Monday Night Football Picks: Rams vs. 49ers Odds & Predictions
Rams vs. 49ers Odds
| Rams Odds | -3.5 |
| 49ers Odds | +3.5 |
| Over/Under | 50.5 |
| Date | Monday, Nov. 15 |
| Time | 8:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
The Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers will conclude Week 10 of the NFL season on Monday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium. In this primetime showdown, oddsmakers are expecting a competitive affair, pricing the Rams as a field goal road favorite according to the spread at online sportsbooks.
Let’s take a closer look at the matchup, along with other NFL betting tips, to see where there’s value ahead of kickoff Monday night.
Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)
The Rams have played two inexplicably terrible games this season—a Week 4 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and a Week 9 loss to the Tennessee Titans. During their other seven contests, the Rams have played like a legitimate Super Bowl Contender. Which Los Angeles team should bettors expect to show up on Monday?
Matthew Stafford had his worst game of the 2021 campaign last week against Tennessee. Prior to Week 9, he had totaled 22 touchdowns against only four interceptions. Stafford has also been well protected in each of the team’s first eight games—totaling only seven sacks during that span. In Week 9 alone, Stafford was sacked five times. Andrew Whitworth was the only member of the offensive line to play well last Sunday. Still, David Edwards, Brian Allen, Austin Corbett, and Rob Havenstein form one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It would be surprising to see this unit struggle in consecutive contests. Los Angeles entered last week as the most efficient passing offense in the entire league. Expect them to get back on track tonight against a San Francisco secondary unit that has allowed 12 touchdowns and a 101.9 passer rating through the air in 2021.
Defensively, the Rams are better defending the run than they are defending the pass, which should play to their benefit tonight. Los Angeles is allowing the ninth-fewest yards-per-carry on the ground this fall. Per Pro Football Focus, Jimmy Garoppolo has graded as the 27th best quarterback during his time on the field this season. The Rams have a ferocious defensive line that is capable of wreaking havoc in the opposing backfield. Jalen Ramsey should be enough to at least slow down a pedestrian 49ers passing attack. This is a good matchup for the Rams.
San Francisco 49ers (+3.5)
Since returning from a mid-season injury, Garoppolo has thrown for three touchdowns and three interceptions in three games against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Arizona Cardinals. The Rams’ secondary unit is better than each of the team’s that he saw over the last three weeks of action. If San Francisco has any hope of winning this game, they are going to have to find success on the ground running behind the left side of their offensive line, featuring Trent Williams, Laken Tomlinson, and Alex Mack. San Francisco is averaging the 11th-most yards-per-carry on the ground this fall, but could find limited space to work with against a tough Los Angeles defensive line.
In the secondary, only the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Washington Football Team, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Jets have been worse at defending opposing quarterbacks this season. San Francisco has permitted a sterling 12-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio this fall. A matchup with Stafford, who has the best QBR in the NFL entering play, is unlikely to help improve those numbers. San Francisco is also 22nd in the league in opponent yards-per-carry, meaning that they are far from a sure bet to control the running game tonight.
Rams vs. 49ers Pick & Prediction
Los Angeles is the better team on both sides of the football in this one. It is worth noting that there is a significant amount of public money on the Rams tonight, which should make every bettor at least somewhat cautious about taking the road favorites in this matchup. Yet, there is very little to suggest that San Francisco has enough on the field tonight to cover the spread at its current market price. A small play on the Rams is warranted in this one.
PICK: Rams -3.5 (-110)
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