Crisis meeting in Los Angeles

On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos will meet in a crisis meeting at SoFi Stadium. Both teams disappointed all along the line this season and will not participate in the playoffs. While the Rams have only one win from their last eight games, the visitors have two full victories in the same period. Although both teams are struggling, betting odds point to an away win between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos.

The hosts are currently on three home wins and seem to perform a little better with their own fans behind them. On the other hand, the Broncos have only won one game away from home. Contrary to the odds, we expect a game of equals. Denver is extremely weak on offence and for this reason alone we believe that the bookmakers’ odds between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos are not optimal.

Since the Broncos have only managed to pick up one win away from home – and that was in Jacksonville – we don’t really believe in a win for the visitors. At least the odds of 1.67 on an away win have no value in our estimation, because the teams are on a par in terms of play. Therefore, we recommend betting on the hosts between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Nuggets. The odds are 2.30 and have significantly more value in such a close match-up.

Los Angeles Rams – Statistics & current form

The reigning champions are in second-to-last place in the National Football League this season. In the NFC West, the Rams are even in last place. All hopes for the NFL playoffs have already fizzled out. Nevertheless, the season is not over for Los Angeles, because the team can still avoid a negative record. For that to happen, however, Sean McVady’s team would have to pick up at least two wins in the next three games.

The big injury worries

The Rams’ season has been plagued by injuries. LA is missing its starting quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Cooper Kupp has also been unable to suit up for weeks due to an ankle injury. Allen Robinson, Jacob Harris, JJ Koski and Ben Skowronek are other pass receivers missing. On the defensive side, Coach McVady has to do without important players like Aaron Donald or Marquise Copeland. It is therefore not surprising that the reigning champions are having major problems this season.

Cam Akers as a lone striker

The running back is one of the few players on the offense who has been spared from injury. He is also the only injury-free player to find himself in the top-50 individual rankings. He ranks 44th league-wide with 441 rushing yards and is also the Rams’ top scorer with four touchdowns. In the running game, however, Los Angeles is one of the weakest teams in the NFL. Therefore, the chances against the Denver Broncos are not very good.

Can the defence save the win?

The Rams’ defence is pretty solid, allowing an average of just 22.9 points. Especially against the run game, the host’s defence stands very well and with only 104.5 allowed rushing yards per game. This puts Coach McVady’s team in fourth place in the National Football League. With the Denver Broncos being the weakest team in the league on offence, the Rams’ defence should allow few points. The visitors have no discernible strengths to doubt that.

Key players for the Los Angeles Rams:
QB: Baker Mayfield – RB: Cam Akers – WR: Van Jefferson – ML: Bobby Wagner – K: Matt Gay

Denver Broncos – Statistics & Current Form

The Broncos are also in second to last place, but just in the American Football Conference. With only four wins from 14 games, Nathaniel Hackett’s team is playing a very disappointing season. Denver is in last place in the AFC West and has no chance of making the playoffs. So they lack a bit of pressure to play at the highest level in the coming weeks. But maybe this will have the opposite effect and the team will suddenly play liberated.

Russell Wilson relegated to the bench

After failing to impress in twelve games, the Broncos’ starting quarterback was substituted for Brett Rypien in the game against Kansas City. In the following game against the Arizona Cardinals, Russell Wilson remained without action and will have to watch next weekend as well. With only eleven touchdown passes he is one of the weakest quarterbacks in the NFL. It remains to be seen whether Wilson’s career will continue in Denver next season.

The NFL’s weakest offense

The Broncos are averaging just 15.9 points per game and are so far down the league for good reason. In fourteen games, Denver has only scored more than 20 points four times. Neither in the passing game nor in the running game has Nathaniel Hackett’s team been able to convince with good performances. If there is one player to highlight, it is Jerry Jeudy, who is the best offensive player on the visitors’ side with 663 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

It’s shaping up to be a defensive battle

The football Denver is playing results in few points for the fans to marvel at. Not only are the Broncos scoring few points, they are conceding very few points. They average 18.1 per game. That makes them third in the league-wide comparison. This is mainly due to the good defence against the passing game, as the opponents only manage 194.5 passing yards on average.

Key players for the Denver Broncos:
QB: Brett Rypien – RB: Latavius Murray – WR: Jerry Jeudy – IL: Josey Jewell – K: Brandon McManus

Los Angeles Rams – Denver Broncos Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The visitors have a narrow lead in the direct comparison, as Denver have won 13 of 24 duels against the Rams. The last two meetings took place in the preseason and do not have much significance. One thing does stand out, however: In only one of the past five meetings have more than 29 points been scored. For this reason, our prediction between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos goes in the direction of a tip on a few points.

Los Angeles Rams – Denver Broncos Tip

The bookmakers favour the visitors from Denver in this game. We cannot rule out a win for the Broncos in this duel, because the teams are too close for that. However, we expect a very close game, especially since the guests hardly score any points on average. For this reason, we are betting on a handicap win for the home team of +5.5 points between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos

Overall, a lot points to a low-scoring game. We can well imagine that most of the offensive action will be nipped in the bud and more likely to result in field goals. Therefore, between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos, we think the Under 39.5 point odds are interesting.