NFL expert Louis Ross (@LouisRoss67) runs the rule over Monday night's action from Seattle.
Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks | Friday 01:25 | Sky Sports 1
OK God’s of Thursday Night Football, what classic have you got for us this week then? Rams at Seahawks? The game that finished 9-3 in Week 2? You serious? Thanks…
What more could you ask for on a bizarrely mild December evening than the delights of the Los Angeles Rams and their number one draft pick quarterback, who incidentally is a bit of a turkey (Christmas based pun), visiting a stuttering Seahawks organisation. Thanks NFL schedulers.
To be fair, the majority of those of us mad enough to stay up and watch a game starting at 1:30 in the morning would stay up and watch the 49ers at the Browns if that was what was on.
In such a short season, any chance to watch live football is not to be missed. You also never really know what can happen in these games. The dullest match-ups can produce classic encounters.
End of the road for Fisher
This is a game that I have thought long and hard about. It's so tempting to see this as a straightforward Seahawks win but there is so much more to it from a betting point of view.
The Rams are bad – very bad. They are certainly down there with the aforementioned San Francisco and Cleveland teams. The move to Los Angeles was meant to be the start of something. It turned out to be the end of something.
Jeff Fisher has had five straight losing seasons. Incredibly two weeks ago, just after confirming his fifth straight losing season and something in the region of 137th of his career, Fisher signed a new two-year deal. Cue a hammering at home by Atlanta and Jeff is gone.
Jeff, Jeff, Jeff… You can't say he didn't bring it on himself. Using the number one draft pick on a quarterback and then playing half the season with Case Keenum as starter was strange to say the least. Although maybe Jeff realised what he had.
Don't write off the Rams
Jared Goff was shocking at the weekend and looks like a little boy amongst all the big men. Yep, it's doom and gloom for LA right now, but you know what it's like when a team slumps and gets a new manager. There's a reaction.
There may not be as many instant turnarounds as we imagine, but there is usually a positive reaction. If you are going to turn things around why not do it in a big way, with a performance against a team you have beaten three times in a row.
The Rams have kind of had Seattle’s number in recent years. Three wins in the last 15 months and they now come up against an offence that really got itself in a mess against Green Bay.
Sunday saw one of Russell Wilson’s worst ever outings in Seattle uniform and even the defence looked as though some of its injury problems may be starting to get more difficult to overcome.
I'm not leading you towards a shock Rams win here – although one notable judge has invested heavily at 9/1 outright. No, I can't go that far but with a top-10 defence, a new coach and against a hated division rival, I do believe they can cover a 16-point spread (10/11 BetVictor).
I have tried all week to get away from that outcome but bar Atlanta, very few teams overwhelm a very good Rams defence and not one coming off as bad a performance as Seattle gave against the Packers.
Take Tyler to deliver Thursday night goods
There is one particularly interesting player line for those of you who cannot bring yourself to back the Rams and that concerns Tyler Lockett.
Seventy-two yards against New England in Week 10, 39 against Philly the following week, 63 against Carolina and 41 in the defeat in Green Bay – those are the last four games stats.
Lockett is a man that can make 30-40 yards AFTER the catch and Bet365 have his line at just 36.5.
I can't recommend that enough – it's the only line I can find late Wednesday night, please let me know if you see better.
Best Bets
Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks – Los Angeles Rams +16 (10/11 BetVictor)
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks – Tyler Lockett over 36.5 receiving yards (5/6 Bet365)
