The Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers is, by online NFL betting standards, the best football game you’ll see this Thursday. The fact that it is also the only one is not at all coincidental. Then again, the league seems to be leaving the turkeys, such as Bengals vs. Texans last week, for TNF. On the other hand, if you enjoy Schadenfreude, then get a load of Brian Hoyer.
- Date: Thursday, 21st September
- Time: 8:30 PM
- Venue: Levi’s Stadium
Online Sportsbook NFL Betting Website Odds:
Rams -2½ (-115) 39½ (-105) -140
49ers +2½ (-105) 39½ (-115) +120
Brother, can you spare a touchdown?
San Fran’s starting quarterback Brian Hoyer is 39-for-62 (66%) for 292 yards with no touchdowns and two picks. His passer rating is a pedestrian 60.7 and his 4.71 yards per pass attempt is the worst in the league. The Niners have, as a whole, scored only four field goals on their 21 offensive possessions and have converted just four of 23 of their third-down attempts. “We need Brian to step up, and we need everyone around him to step up,” head Coach Kyle Shanahan, who you might remember as the erstwhile Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator said via csnbayarea.com. The Rams play, according to the Sacramento Bee, “more man-to-man defense, which ought to offer more opportunities for speedy Goodwin and Aldrick Robinson, and for Hoyer to boost his average.” Furthermore, Carlos Hyde, who ran for 124 yards against the ungiving Seahawks, could have a field day against a Rams defense that allowed the Redskins 229 rushing yards and averages 152 rushing yards allowed per game. Both teams are, in fact, likely to rush the ball a lot, keeping the score closer to the online NFL betting under, as it has been the case in four of their last five meetings and five of the last six Rams visits to the Bay Area.
Waiting for Goffman
Speaking of visits to the Bay Area, Rams starting QB Jared Goff will be making his return to Levi’s Stadium, which he knew well as a college player. The Rams have struggled in Frisco for almost a decade, going 1-7-1 straight-up in their last nine road games against the 49ers, and covering in just five of their last 11 visits. No matter how bad the 49ers are, they can always count on the Rams for a quick thrill. As a matter of fact, the Rams were the only team the Bay Area Bombers could beat last year, and they did so twice for good measure. Could Goff, who was inactive for the Rams’ season-opening 0-28 loss to the Niners last season, finally turn the tide for his team? the former Golden Bear threw a pick on the Rams’ final play against the Skins, but had, until then, done his job well, prolonging plays and allowing his receiving corps to get behind coverage. San Francisco is 0-6 SU and 1-5 against the online NFL betting spread in their last six games as home dogs, so, for the Rams, if not now, when?
#LAvsSF pic.twitter.com/f2pAPFD0ha
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 21, 2017