Defending NFC Champion LA Rams Given +650 Odds to Make Playoffs After Bad Week 12 Loss

• The LA Rams’ odds to make the playoffs have dropped to +650
• The team is a game over .500 and seventh in the NFC
• But they are two games back of a Wild Card spot with just five remaining and a tough schedule, to boot

The Los Angeles Rams have lost two of their last three games to drop to 6-5, two games back of the Minnesota Vikings for the second Wild Card in the NFC.

While they are still in the hunt, their NFL playoff odds have grown much longer given their recent efforts. Is there any chance that this team turns it around and still qualifies for the playoffs or is “No” the right bet on this prop at extremely short odds?

Los Angeles Rams Playoff Odds

Odds taken on November 28th.

Rams Get Pummeled On Monday Night Football

The Rams have had an up-and-down season but Monday was a low point when they were smoked 45-6 at home by the Baltimore Ravens. It was the worst home loss in franchise history. Quarterback Jared Goff had 212 passing yards with a paltry 5.7 average yards-per-attempt with no touchdowns and two picks.

As for the rest of the offense, he had little help as Todd Gurley ran for just 22 yards while the receiving corps was mostly ineffective outside of Robert Woods. Worse yet, it’s looked like head coach Sean McVay – the offensive guru – has no solutions to these problems.

Rams Offense Has Disappeared

It’s hard to believe what’s happened to the Rams offense, which was among the best in the NFL the last two seasons. The Rams led the NFL in points per game in 2017 with 29.9 and were second last season with 32.9.

This year, they’ve been a shell of themselves, scoring just 22.6 PPG. They’ve trended down as the season has progressed.

Last Monday, the Rams failed to even score a touchdown. Quarterback Jared Goff, who threw a total of 60 touchdowns the last two seasons, didn’t throw a single TD in the month of November. He now has 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the year.

As for running back Todd Gurley, he’s gone from being an MVP contender to a non-factor. He surpassed the 1,800-yard mark in each of the last two seasons; he won’t crack 1,000 this year at this current pace. Meanwhile, concussions have limited the effectiveness of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. He’s averaging 48.2 YPG this year, compared to 75.5 YPG in his first season with the team.

It’s worth noting that the coaching staff was depleted in the offseason. Remember that McVay used to have Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor on his staff as the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks coach. Losing both of those bright offensive minds is having an impact here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ5hfIew94I

Add it up and this unit is now a complete mess. It’s rife with overpaid, underproducing stars and an offensive line that’s a complete sieve. On top of that, McVay simply doesn’t have any answers. This unit isn’t guiding anyone to the playoffs.

What’s The Best Bet?

The best bet in this spot in “no” for two reasons. One part of it is the Rams flaws, which we’ve covered.

The second part of it is the math. While the Rams are currently in seventh place in the NFC playoff picture, they’re  two games back of the Vikings for the final spot, as mentioned.

The Rams face an uphill battle to catch Minnesota as three of the Vikings’ final five games are at home and the road game at the Chargers will probably feel like a home game. The Rams could also possibly catch Seattle (9-2) but they’re three games back of the surging Seahawks, so that’s an even longer shot.

On top of that, the Rams schedule isn’t favorable. They’ll basically have to win out to have a shot here and they have games left against Seattle, Dallas and San Francisco, and the way they’re playing now, even wins against Arizona (two games left) are no guarantees.

This team is a hard no in terms of making the playoffs.

Pick: No (-450)