Last week at Tampa Bay, the Rams led the Buccaneers 27-3 midway through the 3rd quarter. Somehow the Rams ended up tied at 27 with 42 seconds to play. But that is when their trade for Matthew Stafford paid off. To illuminate, Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on a 44-yard bomb, beating a Tampa Bay blitz, to set up the winning field goal. Accordingly, the Rams showed a Pro Football betting courage level that nobody thought they had. Los Angeles will host San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Los Angeles Rams Scouting Report NFC Championship Game
| Date and Time: | Sunday, January 30, 2022, 6:40 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California |
| TV Coverage: | FOX |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | +3½ (-120) | 46 (-110) | +150 |  |
| Rams | -3½ (EV) | 46 (-110) | -180 | |
| ||||
Los Angeles Rams Odds to Win Super Bowl LVI
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Rams | +475 |
Los Angeles Rams SBG Odds Overview
Squares have taken an offshore betting liking to the new-look Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Casual money also trends strongly for the home side in almost every game. By contrast, the 49ers aren’t as flashy as Los Angeles. San Francisco lacks the explosive offense of the Rams. Thus, the 49ers are a Wise Guy type of team.
Head Coach Sean McVay
Sean McVay took over the Rams in 2017 and immediately produced a playoff season. Following that was a 2018 NFC championship. McVay became the hottest coaching property in football. He was celebrated as the young genius that would reinvent the sport. All of his assistants were sought out for coaching jobs elsewhere. But the Rams were rendered helpless by the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, and McVay’s star quickly fell.
The Rams have never had a losing season and are in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. But Bill Belichick cracked their code, and they’ve never quite been as dominant as 2018. McVay has regained much of that lost respect in 2021. And the win at Tampa Bay in the Divisional round has made the Rams a hot ticket at the betting window.
Los Angeles Rams Key Players
Most important of all was McVay’s trade of Jared Goff to Detroit for Matthew Stafford. After a wasted career in Detroit, Stafford has found new life with Los Angeles. As a Ram, Stafford posted a 102.9 QB rating with 4886 yards and a 41/17 TD/INT ratio in his first season. At Tampa Bay, he threw for 366 yards and two touchdown passes.
Cooper Kupp has emerged as Stafford’s favorite target. Kupp was unknown coming out of Eastern Washington. But he is becoming a household name as a Ram. Kupp caught a team-best 145 passes for 1947 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2021. In fact, Kupp was named First-Team All-Pro this season as the NFL’s leading receiver.
On the defensive side of the ball is defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Accordingly, Aaron Donald led Los Angeles with 12.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss this year. Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a 7-time All-Pro.
Place kicker Matt Gay is riding high after beating the team that cut him with the game-winning field goal last week. Gay was a deadly 32-34 on field goals in 2021. He is a Pro Football Betting Pro Bowler for the first time in his career.