The buzz surrounding the return of the Los Angeles Rams to the City of Angels fizzled out over th course of the 2016 season. The team was bad and locals soon realized that they would rather stay home and not have to deal with Los Angeles traffic then go cheer on a loser. The Rams finished the season 4-12 and had the worst offense in the NFL for the second straight season. If that’s going to change in 2017, Jared Goff is going to have to start to live up to his promise as a No. 1 pick.
Los Angeles Rams Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Rams Over 5.5 Wins +110
Rams Under 5.5 Wins -140
2017 Rams Offense Preview
To be fair to Goff, it’s a little unfair that he received a lot of the blame for last year’s debacle. No one considered him the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but the team felt like it needed to make a splash with its return.
Goff should be better than he was in 2016 because it’s hard to be much worse. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns and averaged just 5.3 yards per pass attempt. The front office went out and got him some weapons to help him succeed.
Los Angeles snagged Goff a trio of new receivers for 2017. The Rams selected the extremely productive Cooper Kupp in the third round of the draft and he should be a quality possession receiver. Robert Woods gives Goff a deep threat that he lacked last season and he got a real No. 1 in Sammy Watkins. It will take time to develop chemistry, but the receiving corps received a significant upgrade.
The Rams still have one of the better running backs in the league in Todd Gurley, but he wasn’t able to show it last season. Gurley spent most of his time plowing ahead into eight-man fronts and his numbers suffered for it. If the passing game can get going somewhat, that should help him out significantly.
2017 Rams Defense Preview
This defense wasn’t half-bad last season. The Rams finished in the top ten in terms of total defense in spite of an offense that consistently hung them out to dry.
The key to the defense is Aaron Donald, the best nose tackle in the game. Donald is a one-man wrecking crew and his ability to destroy interior linemen is pivotal for this defense. He is currently holding out for a new contract and this team needs to get him back and fast. Donald has threatened to extend his holdout into the regular season and if that happens, this defense is going to suffer.
Although the Rams traded EJ Gaines in order to get Watkins, they still have a lockdown corner in Trumaine Johnson. Johnson is probably in his last year with the Rams after receiving the franchise tag for the second straight season. He is an elite cornerback and can hold down his end against the better receivers in the division.
2017 Los Angeles Rams Schedule Analysis
LA plays in one of the weaker divisions in the NFL and has a relatively easy schedule. The Rams draw the worst division in the AFC, the AFC South, in cross-conference play. Although they have to play against the NFC East, the two most winnable games are at home and that helps.
The Final Verdict
We’re believers in the Rams. Well, sort of. This team is at least a year from competing for the playoffs, but will finish better than 5-11 as long as Donald ends his holdout and joins the team. The passing game will be better and that should improve all other aspects of the team. LA has an outside chance of being the second-best team in the division so bet them over the 5.5 wins.
NFL Odds: Los Angeles Rams Over 5.5 Wins
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