One of the more interesting match-ups of the week will take place in the Motor City. The Los Angeles Rams come to town to take on the Detroit Lions. The Rams had won three in a row before going home in week five, where the Bills handled them with ease. Meanwhile, the Lions won their home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, who had been one of the hottest teams in the league before the Lions victory.
The Rams are a team built on defense. Their offense is far from anything special, and their hard nose defense is the unit that will win them most of their games. So while many, myself included, expected them to dominate the Bills a week ago, that did not happen. Why? Three of the teams defensive starters, Robert Quinn, William Hayes and Michael Brockers, were inactive for the game. Those are three big losses, and their absence clearly affected the outcome of the game. All three were not participants in Wednesday’s practice, so it appears all of them are certainly questionable for this week. If they are all absent once again, kiss this one good bye for the Rams, as they will not be able to keep up offensively with Detroit.
The Lions are the opposite of the Rams, in that they are built on offense, and their defense is sub-par. They can put up points against just about anyone, but their defense cannot stop too many opponents. Luckily for the defense, Case Keenum and the Rams offense does not pose much of a threat. Todd Gurley could certainly find himself running wild however. Offensively though, Matthew Stafford will have a field day is those three defensive starters are out. Aaron Donald can only do so much for the Rams on defense.
As you can tell, those three players could be the key to this one. But whether they play or not, I will lean towards the Lions in this one. Gurley could become the difference maker that propels the Rams to a win, but I think Stafford can answer anything Gurley does. There will be points, and when all is said and done, I think the Lions end up with more of them.
For all week six NFL Spreads and Over/Under’s, check out our NFL week 6 Betting Odds master-sheet here.
Line: Lions -3.5, O/U: 43.5
Pick: Lions and the over
Result: Det 31 – LA 28, Rams and the over