The Rams were quietly one of the best teams in the NFC behind a stout defense led by All-Pros Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. The defense hasn’t gone anywhere down the back stretch of the season– the offense has. Jared Goff has reverted back to his rookie season that was laced with mistakes and lapses in judgement with his throws. Sean McVay was able to mask his limitations, but teams are starting to figure the Rams’ offense out.
While their season is far from over, storylines about offseason decisions are already beginning to draw attention in Los Angeles. Defense wins championships, but only if the offense is pulling its own weight. It’s hard to see them contend with Green Bay and New Orleans in the NFC playoff race.
It’s up to McVay and crew to prove everyone wrong this postseason.
LA Rams Divisional Round odds
After John Wolford was knocked out of the Rams’ Wild Card game against the Seahawks, banged-up starter Jared Goff entered the game and advanced the Rams to the Divisional Round. They get a matchup with the Green Bay Packers off the Packers’ first round bye. Los Angeles is a underdog in this one.
The story is around the matchups between All Pro players on each roster: Jalen Ramsey matches up against 2020’s top receiver, Davante Adams, while Aaron Donald squares off against All Pro center Corey Linsley. Donald left last week’s Wild Card game with an abdominal injury, but is expected to play. Goff will also be ready to go, but he won’t be playing at 100% (as demonstrated last week). Should he have to be sidelined for any reason, Blake Bortles is the ready backup. The Rams are also dealing with a beat up offensive line, including an injury to starting guard David Edwards.
Green Bay is PFF’s top-graded team all around, ranking first in total offense, eighth in total defense, and third in coverage. In the Packers’ three losses this season, they gave up 122 rushing yards per game and five rushing touchdowns. Lead backs in those losses averaged 25 carries per game, while opposing lead backs averaged just 14 carries per game in Packers’ wins. The Rams run the football eighth-most frequently in the NFL (44.5%).
READ MORE: Packers vs. Rams NFL Playoff Betting Preview
Rams prop bets
Search below for LA Rams team or player props currently being offered at sportsbooks. You can also look around at other teams and players using this tool. Happy shopping!
Rams futures odds
LA Rams Super Bowl odds
The Rams are far from the favorites to win Super Bowl LV, but hold some of the higher odds among Wild Card teams at +2200.
NFC West odds
The Los Angeles Rams were eliminated from the NFC West race with their Week 16 loss to the Seahawks.
Rams player props
Despite his poor efficiency last year, Goff still passed for 4,638 yards with a career-high 626 attempts. That was well over his prop of 4,150.5 passing yards last season and it makes the Over a smart bet on his prop of 4,350.5 passing yards this season. If the Rams struggle to run the ball again next year, they’ll throw more, and if they succeed on the ground, Goff will have more opportunities to take deep shots.
There is also a market of Cooper Kupp topping 1,120.5 receiving yards (+110 odds at DK). Kupp tallied 1,161 yards last year in his comeback season from an ACL tear. He could see more targets with Cooks gone and has long been a favorite option for Goff.
Aaron Donald is the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year with +700 odds at DK and +750 odds at FanDuel. Goff is getting +5000 odds to win MVP and +9000 odds to win Offensive Player of the Year at FanDuel.
Los Angeles Rams 2020 schedule and betting odds
| Week | Date (Time) | Opponent | Opening Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, Sep. 13 (8:20 p.m. ET) | vs. Dallas | Cowboys -2.5 |
| 2 | Sunday, Sep. 20 (1 p.m. ET) | at Philadelphia | Eagles -4.5 |
| 3 | Sunday, Sep. 27 (1 p.m. ET) | at Buffalo | TBD |
| 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. NY Giants | Rams -6.5 |
| 5 | Sunday, (1 p.m. ET)Oct. 11 | at Washington | TBD |
| 6 | Sunday, Oct. 18 (8:20 p.m. ET) | at San Francisco | TBD |
| 7 | Monday, Oct. 26 (8:15 p.m. ET) | vs. Chicago | TBD |
| 8 | Sunday, Nov. 1 (1 p.m. ET) | at Miami | TBD |
| 9 | BYE | TBD | |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15 (4:25 p.m. ET) | vs. Seattle | TBD |
| 11 | Monday, Nov. 23 (8:15 p.m. ET) | at Tampa Bay | TBD |
| 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. San Francisco | TBD |
| 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Arizona | TBD |
| 14 | Thursday, Dec. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET) | vs. New England | Rams -1.5 |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 20 (TBA) | vs. NY Jets | TBD |
| 16 | Sunday, Dec. 27 (4:05 p.m. ET) | at Seattle | TBD |
| 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 (4:25 p.m. ET) | at Arizona | TBD |
How to bet on the LA Rams
Futures
There is understandable value for the Rams to win the Super Bowl or the NFC considering the strength of their division. The 49ers are expected to repeat as NFC champions and the Seahawks are expected to potentially finish second in the NFC West and maybe earn another Wild Card spot. That left the Rams with +3300 odds to win the SB at DraftKings Sportsbook, meaning a $10 bet on the Rams to win it all would profit $330 if successful. You can place similar bets on the Rams to win the NFC or the NFC West but none of those outcomes should be considered likely.
