Tag: LA Rams

The most disappointing NFL Teams of 2019

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There are a lot of teams that I could go with. The Los Angeles Chargers, the over-hyped Cleveland Browns, or the high expectation of the Dallas Cowboys.
But the team that I have to choose are the LA Rams. LA had some really high expectations as the reigning NFC champs. Then the Rams won just 3 of their first 6 games. Losing a shootout to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 55-40. The Buccaneers – a team with a QB who seems to love throwing the ball to the other team, as much as put TDs on the boards. With all of awesome talent they have on this team – I’m honestly not sure how that’s even possible. They seemed to only win the games they should win – vs the middling to bad teams this season.

The Rams returned this season with the core of guys from last season’s Super Bowl team – and returning to the big game, was surely their thought. But, the Rams not only failed to repeat a strong campaign, but they missed the playoffs. The Rams took a great big step forward in 2018, going 12-4 and getting to the Bowl – most saw them as being the team to beat in the NFC again this year. Then they started tumbling after their 3 game skid in late Sept to early October, where they just never seemed to get it back together.

Todd Gurley’s 2019 year, was far from being the player that we saw over the last few seasons. He put up just 57 YDs/game to last years 89 YDs/game – and only 31 receptions to last seasons 59 catches. His touches went way down – something was just not right with #30 this season – and we all witnessed it. QB Jared Goff was not sharp – passing inconsistency has been a key all year – his passing TD% of throws was the lowest since his rookie season in 2016 – he struggled in many ways to play like last year’s guy.
It felt like LA would make the final push for a ring in 2019. After such a great season in 2018 – nothing about the team really seemed to fire on all cylinders this year. Their rushing D was poor, their offense was shaky, and their Oline was just tolerable.
There was a lot more expected of the defense especially when they have Aaron Donald, Dante Fowler’s season, bringing in Clay Matthews, and then bringing in Jalen Ramsey. Donald was his usual dominant self – maybe not the ginormous wrecking ball that we saw last year – but he was excellent still. Ramsey brought a shutdown kind of play on the field and Fowler was all over the field in his best season ever. But, they still weren’t able to make the plays when needed, or stop teams from pounding the rock on the ground over and over.

They were expected to be far better than just going 9-7, that’s for sure – it is truly mystifying how the Rams have fallen since their Super Bowl.
It goes to show how fast things can turn around for any team, in a short while.

Super Bowl LIII-Playing the Popular Props

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With each Super Bowl comes a level of excitement for the NFL bettor. As fans we want our team to make it to the big dance but unfortunately that doesn’t often happen. Unless of course, you are a Patriots fan! If you happen to be a Patriots fan, then you are one of the lucky ones because this is Tom Brady’s 9th. Count them, 9! That’s a pile of Super Bowls and the even better news for Pats fans is the five wins. Brady has proven himself to arguably be the best quarterback to have ever played this game and he is going for number 6.

 

NFL Team Props – Betting for profit

 

What every fan wants to know is “how to bet”. There are literally dozens and dozens of ways in which to bet this contest and many folks feel as if they need to be a handicapper or have some kind of inside information. Now, let’s be honest, handicapping the game certainly goes a very long ways towards winning and if you are betting blind; that almost never works out. Do yourself a favor and don’t bet blind, come into this affair well-armed.

 

America’s Bookie, you’ll find a sportsbook that has a nice list of props that you can bet on

 

Betting the many props that are available from your online bookie is not only a fun and exciting way to go, it can be a huge money-maker. If you are tired of losing on the spread, money line or totals, then look to the great prop lines this year. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular proposition bets that are available.

 

  • Team to score first—This is a great one and this year the line is set at Patriots -120, now remember, any line can change so be sure to check with your favorite bookie for the latest odds and/or line movement. The Rams are -110. Who does score first? Typically, the Patriots are a slow starting team and they often are trailing at half time. This is certainly something to think about when betting on this prop. No matter who you chose, the one thing for sure, it’s going to make the first few minutes a very worthy watch.

 

  • Time of first score—This is a fun bet that goes hand in hand with the “team to score first”. If you play your cards right, you can kill two birds with one stone and win both bets in one shot. This bet is a yes or no. You will have the option to bet yes, there will be a score within the first five minutes, or no there will not be a score within the first five minutes. Any score counts so make your pick count. Yes +115, No -145.

