The NFC Championship is almost underway with the winnner getting to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The New Orleans Saints host the Los Angeles Rams in what should be a fun game. The game kicks off at 12:00 p.m PT on FOX, with Joe Buck on play-by-play. Troy Aikman joins him on the commentary
The Saints are either the biggest sleepers of the year or the ones to win it all this year depending on who you talk to. All the talk has been the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, but the Saints have been dominating their opponents and when they can’t get the points, they find ways to take care of business. They were able to hold off Nick Foles in the final stretches of the NFC divisional round and advance to hosting the Rams.
The Rams went into an arms race in the offseason putting pieces together on defense for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. They traded for Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib and signed Ndamukong Suh. This made what was already a solid defense with Aaron Donald even more fearsome. On the other side of the ball, Sean McVay’s playcalling has made Jared Goff’s numbers grow exponentially by the game and Todd Gurley is one of, if not the best running back in the league. All of the Rams’ losses have come to playoff teams, one of which was the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. The Saints won a shootout 45-35.
The Saints are a field goal favorite against the Rams. The Rams run defense is a mess, so look for plenty of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. And considering the Rams rushing success last week, I think they focus on the ground as well. That should keep the score down to a certain extent. That said, I do think things will break apart late and we’ll see some lead changes in the final 10 minutes where the defenses may not as well even be on the field. I’ll take the Saints in this one by a touchdown.
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
Where: The Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
When: January 20, 2018 | 12:00 p.m. PST
TV: FOX
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Radio: Rams Radio (ESPNLA) | Saints Radio
Online Streaming: Fox Sports
Odds: Saints, -3
Rams blog: Turf Show Times
Saints blog: Canal Street Chronicles