Weekly Preview: New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams

The playoff race is intensifying as the regular season draws to a close. The New Orleans Saints’ shortened week will begin on Thursday night football when they play the Los Angeles Rams. There is no circumstance that these teams could be in more alike.

They both have a 7-7 record and are ranked second in their respective divisions. Who stays at home and who advances to the playoffs may depend on the outcome of this game. After considering all of this, let’s examine this NFC showdown.

Los Angeles Rams preview

The Rams biggest storyline of the season has been the unlikely rise of rookie WR Puka Nacua. The fifth-round pick has taken the league by storm with his stellar play. The BYU product has 87 receptions, 1,163 receiving yards, and four TDs on the season.

The other surprise player for the Rams has been HB Kyren Williams. His 953 rushing yards is fourth in the entire league. He’s been doing this very efficiently as well, averaging 5.1 YPC.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams are led by one of the all-time greats, Aaron Donald. The 32-year-old has been dominant this season with six sacks, 34 QB hits, and 16 TFLs.

New Orleans Saints preview

Saints QB Derek Carr had one of his best as a Saint this past week. The Fresno State product threw for 218 yards and 3 TDs against the New York Giants. He looked calm and collected, which led to increased accuracy on his throws.

The defense looked absolutely tremendous. Giants QB Tommy Devito had no time at all to throw the football. Tanoh Kpassagnon had himself a day sacking Devito twice. Rookie Bryan Bresee was also able to get to the QB for two sacks.

This win was one of the most complete games of Saints football all season. Both the offense and defense played well.

Who will win the game?

I think the Saints winning momentum ends here. The Rams should take this one in what should be a close contest. With the team being on a short week and on the road, they are already at a disadvantage against a solid team. The Saints have also yet to beat a team that’s .500 or above. Frankly, the Saints are only 7-7 because they’ve beaten up on some pretty bad teams.

The offensive line for the Saints, which has had a terrible season, will have to try to stop Aaron Donald. That seems like a surefire way to go wrong. In addition, the Saints defense will be occupied with trying to contain wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

The good news is that wide receiver Chris Olave might return to the Saints this week. According to Nick Underhill, he was limited throughout practice on Tuesday but is anticipated to play. The Saints should try to take advantage of the Rams’ lack of a lockdown wide receiver by using Olave.

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