Eagles
vs.
Rams
Week 14
NFL Pick
12/10/17
By: Jason Green
Philadelphia Eagles (10-2 SU 9-3 ATS) vs. L.A. Rams (9-3 SU 8-4 ATS)
The Eagles had their wings clipped in their last Game snapping their nine-Game winning streak, which dropped them into a tie with the Minnesota Vikings for the best record in the NFC. They still are still tied for the league’s highest scoring offense and the 6th ranked defense, but they are road underdogs in this Game facing the Rams, who have been the surprise of the league this season. Philly looks to bouNCe back against a legit Rams defense in LA LA LAnd and both of the Eagles losses this season have come on the road.
5Dimes sportsbook has the Rams as the 1-point favorite with a total of 48.
The Rams have won two in a row since losing to the Vikings and even at 9-4 the Seattle Seahawks, who they face on the road in their next Game, are only one Game back of them in the NFC West. They are tied with the Eagles for the highest scoring team in the NFL and rank tied for 7th in points allowed. Two of the losses for the Rams this season have been at home where they really don’t have much crowd support and even on the West Coast the Eagles may have the home field advantage.
The Eagles have covered the spread in their last Four Games facing the Rams, who they have not met since the 2014 season.
The Eagles lost to the Seahawks 24-10 in their last Game where they had more than 100 overall yards (425-310), but they had two turnovers and did not force any and they did not have a great day running the ball. While Carson Wentz, who is getting MVP buzz, passed for 348 yards with a TD and was picked off and sacked three times. Nelson Agholor had 141 receiving yards and Alshon Jeffery had 61 and the Rams secondary will have their hands full in this NFC match up. The RB duo of Jay Ajayi and LeGArrette Blount combined to rush for 51 yards and neither averaged over Four yards per carry.
L.A.’s defense has only given up more than 17 points in two of their last eight Games and while they rank a legit 9th in the league in pass D they only rank 27th in the league, but can Philly take advantage of that or will Wentz be shouldering the offensive load? Big question in this Game.
In their last Game the Rams were on the road and they beat the Arizona Cardinals 32-16. While they had one more forced turnover they rushed for fewer yards and were worse on 3rd down and they still won by 16 points. Jared Goff passed for 227 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT and RB Todd Gurley led the squad with 84 receiving yards. He also rushed for 74 yards and while only averaging 3.90 yards per carry he is dangerous on the ground and catching passes out of the backfield. He has to take some pressure off Goff in this Game, but that will not be easy since the Eagles rank 1st in the NFL: in pass defense.
The Eagles are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 Games, 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road Games, and in their last 5 Games they have an Under record of 4-1.
The Rams are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Games, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Games in December, and in their last 4 Games at home the Under record is 4-0.
Jason’s Pick: The Rams are for really and will really show it in this Game. Their defense will really step up and not only keep Wentz from having a big Game, but also defend the run well. This Game will be close, but L.A. will get the W and cover sending Philly to their 2nd straight loss.