After their huge win on the Wild Card edition of Monday Night Football, the Los Angeles Rams now travel to Philadelphia to take on the battle-tested Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a solid win over the Green Bay Packers in which they rushed the ball efficiently and played excellent defense. Two teams playing their best football of the season will take the field in this NFC Divisional Round playoff matchup.
What’s the best bet when these two hot teams face off? Here’s our preview, which includes a prediction, using the best NFL odds from the top sportsbooks.
NFL Pick: Eagles -6 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 19, 2024 – 03:00 PM ET at Lincoln Financial Field
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams moved to 6-1 ATS in the last seven games with their 27-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. The Rams ended the Vikings’ dream season and also made a statement to the league to not count them out yet. The Rams are the only team left in the NFC to have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback on their roster.
Matthew Stafford was valiant in the face of pressure against the Vikings. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores brought the blitz early and often and Stafford stayed poised and delivered. Even in the face of constant pressure, Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Stafford’s poise was in stark contrast to the opposing quarterback, Sam Darnold, who was completely rattled in the face of pressure. It is safe to say that Stafford’s ability to get things done under duress was the difference in this game.
Stafford will need that poise going against an aggressive Philadelphia defense. However, there will be some differences. Philadelphia does not blitz with as many men but relies on their elite defensive line play to get pressure with only four receivers. This means that even under pressure, Stafford will have more defenders to worry about when making his reads. The ability of the Eagles to get pressure with just four men will be key in this matchup.
Another thing this recent stretch of play has proved is that the Los Angeles Rams have completely retooled their defense in an exciting way. Two years ago, the Rams were old and slow. Through good draft picks and development, the Rams are now young and fast on the defensive end. They have excellent defensive line play and their cornerbacks hold up well in coverage.
The Rams have a solid defense although their performance at the beginning of the season makes their stats look not as impressive. If you sort by the games in just December and January, you will see that this Rams defense is one of the best in the league.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a solid, workmanlike victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Eagles relied on their solid play in the trenches on both sides of the ball to get the win. The Eagles used running back Saquon Barkley to control the clock and Jalen Hurts was effective in the red zone for the Eagles win.
After the first four games, the Eagles had a mediocre defense. Since then, the greatness of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has shown through. The Eagles went from average to one of the top defenses in the league. It took Fangio a little time to install his scheme, but now the Eagles are back to being a defensive juggernaut.
In the metric of yards allowed, the Eagles have the top-rated defense in the league, only averaging 278.4 yards against. They are second in the league in passing yards against, averaging 192.1 passing yards against. This will be key going against a Rams’ offense that is based around the passing attack and is 10th in the league at 240.9 yards per game.
Key Matchup: Eagles Defensive Line vs. Rams Offensive Line
If the Eagles are able to get pressure with just four men rushing the passer, the extra defensive backs and coverage could make things troublesome for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his crew of excellent wide receivers. The Eagles’ ability to get pressure with four will be the key to this game. If the Eagles can get pressure without bringing extra defenders, their defense should be strong enough to slow down this high-powered Rams passing attack.
If the Eagles are forced to bring a blitz in order to give Stafford pressure, this will play right into the great quarterback’s hands and he will eat apart the blitz like he did against Minnesota. The key to this game is the Eagles getting pressure with only their defensive line rushing the passer.
The Pick
The Rams exposed the Vikings to be a fraudulent team. Unfortunately for the Rams, the Eagles are legitimate. The Rams will find that out this week when they travel to Philadelphia. The Eagles are simply better in all facets of the game.
The small advantage that the Rams have is that Matthew Stafford is slightly better than Jalen Hurts, but in this case, it will not be enough. The Eagles will put forth another master class. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win by double digits. Lay the points with the Eagles. The best bet for this game is Philadelphia Eagles -6.
NFL Pick: Eagles -6 (-110) at Bet365
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