Rams Super Bowl 53 Odds the Longest They’ve Been Since Week 2
- The Los Angeles Rams have lost back-to-back games for the first time this NFL season.
- They’ve lost their grip on home-field in the NFC.
- The Rams have slipped significantly in Super Bowl 53 futures.
The toast of the NFL for much of the 2018 season, as the league enters the stretch run, the Los Angeles Rams suddenly look like they’re toast. Since clinching the NFC West title, they’ve lost two games in a row and squandered home-field advantage in the NFC. Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley is ailing and the defense can’t stop anybody.
Suddenly, bettors can get some pretty solid odds on the Rams to win Super Bowl 53. Oddsmakers currently list the Rams, the outright favorite not so long ago, as their second choice. But the odds of +425 on the Rams are the highest since Week 2, when they were +610 to win the Super Bowl.
Odds to Win Super Bowl 53
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | +260 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +425 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +550 |
| New England Patriots | +700 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | +750 |
Should you abandon the Rams and look elsewhere for a Super Bowl pick, or is now the time to jump on LA and get favorable odds?
What’s Up With Todd Gurley?
Alarm bells went off when Gurley was forced out of Sunday’s 30-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The NFL leader in touchdowns (21) and the league’s second-leading rusher (1,251 yards) is listed as day-to-day with knee inflammation but is expected to play this Sunday against the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals.
#LARams Sign Veteran RB C.J. Anderson
Read 📰 » https://t.co/pxXctKfgnY pic.twitter.com/rDDtlfjMa1
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 18, 2018
Backups Malcolm Brown and Justin Davis are both dealing with shoulder injuries. On Tuesday, former 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Anderson was claimed off waivers.
Can Anybody Come To The Rams’ Defense?
When the Rams coughed up 51 points to the Kansas City Chiefs, everybody just chuckled because they tallied 54 points of their own. But now that the offense has gone dry, the defense is being exposed.
Over the last six games, the Rams have allowed an NFL-high 188 points, and the Saints have allowed an NFL-low 74 points.
If it's a Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game, I know which defense I'm trusting to shut down the opposing offense.
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 18, 2018
The Rams scored just 29 points combined the past two games, the first time all season that they’ve gone consecutive games without putting 30 up on the board. Meanwhile, no NFL team has given up more points than the 188 they’ve surrendered over the past six games.
The Simmer Of ’69
In 1969, the Rams rolled to an 11-0 start and were everyone’s pick to win the Super Bowl. Then they lost their last three games of the 14-game season, blew home-field, had to go on the road to Minnesota to open the playoffs, and lost.
The Los Angeles Rams had better fix their 2-game skid quickly.
Because the Chicago Bears have no problems with stealing their 1st round bye in the Playoffs:https://t.co/Z3Gq04kg1k#DaBears pic.twitter.com/8VRsmgplRA
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 18, 2018
Not only have the Rams basically handed home-field to the Saints, if they aren’t careful, they will find themselves playing in the Wild Card round.
Are these Rams a good Super Bowl bet? As Paul Newman said to Jessica Tandy in the movie Nobody’s Fool when she asked him if he wanted some tea: No. Not now. Not ever.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
