The Los Angeles Rams are in Atlanta for a matchup with the Falcons. These are two of the more talented offensive teams in football and they are 0-6 in their last 6 outings combined. This matchup is one that could send either team into a real downward spiral with a lot of veterans that are not expecting a losing season.
New Rams Player
The Rams just made a splash in the trade market by acquiring Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars. Ramsey had been sitting out with a multitude of issues in the last couple of weeks, but he is magically healthy again and is expected to suit up in this game. Todd Gurley is also expected back for the Rams.
Jared Goff really struggled to get anything going last week, but this should be a different story against the porous Falcons pass defense. The Rams offensive line has really struggled in pass protection of late, grading out as one of the worst teams in football and that has been the demise of Goff. I still question Goff’s ability to carry the team to a victory if necessary, but I don’t think that will be the case this week.
Goff’s receivers are some of the best in football and the emergence of Everett as a pass catching threat should make this offense even scarier moving forward. Cooper Kupp is the clear favorite of Goff, but both Cooks and Woods have the ability to have big games at all times.
The Rams backfield has underperformed this year due to Todd Gurley’s injuries and the lack of a true backup emerging from the pack. Gurley should be back and be the lead back in this game, but I expect most of the damage to be done through the air in this game on both sides.
The Falcons running game has struggled mightily at just 3.8 yards per carry so far this season. The Rams are allowing the 4th fewest yards per carry on the season and this is not a spot where I expect their production to go down. I expect a lot of passes from Matt Ryan on Sunday afternoon.
Ryan has a great group of receivers with Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mohamed Sanu, and Austin Hooper. With the addition of Jalen Ramsey, I expect him to shadow Julio for most of the game, meaning that the other three options should see something like 25 targets in this game. I expect two of the three to have a major game if Julio is used to draw attention from Ramsey like I expect.
Spread Pick
The Rams are 3 point favorites in this spot on the road and I think that this line is a really good one. If the Rams pass protection holds up, I expect them to hit the over on their team total with ease, but I am still a little skeptical with just how bad they have been. At home, I think this line should be a bit closer to the Falcons, so I’ll take the Falcons and the points and I LOVE the over 54.5 here with so many pass attempts expected.