 

  • First score of the game—How will it be scored? The first score is a TD, -180, any other score, +150. Plus 150 on any other score is a fantastic number and very attainable. There could easily be a field goal or even a safety for that matter.

 

Build Your Online Sportsbook Betting Plan for Super Bowl

 

These are a few of the popular prop bets that will be available for you to bet on. There are dozens and dozens more and you certainly have your pick from team props to player props and special props, such as special teams and defense, even the distance of field goals and the longest touchdown and longest rushing touchdown.

First and foremost, have fun. Make the Super Bowl something besides rooting for one side. That’s nerve racking. Live a little, put yourself in a position to win a stock pile of money. The Super Bowl only comes around once a year, make the most of it with prop bets.

 

NFL SUPER BOWL GAME BREAKDOWN

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The Super Bowl is on its way, along with all the hype and analysis
that comes with it. We get the New England Patriots, who are in their
4th Super Bowl in the last 7 years, vs the LA Rams, the team that has
gone through 13 losing seasons since 2004, but now have a new winning
and confident culture led by 33 year old Head Coach, Sean McVay.

New England has shown faith and resiliency with their aging QB, yet
again. The Rams are the hot young team with a flashy Head Coach, and
their young QB. What we are going to do, is a breakdown of each team
with their best attributes and possible weaknesses. To take a good
look at what they bring to the game, and who has the potential upper
hand in this seasons finale.

New England Patriots / 11-5
HEAD COACH: Bill Belichick
PPG / NFL RANK: 27.3 / 4th
OPPG / NFL RANK: 20.3 / 7th

PROS:
They have the man who fights all comers and wins, they have a player
who just keeps churning out W’s and still keeps putting up 4000 YDs
and 30TDs / year in Brady. Any team with Tom Brady on their roster has
a better chance to win than most.

New England has been in 16 postseasons over the last 18 seasons, this
is their 4th big game in the last 7 seasons. Regardless of if you like
them, hate them, or feel complete apathy towards them, this is still
their league, until they are buried for one and for all. At least
until Tom Brady retires, will the rest of the league feels like they
are the team to beat.

CONS:
Away from their home, the Patriots have not been great. With a 3-5
record and putting up just 21ppg, 6 below their average, and giving up
24ppg, 4 more than average. Although this game wouldn’t be considered
an away game, no more than away for both teams, and New England likely
have a larger fanbase than the Rams – but they still aren’t in in
their own stadium.

The run defense of New England is a very real problem. This season
having given up 4.9 YPC, and 6 games of 130 or more on the ground to
opponents, and the Rams certainly have a brutal running attack with
Gurley and Anderson running the rock. Which makes strength vs weakness
a classic and intriguing story to watch here.

XFACTOR:
James White and his sneaky ability to run for key yards and be able to
move the ball with surprising ease is going to be key. White is a guy
with great ability to get into open pockets and a smooth ability to
make big plays vs defenses, and Belichick loves to use him when teams
are on the backpedal. When White has 5 or more carries the Pats are
10-0.

========================================

Los Angeles Rams / 13-3
HEAD COACH: Sean McVay
PPG / NFL RANK: 32.9 / 2nd
OPPG / NFL RANK: 24.0 / 20th

PROS:
The balance between passing and running the ball is a distinct
advantage Los Angeles has here. With 2 WRs with 1200+ yard receiving
years, an aerial attack with a QB who can light it up for 300 in a
flash, along with a running game that ranked 2nd in the league with 23
TDs on the ground and had over 2200 YDs on the ground.

The brutal RB tandem of Todd Gurley and 230lb RB, C.J. Anderson is
awesome. Gurley is a really special back, who has produced double
digit TDs on the ground for 3 of the last 4 seasons, and had a total
of 1831 yards, including 580 in the air. Anderson has been a fantastic
find for Los Angeles – Anderson brings the punishment factor, that can
beat on or run through a weakened and tired Dline.

Aaron Donald and his relentlessness is coming, beware New England. The
27 year old DT brings a pass rush that the Pats will struggle to stop,
he is a game changer, and is a huge problem to deal with for any team,
and will be here vs the Pats. Bringing his league leading 20.5 sacks –
he will be awfully tough to control at the line.

