Raiders vs Rams odds and predictions for NFL Thursday Night Football Week 14
With the Raiders’ post season hopes hanging by the barest of threads, this Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams is crucial
Week 14 begins with a classic west coast matchup as the Raiders travel to SoFi Stadium to meet the Rams in a game that can salvage Las Vegas’ playoff hopes, or a modicum of pride for the defending champs.
Raiders vs Rams: the outlook
Both of these teams are staring down the barrel of a short season, with the Raiders still clinging to a very thin thread of hope that they can make the playoffs, and the Rams all but out of the picture.
With the slide that the Raiders started the season on, losing seven of their first nine, it is almost miraculous that they have any hope at all, but seem to have turned a corner, winning their last three games straight.
The Rams, on the other hand, have been decimated by injury, now losing Super Bowl MVP Matthew Stafford for the rest of the season to a spinal cord contusion, and have lost six in a row, giving them the worst record through the first 12 games of any defending Super Bowl champion in history.
Baker Mayfield can’t save the day
In light of their quarterback devastation, the Rams immediately grabbed Baker Mayfield off waivers just a day after he was released by Carolina. They reportedly sent Mayfield the playbook to study on the flight out west and could possibly try his hand in the game on Thursday night, a fact that is both insane and telling of just how desperate Sean McVay’s squad is right now.
Setting aside the clear inability of a quarterback who has never even practiced with an offense taking the helm in a game, there is no way that Mayfield can do anything to help the Rams this week. With Cooper Kupp having ankle surgery and Aaron Donald out for what could be a long while with ankle trouble, the best that the Rams can hope for out of Mayfield is that he can grind out a few wins and slow the rot that is setting in.
The Raiders need more than solid defense
The Raiders have had a traditionally stingy defense, this year spearheaded by Maxx Crosby, whose 10.5 sacks are the fourth-best in the NFL, and while that is something that they can lean on, what has made the difference for them in recent weeks is the sudden awakening of their offensive production.
Josh Jacobs has had more rushing yards in each of the past three weeks than anyone else in the NFL, bringing his league-leading total to 482. Wideout Davante Adams has been sensational in the past few weeks, catching a season-high 177 yards last week and sitting fourth on the NFL receiver chart with 1176 yards out of 79 receptions.
Raiders vs Rams: The Odds
| Categories | Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Rams |
|---|---|---|
| Picks | -6 (-108) | +6 (-108) |
| Moneyline | -244 | +215 |
| Over/Under Points Total | o44.5 (-110) | u44.5 (-108) |
Raiders vs Rams: The Prediction
This game looks on paper to be a tight one, with only a six point spread. However, with all of the upheaval in Los Angeles combined with the way that the Raiders have begun to click, look for Las Vegas to easily cover the spread. Los Angeles will be lucky to stay within ten points of the Raiders and we are picking this one to end up with a 21-10 Raiders win.