The Los Angeles Rams look nothing like the team that won the Super Bowl back in January, both in terms of personnel and in the win/loss column. Playing without injured Matthew Stafford, the Rams saw backup John Wolford get hurt in last week’s 27-23 loss to Seattle, their sixth straight dropping them to 3-9 SU and putting their season among the worst for a defending champ. In need of a quarterback the Rams signed Baker Mayfield this week after the former No. 1 overall pick was waived by Carolina. And considering how banged up LA is I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mayfield make an appearance when the Rams host the Las Vegas Raiders in the Week 14 Thursday Night Football matchup.
The Week 14 Thursday Night Football contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams will take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA at 8:15 p.m. ET on December 8, 2022 and will air on Prime Video.
Raiders vs Los Rams Odds
Las Vegas Raiders -6 ( -265 )
Los Angeles Rams +6 ( +218 )
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
Given the direction the teams are heading it isn’t a surprise to see the Raiders emerge as a 6-point road favorite. The line hit the board at Vegas -5.5 getting wagered up a half point in early action. And don’t be surprised to see the number go even higher as we get closer to kickoff. The Raiders are suddenly in the playoff discussion following three straight wins and payouts with the first two coming in overtime. The Rams went all in for a championship last season and it’s a good thing they got it because they’re paying the price now. They lost six in a row and eight of nine, though they covered the 7-point spread against Seattle. LA has two straight payouts but is just 4-7-1 ATS this season.
Las Vegas Raiders
I don’t know what Raiders team we’ll see on Thursday. The club won more games over the past three weeks than it did during the first two and a half months, and while talk of a potential playoff spot has emerged they’re still a ways away. How can you take a team that lost to Indianapolis, Jacksonville and was shutout by New Orleans in the previous three games seriously? What you can take seriously is the play of Josh Jacobs, who’s been a beast during the winning streak. He ran for 229 yards and the game winning touchdown in OT a few weeks ago to beat Seattle and is averaging over 160 yards in the last three games. The outburst elevated Jacobs to No. 1 in the NFL rushing category with a healthy lead of nearly 200 yards.
In some ways this is the offense Josh McDaniels envisioned when taking the job. Jacobs takes pressure of Derek Carr allowing him to succeed in a more relaxed setting. Jacobs and Carr were instrumental in bringing the Raiders back from an early 10-0 deficit last week. Jacobs scored the team’s first touchdown and Carr put the game out of reach with a pair of long scoring passes to Davante Adams in the third quarter. The Raiders much-maligned defense held on the rest of the way sacking Justin Herbert five times and holding the Bolts to 0 of 3 in the red zone cashing the UNDER for the fourth time in six outings.
Los Angeles Rams
A lack of depth finally caught up with the Rams. They were always a key injury or two away from falling off a cliff and it happened. The Rams not only lost Stafford for likely the remainder of the season they are also without leading receiver Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. All three played prominent roles in the teams run to the Lombardi Trophy last season and Donald is the only player expected to return. It isn’t crazy to see such a drop in offensive production given the injuries, but the Rams were having problems even before Stafford and Kupp went down. The offensive line has been one of the worst in the NFL giving up the second-most sacks.
The Rams were competitive last week holding a late lead over the Seahawks thanks to a rare offensive spurt. MIA for most of the season, Cam Akers was a bright spot rushing for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but Bryce Perkins isn’t ready to assume control of the offense with Wolford banged up. That means we could see Mayfield take some snaps with a limited playbook since he just joined the team. He can’t hurt since the Rams rank 31st in total offense, 30th in rushing and 29th in scoring.
Raiders vs Rams Prediction
It’s been painful at times to watch the Rams struggle with the football. They showed last week that they can score with the JV team and the Raiders aren’t the best stopping opponents giving some value to backing the OVER. And like I said it’s hard to trust the Raiders after giving away a number of games already this season.
Prediction: Los Angeles Rams +6 and OVER 44