CONS:
The Rams team with big named DBs, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib lack a
great passing defense. Giving up 31 TDs in the air this year they have
shown a lack of discipline when defending WRs. Which if you are a Pats
fan, you are ecstatic to have Julian Edelman and Brady clicking the
way they have been over the last 2 games. 16 catches, 247 YDs, and
15.4 YPC is going to be awfully hard for the Rams DBs to handle.

Sean McVay and his 24 year old QB, Jared Goff, can get pass heavy at
times. With 5 games where he threw 40 or more times, and 6 games of
running for less than 95 yards, they are not true to form and lack the
punch when they don’t move the ball on the ground. When they fall into
basing their offensive game scheme behind Goff and throwing the ball –
they are 2-3, the Rams and Goff need to run the ball. Gurley is still
the heart and soul of this team, and will be key here in this huge
matchup.

XFACTOR:
How the Rams and Wade Phillips defend the run game is going to be
enormously important. When they give up 110 or less on the ground,
they are 11-0, if they keep the running game of the Pats to those kind
of numbers or less, lock this in, the Los Angeles Rams will roll. But
if the Pats start dictating the pace and the Oline here with White and
Sony Michel, the Pats will likely be holding the trophy at the end.

Who has the most dangerous offense in the NFL

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There are a handful of teams that could make the case for having the best offense in the league this year. The Kansas City Chiefs and their lethal passing attack, the Los Angeles Rams and their balance, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wicked scoring are all worthy of conversation.
Being the best and most potent offense in the NFL isn’t an easy thing to do. With so many great players like Patrick Mahomes, Todd Gurley, and DeSean Jackson lighting it up for their teams, they are always a threat to bring offensive success to their teams.
There are so many variables that can be used to calculate and convey as to who is the best offensive team. So many things need to be considered from overall scoring, and yards, all the way to keeping sack pct down, and the teams efficiency. Looking at the league on the whole, VegasTopDogs will examine the top offensive teams and what they bring, and who is the best and most lethal monster that teams get concerned when they see them on the schedule. And on the Sunday afternoon, you know what you are stuck dealing with.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The end result and driving goal of any NFL offense is to move the football effectively and score lots of points, with putting up 34ppg. The Bucs are a huge threat. So what better way to determine the most dangerous offense, than to examine the Buccaneers and their powerful scoring ability? Tampa Bay has put up the top passing yards/game and 34 pts/game over 3 games this season.
Tampa Bay beyond just being very good moving the ball, they take care of the ball really well. The Buccaneers also have a great and highly unexpected WR and QB connection – with 36 year old Ryan Fitzpatrick and fellow veteran WR, 32 year old DeSean Jackson, which has been a ton of fun to watch their rejuvenation. They lack any significant RB and a good running game, but they make up for it with sure handed O.J. Howard at TE, along with a strong OLine. Tampa Bay are great at devouring yards, and a revamped DeSean Jackson is making them extremely explosive, and has been making some big plays. And of course, we cannot forget the sure handed Mike Evans, he and Jackson are racking up massive yardage on the field, as the duo are a consistent threat to anyone they play. There guys have been generating some takeaways, as well, which gives the Buccaneers some good field position because of it.
Who wouldn’t like to have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense so far?
Los Angeles Rams
There is an awesome balance on the Los Angeles Rams offense that’s not really seen through a whole lot of teams in terms of play calling and passing attempts to rushing attempts, but in different areas of moving the ball, and still calculating yards. QB Jared Goff has thrown for over 1400 yards and 11 TDs, and has completed a whopping 72% of his pass attempts. Many fans would love to have the Los Angeles offense taking the field for them. With Goff and steady TD threat, Todd Gurley – doing what they do, what fan in their right mind, wouldn’t feel super confident with them stepping on the gridiron?
One of the purest determining factors of the Rams making a genuine case to having the best offense in the NFL, is that they are 2nd the NFL in takeaway ratio at a +4 this season. They lead the league in avg net yards per drive at 46.9 – as they are great keeping the ball moving, and then they take it away, 2 winning combinations. One may immediately think that puts them as a prominent team based solely on defense, but it also directly points to an effective offense, that doesn’t turn the ball over a lot.
Kansas City Chiefs
Simply put, when an offense is able to move the ball on the ground and throwing through the air with the ridiculous ease that they are – and not turning the ball over, it’s obviously efficient. The Kansas City Chiefs are ahead of the rest of the league with their scoring prowess. When most teams are running passing plays and a lot of their offensive plays are run from some sub package formations, the Chiefs still get big plays from relatively standard formations. The Kansas City Chiefs have put together a receiving corps of excellence with numerous skill sets that are perfect for all of their packages with a lethal passing game for game situations.
The NFL’s most dominant TE, Travis Kelce, is coming off one of his most productive TD scoring season that he has had in 2017 – in his 6 year career. He leads this team in receptions, is 2nd in TDs, and is corralling 76 YDs/game. Kansas City would not be quite the high octane offensive team that they are without Kelce, and a new career high in TDs is likely, if all goes as it looks to be going.
Tyreek Hill is a very gifted, well rounded WR without any obvious weakness. He is the speed engine that makes this top ranked offense go on every Sunday. With him pumping along, explosive running option, Kareem Hunt, and Sammy Watkins are more than adequate enough as other options to move the ball for them.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are several notches below the Chiefs in the best offensive team category. The Kansas City Chiefs have turned the ball over even less than the Buccaneers and they have a younger more believable crew for the long haul than the Bucs have, which is why they are the biggest juggernauts when it comes to being dominant on the field. They are also better than the offense of the Rams, and they have proven it with having not scored less than 38 in a game yet and a higher pct of drives to end in scores.
There’s a reason the 23 year old, Patrick Mahomes has gotten so much well deserved attention, with 896YDs, a 67% completion rate, and a league leading 13 TD passes after just 3 games – he has been mind blowing to watch pass the ball. His gutsy sling into the end zone plays, and darting passes will fail (eventually) at times, but as of right now, he has been nothing short of magical. And with their passing attack, a running threat, and a well disciplined WR crew, the Chiefs are to be watched with very wary eyes as their firepower and scoring efficiency continues to grow.

