Rams.
New Orleans Saints vs Los Angeles Rams (Matchup Report)
Date/Time: September 15, 4:25 p.m. ET
TV Coverage: FOX
Sportsbook Odds: Los Angeles -2.5 | O/U 53.5 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
There has been very little line movement so far, with Los Angeles sitting as high as 3-point home favorites at some sportsbooks and as low as the Sportsbook number of -2.5. Unless there is late-breaking news that affects the line, it would be surprising to see it go higher than -3.
New Orleans News & Notes
Many have questioned the arm strength of New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who at 40 years old has looked like he has declined a bit unlike six-time Super Bowl Sportsbook Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.
That said, Brees managed to come through in the clutch yet again in leading the Saints to a 30-28 victory against the Texans with a bunch of big throws while finishing with 370 passing yards and two touchdowns.
The emergence of Alvin Kamara as the featured running back with Mark Ingram gone to the Baltimore Ravens has also kept the offense extremely dangerous, continuing to look like one of the very best in the league. Revenge will definitely be on their minds here, and that could end up being the difference.
Los Angeles News & Notes
The Rams did just enough to beat the Carolina Panthers on the road last week 30-27 as 1.5-point favorites, thwarting their opponent’s comeback attempts each time to pull off the victory.
While Los Angeles running back Todd Gurley looked good in limited action with 14 carries for 97 yards, it was Malcolm Brown who found pay dirt twice and finished with 53 yards on 11 carries to give the team a much-needed one-two punch.
Quarterback Jared Goff did not perform particularly well after agreeing to a four-year contract extension worth $134 million, with $110 million guaranteed, and he will need to play better if he is going to top Brees again.
Betting Pick
New Orleans used up a lot of energy in defeating Houston, and too much emotion may be a bad thing here on the road. Los Angeles will play like the defending NFC champs and cover.
- New Orleans is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 road games.
- New Orleans is 0-5 ATS in the past 5 road meetings.
- Los Angeles is 8-1 SU in its last 9 home games.
