Rams' Rough Night: A Game Lost Amid NFL Playoff Odds

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00:00Give the Dolphins credit, they won the game, but the Rams also lost it.

00:07I agree with you wholeheartedly. That was an ugly performance from the Rams, and there's really no reason for it.

00:15When you look at, they were getting healthier on the offensive line, and that might have been what screwed them up a little bit,

00:21because they didn't look fully comfortable with the center quarterback exchange at times.

00:26I know Jonah Jackson used to play guard and has moved to center this year for the Rams,

00:30so I don't know if him returning from injury and going back into that role was a little bit difficult,

00:35but I thought Matthew Stafford had a particularly brutal game.

00:39It seemed like every time the Rams needed him to make a play, he had a big negative moment.

00:45I mean, we saw both quarterbacks took some ugly-looking sacks that took their teams out of field goal range at times,

00:52but Staffords were particularly bad because you'd see him under pressure, and you would just say to yourself,

00:56all right, just throw this ball away or try to throw the check down, and he would just kind of hang on to it

01:01and turtle up and then create these long field goal opportunities for Joshua Cardi,

01:05who did very well making five of his six kicks, but that missed one ended up costing them

01:10because they could have had a chance at that game-tying touchdown drive late, but they were down two scores instead.

01:17So I thought between that and Sean McVay's strange lack of aggressiveness when they had that fourth and goal

01:22where Stafford didn't see that he had Kyron Williams for a check down touchdown and decided to kick it,

01:28I thought that was strange, too, just very not McVay-like in terms of not trying to go for the touchdown

01:34when you're at the three-yard line, so it just seemed like an off night for the Rams,

01:37but I'm not reading too much into it, but like you, I was very surprised that they kind of came out completely flat

01:43and that one didn't show up.

01:45Yeah, home game, too, for them, and there isn't a team in the NFL that has now lost more odds,

01:51I guess it's fair to say, than the Rams on making the playoffs and winning the division.

01:55I mean, just take a look at this now.

01:57All of a sudden, they went from one of the favorites to win the NFC West to 9-1.

02:02To make the playoffs, they're plus 470.

02:05I believe this number was like 250 or 300 even yesterday,

02:08and let's take a look at the standings, too, guys, real quick here.

02:12The Cardinals are 6-4.

02:15These odds seem off to me, too.

02:16Like, I think I'd rather have – actually, the Cardinals beat the 49ers once this season,

02:20so I guess that means the 49ers must beat the Cardinals next time out,

02:24but I feel like that is where my value is, to take the 49ers to win the division.

02:29I think that loss last night, Jacob, may have doomed the Rams.

02:33I think you might be right.

02:34I still sort of like the value at 9-1 on them, though.

02:38I'm not going to lie.

02:39It's tough when you look at the performance last night and say to yourself,

02:42do I really want to back that?

02:43Is this offensive line really that bad?

02:45Are they going to struggle against veteran defensive lines where Calais Campbell

02:50and Zach Seeler are very good for the Dolphins?

02:52Is this O-line going to be able to block?

02:54So I get why people would not want to back that,

02:57but I still think that they have a lot of talent on offense,

03:00and if they stay healthy, it should come together a little bit better.

03:04But I think you're right.

03:05The safest bet among those where there's a little bit of value

03:08and you'd feel pretty good about it is the 49ers because that team's another

03:12team that they didn't have Christian McCaffrey the first half of the season.

03:15He's a really dynamic game changer for their offense.

03:18Jordan Mason was great with him out, but McCaffrey's three-down ability

03:22and just what he can do as a receiver fundamentally transforms that offense.

03:27So I think they're going to get a little hot.

03:29I like what the Cardinals are doing, but there's still a talent gap there.

03:33They remind me a little bit of Dan Campbell's first year with the Lions

03:36when the Lions didn't get a lot of wins that first year,

03:39and then in the second year they kind of made that late playoff push,

03:42didn't quite get there.

03:43I think Jonathan Gannon has built something similar where the Cardinals play

03:47really, really hard and really, really well for the personnel they have,

03:51but they're still trying to bridge the gap on defense.

03:53So I think you're dead right that the 49ers look like the best mix of value

03:57and potential, but I'm not counting out the Rams just yet.

04:00I'm hoping last night was a fluke, but I get it if you don't want to back them

04:03for sure.

04:06♪♪♪

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