With the strong play of several rookie quarterbacks around the league, Los Angeles Rams’ No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff had a lot to live up to in his debut. Unfortunately for the Rams, the offense showed the same ability to be absolutely terrible under Goff as it was with Case Keenum running the show. We can’t judge Goff’s career off one game and the situation will be a little different in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, but the lid has been removed and there’s no going back now.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 12 game is set for Sunday, November 27, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Los Angeles Rams +7
New Orleans Saints -7
Over/Under 46
Odds Analysis
Both teams are used to playing close games so the line seems a bit skewed. Still, the Saints are getting better than 75 percent of the early spread wagers. The Saints have tightened the screws defensively and the Rams are strong on that side of the ball leading to nearly 60 percent of the total wagers going for the under.
Injury Report
Mark Ingram – The Saints finally struck a nice balance on offense with the run and pass game, now that might be in jeopardy following Ingram’s entrance into the league’s concussion protocol. If the Saints are unable to run the football with Tim Hightower, the Rams front four will tee off on Drew Brees.
Player to Watch
Jeff Fisher and the Rams have their reasons for handling Goff the way they have this season. We just don’t know what those reasons are. Fisher has said since training camp that the No. 1 pick wasn’t ready and that’s why he didn’t play. It sounds like the company line to me, but that’s all we have to off, so we will. If Goff is all of a sudden ready to take on the chores of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, at least the Rams could give him the chance to be successful. L.A.’s play-calling and offensive execution was so vanilla against the Dolphins on Sunday Goff even looked frustrated on the field.
The Rams made a big investment in Goff, but he’s a football player not a money market CD. He’s not going to get better sitting on his ass and he’s not going to pay off for the club if he isn’t allowed to do what he was drafted for. The move to start Goff last week was a wise one. It keeps the fan base interested and, more importantly, got fannies in the seats. The weather didn’t cooperate and that was likely a reason for the conservative game plan, but I expect that will change Sunday. The Rams are in a controlled environment and they’re going against a team that considers defense optional. I think we’re going to see the Rams air it out against the Saints and Goff will be in for a big day.
Free ATS Pick
Having to rely on their defense to beat the Dolphins on Sunday, the Rams failed. It’s a group that just got worn out and had no margin for error after the offense failed to generate much of anything. At some point the offense will have to catch up and when it does the Rams could be a decent team. The only question is will the offense ever come around? That’s why the club traded for the No. 1 pick to get a top notch quarterback, something the Rams haven’t had since the days of Kurt Warner.
Goff is the center of attention now and the Rams are banking on him progressing into worthiness of the top pick. He better have more success against the Saints or it could be a longer afternoon for his mates on the defensive side of the ball. Goff didn’t turn the ball over, which was a positive, but the Rams managed just 227 total yards and never had a red zone possession. He’ll need to put up points to beat the Saints and I don’t think he’s ready to get into a shootout with Drew Brees. The Rams will keep the score close thanks to their stingy defense, making the under a solid play, but the Saints escape with a victory.
NFL Odds: Saints 24, Rams 20
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