Jared Goff is the LA Rams QB of the future

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Les Snead was a crafty NFL general manager, when he made the calculated moves that he made – when he traded 6 draft picks in 2016 to obtain the No. 1 selection. Snead used the top spot to grab the California Jr. – Jared Goff who had finished up a fantastic season with 4714YDs, 43 TDs and a 65% completion ratio.
At 6-4 and 230 – Goff certainly passed the eye test to anyone who watches QBs. With smooth play, a good arm, and the exceptional ability to be able to throw his guys open – Jared Goff was everything that a team would want to see on paper – the Rams fans were stunned when he was grabbed over Carson Wentz – who the media was going gaga over. Goff was sitting as the prototype spread offense QB. Wentz played at a far from “big time” school at North Dakota St. – and was playing at what was considered, by some, to be in an inferior system there.
When his career started up – Goff struggled through the Rams training camp and even into their pre-season. Many were looking at him as a project – and he was going to take quite a bit of time to develop to become NFL ready. When Jared finally took the field for the Rams – he put up some awful numbers. With a 54% passing completion, a pitiful 5.3 YPA, and only moving the ball for a miniscule 156 YPG he wasn’t blowing away anyone on the field. In his 1st campaign, he had a truly disastrous rookie season.
Sometimes it becomes a very real issue with a case of over-hyping some players while others under-hype others. Jared Goff was looked at, as being the next big thing, and Wentz was not looked at with the same condemning eyes, yet after 22 regular season games, Goff has finally seemed to have come around. As Wentz was far ahead of Goff in the key QB categories until 2017,wher Goff played himself as a real pro QB. We often see the rookie explosion player that fans love – but then ends up being nothing more than a flash in the pan for the drafting team during their bummer 3-4 year career. It looks like it may have worked out thus far for LA.
When he was playing at Cal – Goff was constantly under incredible pressure, yet he maintained his poise in the pocket, which is one of the intangibles that QBs undoubtedly need for the position at the NFL level. Jared has also been lucky to have talented teammates who have the ability to make big plays after the catch. He has found himself in the great position to be able to stand and deliver, getting them the ball and letting them make a play. Their head coach has designed the game schemes around his 23 year old QB – and his strengths, which is what any player wants from their coaching staff. He has also molded the Rams powerful offense around what Goff does best. McVay’s excellent play-calling and the talented WRs have made great plays after the catch. With 3 players with 12 or more 20+ yard receiving plays – the Rams have the added benefit of having skilled players on the field, who can move down the field in a blink.
The Rams record surprised everyone going to 11-5 and they lit up the NFL for 29.9ppg, which was 1st in the NFL. When playing vs the division, they were tops with a strong record of 4-2, and helped get them to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Jared has learned how to stand in the pocket and get his passes controlled far better. Making a slight shift in the pocket is the key for him to be the man for this team for the future. With a good 62% passing pct – he has been great with finding his guys when they are running the field. Putting up a solid 1.87 TD/game to just .47 picks – he has shown his QB ability to burn a defense by reading what they have vs him, and picking it apart.