Moneyline
Instead, you can look to target individual Rams games and try to find value by taking them on the point spread or the moneyline. While a point spread requires a favorite to win by a certain amount of points, the moneyline is a simple way to bet on the winner. Teams that are expected to win are assigned negative odds, with the Rams moneyline set at -594 in their easiest game (against the Bengals) last season. While they won, 24-10, a $20 moneyline bet on the Rams would have only generated $3.40 of profit.
Point spread
The Rams were great against the point spread last season, which is set around a key number (usually around 3 or 7 points) to generate action on both sides of the line. Underdogs get a few points and will be listed as +7 for example, as the Rams were in Week 16 when they visited the 49ers. Because the Rams lost, 34-31, taking the Rams on the point spread would’ve cashed at -110 odds on most sportsbooks.
Total (over/under)
Each NFL game is also assigned a point total referring to the combined score between both competing teams. The market on the Rams was up in 2019 after their offense erupted throughout the 2018-19 season, but they came up well short of expectations offensively. With their defense playing well, 9 of their 16 games went Under the expected point total. These totals can vary greatly depending on weather and the strengths of the opposition. For example, the Rams beat the Bears, 17-7, in a game with a 40-point Over/Under, whereas their Week 2 win against the Saints had a lofty 52.5-point O/U.
Prop bets
There is intrigue regarding how Jared Goff will perform in 2020 and there are proposition bets to consider on the QB. A prop bet, found under the tab titled “Player Totals,” can offer a market on a player’s statistical output for a given season. Goff has been assigned a total of 4,350.5 passing yards or 24.5 TD passes at -110 odds at DK. If Goff tosses 25 or more TD passes, a $20 bet on Goff’s prop would cash $38.50.
Parlays and teasers
Taking a parlay or teaser is an advanced betting strategy that can generate better odds. A parlay refers to combining bets on the moneyline, point spread, or point total from the same game or multiple games in an NFL week. If all the bets are successful, the payout is multiplied by the combined odds of each bet. However if one bet fails, the bettor gets nothing.
A teaser provides the same opportunity to combine bets, but moves each bet in a favorable direction with the point spread and/or point total usually moving 4 to 6 points in a generous direction. The odds are diminished for each bet since the outcome has become more likely.
Rams 2019 recap
Record: 9-7
ATS: 10-5-1
The Rams started their title defense with three strong wins, including a resounding 27-9 victory over the Saints. But then their defense sprung leaks in a 55-40 loss to Tampa Bay and they followed with key divisional losses to the Seahawks and 49ers. They went 1-4 the rest of the way against teams with winning records and finished third in the NFC West at 9-7.
Aside from their collapse against the Bucs, the Rams played excellent defense in 2019, finishing 10th in both DVOA rush and pass defense. That unit posted the seventh-most 3-and-outs per drive, but finished 30th in points allowed per red zone trip (5.29) last season. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald was once again named Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus, although Stephon Gillmore won the official NFL award.
McVay built an offensive monster that averaged 32.9 PPG in 2018 by feeding Todd Gurley to open up play-action and give Jared Goff easy opportunities to hit his receivers over the middle. With Gurley hobbled by a knee injury and the offensive line struggling in 2019, the Rams dropped to 20th in DVOA rush offense. Teams began playing a six-man front against the Rams and Goff couldn’t capitalize, as he posted the eighth-worst QBR among starting QBs last year. His passer rating dropped from 101.1 to 86.5 with a rough 22:16 TD:INT ratio. With their QB and RBs struggling, the Rams finished 24th in time of possession and 18th in points per drive last season.
However, the Rams were great from a betting perspective last year. They went 10-5-1 against the spread (ATS) and were 5-1-1 ATS after a loss. They went 8-4-1 ATS as favorites and 6-2 ATS on the road. When the Rams were listed as underdogs, all three of those games went Over the assigned point total. When they were favored, though, 9 of those 13 games went Under the point total.
Rams 2020 offseason moves
Key re-signings: Andrew Whitworth, OT (three years, $30 million); Michael Brockers, DT (three years, $24 million)
Key trade departure: Brandin Cooks, WR (to Texans)
Key free-agent losses: Todd Gurley, RB (released, signed by Falcons); Nickell Robey-Coleman, CB (to Eagles); Cory Littleton, LB (to Raiders); Dante Fowler, LB (to Falcons); JoJo Natson, WR (to Browns), Greg Zuerlein, K (to Cowboys)
Key free-agent signings: Leonard Floyd, EDGE (from Bears); A’Shawn Robinson, DT (from Lions)
Key draft picks: Cam Akers, RB (2nd round); Van Jefferson, WR (2nd round); Terrell Lewis, EDGE (3rd round); Terrell Burgess, S (3rd round)
The Rams lost some notable names by releasing Gurley and trading Cooks to the Texans for a second-round pick. But those moves cleared space for new blood at RB and they used that pick to draft Jefferson, who should step up at WR along with Josh Reynolds. The bigger losses for the Rams are on special teams with one of the best kickers in the NFL walking to a conference rival and Robey-Coleman moving on to Philly.
Both Gurley and LB Clay Matthews (cut to save $3.75M in cap space) have filed grievances that the Rams are refusing to pay them guaranteed money. The Rams forked over $10M to sign Leonard Floyd, who plays the run much better than he rushes the passer. Clearly the Rams made re-signing Whitworth a priority for good reason, since he’s the last elite lineman held over from their dominant 2018 season. This front office continues to bungle things and the Rams Futures odds are declining as a result.