Las Vegas vs Los Angeles (LAR -7, 43.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
Raiders vs Rams - Sunday, October 20, 2024
The Raiders enter this game with a 2-4 record and are at the bottom of the AFC West. The Rams are in a similar position, heading into Week Seven with a 1-4 record, and are at the bottom of the NFC West. Both teams entered the season with high hopes and have been a major letdown to their respective fanbases.
Announced Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded their superstar All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets, where he will reunite with his former Green Bay quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. The move is extremely promising for Jets fans, who are now filled with joy after a sluggish 2-4 start to the 2024 season. But for the Raiders, who received a third-round pick in return for Adams—not so much.
The Raiders are quickly turning into one of the worst teams in the NFL, with just two wins and four losses, one of which was at home to the Carolina Panthers, which is the Panthers' only win of the season. Vegas is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a nearly 20-point defeat in which their offense looked absolutely hopeless.
After Minshew failed to prove himself as a starting-caliber quarterback early on this season, the next man up, Aidan O'Connell, made his first start of the year. He finished with 227 yards but threw an interception that set up a crucial touchdown for the Steelers. The Raiders were missing key players, including top receivers Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, which hampered their offensive production considerably, but O'Connell was still underwhelming.
The Raiders' offense currently ranks 27th in points per game (18.2) and total yards per game (293.3). It also has one of the least productive rushing attacks in the league, sitting at 31st in rushing yards per game (79.5) and yards per rush (3.7).
Luckily for O'Connell and the Raiders' offense, they'll come face-to-face with a team boasting one of the league's worst defenses, the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams have allowed nearly 28 points per game this season, ranking 29th in the NFL. They rank 31st in pass defense and have just two interceptions this entire season. The lack of pressure in the secondary could bode well for the Raiders and give them an excellent week to build new chemistry in their passing game, which now needs to adjust to life without Davante Adams.
The Los Angeles Rams, who are off to their worst start since moving to L.A., are also struggling to find success on offense—or at least enough to compensate for their defense. They're averaging just 18.8 points per game, 24th in the league, and have lost three of their four games by one possession. Running back Kyren Williams seems to be the only bright spot, who rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries in their Week Five loss to the Packers, scoring in his eighth straight game.
The Rams are coming off a bye, and there's a chance that the extra downtime will have led to a healthier, more energized starting lineup—but if I were a fan of the Rams, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high.
J.A. Cavalier NFL Triple Crown 6-0 NFL Guarantee. 3 straight, 3 parlays. One Week NFL $99 must go 6-0 or entire NFL season free. Straight through Super Bowl.
Get free NFL Picks and NFL Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2024 NFL schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry's premier expert NFL handicappers. J.A. Cavalier has been bringing the NFL betting community the best NFL free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best NFL moneyline and run line odds and game totals.
Coach Rick Free PICK
Tease Rams to -1