And with 254 YDs/game – compared to the poor numbers that he had put up in 2016 – Goff has been much better with his pushing the ball ability. He has also been awesome on 3rd down – better than both Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady – with 11 TD passes, only 2 picks, and a 65% completion rate. Goff’s strengths have always been excellent play-action and his gentle touch with deep passes. He is a very good rhythm passer and doesn’t get easily deterred when things are collapsing. He didn’t need a complete overhaul, but he required a handful of adjustments just the same. The Rams have a revamped offense, which mixes play action and mimics the big named teams with their downfield looks.
Goff is led his Rams team to 11 wins, and his 254 passing yards per game and his 28 touchdowns ranked him 5th in the NFL. Those kind of numbers, lighting it up with his strong arm and field vision, prompted the Rams to easily hand the reigns to Goff this season. The Rams have a strong running game with Todd Gurley and his vicious running attack – along with a stout and terrifying defense. Which helps minimize what Jared has to be overly concerned about. Goff has incredible promise as far as the Rams organization goes. With a lightening quick release and always able to get the ball out of his hand really quickly – the Rams are here to stay.

NFL’s Rams back in LA

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Rams_Mock16

It has taken 22 years, but Los Angeles has the Rams back. They can have them.

My strongest over/under NFL regular-season win total recommendation is Rams Under 7.5 victories for this season.

Todd Gurley and a strong defensive line can’t cover up all the other Rams’ weaknesses.
It’s not a fluke the Rams haven’t made the playoffs in 11 years, nor finished in the top 10 in points and yards since 2006.

Start with Jeff Fisher, who begins his fifth season with the Rams. I’m not a fan. The guy has had two winning seasons during his last 11 years of coaching. Fisher can’t do anything to elevate offensive performance. His ideas are more Mesozoic era than modern age.

A trademark of Fisher’s teams is being undisciplined and playing dirty. What does it say when Gregg Williams is the Rams’ defensive coordinator? Williams should have been banned for life from the NFL for being the Bounty-Gate ring leader.

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. So how do the Rams win eight games with a terrible offensive line, no standout receivers and a quarterback choice of Nick Foles – who had more interceptions than touchdowns in 11 starts last season – Case Keenum – who has proven one thing in his NFL career that being he can’t play – and No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff, who was a huge reach? If Gurley should get hurt again, a real possibility given his injury history, the Rams would have trouble breaking 10 points a game.

I do like the Rams’ defensive line very much. I also have a high regard for linebacker Alec Olgetree. But this defense isn’t nearly dominant enough to carry such a weak offense and the secondary has been weakened with cornerback Janoris Jenkins’ defection to the Giants.

By moving to LA, the Rams also have to log many more travel miles. Not only do they have a London game, but also long road trips to Tampa Bay, Detroit, New York, New Orleans and New England.

I certainly don’t see a .500 season when breaking down the Rams’ schedule. They figure to go 1-5 in the NFC West. The Rams draw the AFC East and NFC South teams. The NFC South looks much improved this season. The Rams’ other two matchups are at the Lions and playing the Giants in London, which costs them a home game. LA has to play the Buccaneers and Jets on the road.

Written by Stephen Nover for VegasTopDogs.com