The New England Patriots visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night in a game that can be seen on FOX and NFL Network. The Rams are tied for first in the NFC West, while the Patriots are battling for a Wild Card spot in the AFC. These teams met just two years ago in Super Bowl LIII, but each team looks different than it did back then, especially New England. Let’s look at the Thursday night matchup and NFL picks.
Watch this regular season NFL Week 14 matchup on Thursday, December 10, at 8:20 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium. Catch the game live on FOX and NFL Network and bet on NFL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +6.5
Los Angeles Rams -6.5
Total 44.5
Odds Analysis
The early line is moving toward the Patriots. As of this writing the Rams are 6.5-point favorites, but the line is likely going to 6. The public always remembers what they saw last and it is hard to be more impressive than the Patriots were last week, as they routed the Chargers 45-0. The Rams were also impressive in winning over Arizona, but early line movement is still going toward New England.
Injury Report
The Patriots have a few injuries to monitor heading into Thursday’s game. Cornerback Jonathan Jones left last week’s game with a neck injury and did not return. He is normally the team’s nickel back and a key player on special teams. He is third on the team in tackles this season. Cornerback J.C. Jackson left late in the fourth quarter. He was limited in practice last week with a hip injury. The Patriots also lost tight end Ryan Izzo to injury in the second half of last week’s game against the Chargers. He is questionable for this week’s game with a neck injury.
Key Matchup
The key matchup in this game will be Jared Goff and his wide receivers against the New England secondary. The Rams are 5th in the league in passing yards per game and the Patriots are just 14th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. We mentioned the injury concerns in the New England secondary, so the Rams may have an immediate advantage. There is also no question that Goff is going to want to show up big and have a good game against Belichick’s defense. Look for the Rams to exploit what is no longer a great New England secondary.
Game Trends
The Patriots are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against the Rams. The Patriots are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games on the road. New England has gone under in four of their last five games. The Rams have gone under the total in 7 of their last 9 games. Five of the last seven in this series have gone under the total.
Free ATS Pick
It is always risky to give Belichick points, but this matchup favors the Rams. The Patriots did look good last week in a win over the Chargers, but if you look close you will see that much of their success came on defense and because of special teams. The Patriots are still not a good offensive team and while the defense is good, it is not great. The Rams are better on both sides of the ball and they should get this win. I’ll take the Rams minus the points and also play the game to go under the total.
NFL Pick: Rams 24, Patriots 13
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