The Los Angeles Rams will be trying to keep their faint playoff hopes alive with a win on Saturday when they visit the San Francisco 49ers in a key Week 16 clash as 6-point underdogs on the NFL betting odds.
Los Angeles saw its playoff chances suffer a massive blow with last weekend’s 44-21 loss in Dallas, which leaves the team two games back of Minnesota in the race for the second NFC wild card going into Saturday night’s matchup at Levi’s Stadium.
The Rams will need plenty of help to reach the NFL playoffs for a third straight year. In addition to an outright victory over the Niners, Los Angeles must also claim victory in its Week 17 season finale against Arizona, and see the Vikings fall to defeat in their final two outings against Green Bay and Chicago. Not surprisingly, the Rams look toward Week 16 as +10000 longshots to repeat as NFC conference champions on the NFL lines, and make a second straight Super Bowl appearance.
But despite their precarious position in the standings the Rams have rebounded well from a three-game straight-up losing streak earlier in this NFL football season. The team has posted SU wins in five of eight outings since, avoiding consecutive defeats during that stretch. And while the Rams have built their reputation on a vaunted offense in recent seasons, it has been a stout defense that has made the difference of late, with the team limiting opponents to just 9.2 points per game over their five victories.
That success has paid dividends to bettors, with the Rams covering the NFL spread in each of their recent wins. However, when Los Angeles has lost, it has lost big. In addition to Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys as 1-point road chalk on the NFL odds, the Rams were blown out in a 45-6 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens while pegged as 3.5-point underdogs in Week 12.
Los Angeles has also struggled badly against teams currently in the NFL playoff picture, going 2-5 SU this season including an 0-3 SU mark on the road, and is winless SU and ATS in its past three while pegged as a road underdog in NFL betting by six or more points
Niners Seek Rebound Effort After Loss to Falcons
However, the Rams may be visiting San Francisco at an opportune moment, with the 49ers on the rebound following this past weekend’s stunning 29-22 loss to the visiting Atlanta Falcons. Winners of eight straight to open the season, the Niners have struggled with consistency since, going 3-3 SU in their past six, including SU and ATS losses in two of four home dates.
San Francisco was forced to mount a second-half comeback before dropping a 27-24 loss to Seattle as 6.5-point home chalk in Week 10, and has also seen two of its past three contests settled on the last play of the game including a 20-17 loss in Baltimore in Week 13 and a 48-46 win over New Orleans a week later.
The 49ers’ inconsistency has cost them dearly in the NFC conference standings, where they now hold down the No. 5 seed after leading the way throughout the first half of the campaign. San Francisco has also lost ground on the Super Bowl odds, slipping to +700 following Sunday’s defeat by the Falcons.
In addition, the Niners have been a massive betting disappointment when favored by six or more points on home turf. While they have won outright in five of their past seven, the 49ers sport a dismal 0-10-1 ATS record in 11 such outings since 2013, and have lost outright in three of five meetings with the Rams including each of their past two home dates.
*Odds as of December 19, 2019
The post Desperate Rams Underdogs at Niners on Saturday appeared first on Sports Betting Odds, Lines, News and Articles - Bovada Sportsbook.
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