I wrote yesterday that I believe the Chiefs will win and cover against the Patriots in he AFC Championship game. You could read all about it here. I also said that I would write about how I think the NFC Championship would go and what would be the difference in that contest and like the Joker, I’m a man of my word. Once again, the headline says it all. Yes I realize that the Rams and Saints played each other this year in a very exciting game where the Saints won 45-35. This game tells me that it can go either way on Sunday. But even taking that contest into account, I still feel confident in my reasoning.
Ground and Pound
The Rams have been a force for pretty much the entire year. They’ve smacked teams around a multitude of ways. Todd Gurley ran for 1,251 yards and when he wasn’t back there, CJ, I’m definitely not the reincarnation of Eddy Lacy, Anderson was dusted off, inserted and has run for 433 yards in only 3 games. Needless to say, the Rams’ ground game is special and there’s no reason to think that Gurley and Anderson won’t be rolling behind their underrated offensive line.
Theatrically and Deception
The ground game is all well and good, but I feel the knock out shots that will really take the Saints out at the knees is going to be play-action and misdirection. According to footballoutsiders.com, the Rams run the most play-action in all the league and are 3rd in amount of yards they get when they do run play-action. The threat of the running game obviously fuels play-action, but it’s my experience that many times teams bite on play-action even when the running game isn’t working. I can’t explain why this happens, it just does. Also, the Rams use a ton of misdirection in their passing game and running game. All types of motion and jet sweeps by their receivers freeze defenders and take up zones allowing other receivers to sit in holes behind nickel backs and LBs.
The Saints Defense is Due
The Saints have been playing pretty good D as of late. Against the Eagles, they held Foles and the gang to only 14 first quarter points. That being said, I feel the Saints are primed for a defensive let down. Good defense is so hard to duplicate week in and week out. All it takes is a not even a handful of mistakes, accidents, or freak plays and you’re giving up huge plays. Sense the Rams are the most polished offense the Saints will see this year, on Sunday, the Saints will get treated like a run of the mill defense.
This Leads Too
This leads too the Rams, guided by the steel trap memory having Sean McVay who possibly is responsible for getting dozens of coaches jobs, led by Jeff Fisher’s project Jared Goff defeating Sean Payton and the elder statesmen Drew Brees. So, if you’re looking to earn some greenbacks this weekend, take the Rams with the points.
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