NFL Football: Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Odds and Preview - 10/16/2022
Game Time: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 16th, 2022
Venue: Sofu Stadium, Los Angeles, California
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening NFL Odds at USA Sportsbooks
FanDuel: Panthers +10.5, Rams -10.5; O/U 40.5
BetMGM: Panthers +10.5, Rams -10.5; O/U 40.5
PointsBet: Panthers +10.5, Rams -10.5; O/U 40.5
Season Record
Panthers: 1-4, last place NFC South
Rams: 2-3, tied for 2nd AND last place NFC West
An NFC showdown between teams both suffering from shattered expectations. The Carolina Panthers don’t win many games. They are 1-4 after 5 games. They have no solid quarterback to go with so they have been starting Brown’s reject Baker Mayfield… and they have been putting that draft bust behind a porous offensive line…. And if they decide to change this poor choice of direction? They can only hope to put Sam Bradford behind the same porous offensive line. That is a recipe for disaster especially when playing against DT Aaron Donald. However the Los Angeles Rams are not the Super Bowl winning squad they were just a few months ago. The Rams have a losing record after 5 games… The Rams lost a lot of quality on their roster this last offseason from pass rushers, receivers to maybe the best offensive LT ever to play the game. To make up for these losses they signed WR Allen Robinson II… who might as well be the team’s water boy or mascot cause he simply does not gel with QB Matt Stafford… Oh and QB Matt Stafford has a lingering elbow injury that causes lots of speculation about how capable he is in the pocket. With that all said… The big query is which side will this 10.5 point spread break?
The Carolina Panthers are about to have a fire sale. They will offer RB Christian McCaffrey, backup QB Sam Bradford… and possibly everyone else if they could get back a picks, more cap space, young pieces… whatever? The truth is this version of the Panthers is over. Baker Mayfield DID NOT WORK. Baker was against the 8-ball from the start since he has little in the way of an offensive line or defensive help. Baker was also against the 8-ball as an NFL quarterback since he is undersized without a powerful arm. He worked in college perfectly where all you need is one of those top programs with great protection and fantastic weapons. The Panthers one win came against the challenged New Orleans Saints. They aren’t so terrible… two of their losses were close losses to the Giants and the Browns, but they have lost the last two games by 10 or more points. Hence the 10.5 spread.
The Los Angeles Rams are feeling the hangover from giving up 3 first round picks to get a quarterback… and then giving up 2 more first round picks to get rid of that quarterback and get QB Matt Stafford from the Detroit Lions. The result is that the Rams are aging winners that have missed and will miss the surest way to get good players on your roster without breaking the bank.. and that is the first round of the NFl draft. If the Rams had a crystal ball they would have done lots of things differently… but none of us have a crystal ball. So the Rams are trapped with a quality roster and reputation but no reserves are coming through that door to fill the empty spots. The plus is that they got an NFL Championship for their efforts. The immediate goals are to find a way to rebuild while their good pieces are young enough to do anything about it. My suggestion is to sit down with the vets and offer small increases in the guaranteed money on their contracts… if they add a year and lower the per year price. That might loosen up enough money to find a left Tackle to protect Matt Stafford’s blindside… the first in line for that deal should be Matt Stafford himself.
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Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
CAR: 1-4, 1-4 ATS, 2-3 O/U 2-3, 0-1 on the road.
LAR: 2-3, 1-4 ATS, 1-4 O/U, 1-2 in home games.
Offensive Analysis
The Panthers came out of Week 5 24th in scoring with 18.6 points per game, 32nd in yards per game with 271.4 per game, 28th in passing yards with 181.6 per game, and 27th in rushing yards with 89.8 per game. This offense has no juice.
The Rams are 29th in scoring with 16 points per game, 26th in total yards with 299 per game, 18th in passing yards with 237 per game (thank you Cooper Kupp), and dead last in rushing yards with 62 per game.
Defensive Analysis
The Panthers defense came out of Week 5 20th in defense of total yards with 356 per game, 17th in defense of passing yards with 218, 27th in defense of rushing yards with 137 per game, and 21st in points scored with 24.4 per game. They are giving up 6 more points than their offense is scoring. It is a Mitzvah that they have won one game.
The Rams defense came out of Week 5 11th in defense with 321 yards per game, 13th in defense of passing yards with 214 per game, 11th in rushing yards with 106 per game, and 16th in defense of total points with 23 per game. The Rams offense is a dead lightbulb… The defense is keeping them on life support. The defense simply can’t do it all all year.
Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction
Our prediction for Sunday, October 16th is…. Rams 30 - Panthers 14
Yes. The Rams will finally get a big game. They will finally be able to connect with Allen Robinson. They will finally hit the other team’s quarterback the way they have been accustomed to. The bet is for the Rams. You have to cover a big spread but you have to do it against a terrible team. I am personally for Coach Sean McVay sitting Matt Stafford for a game (they won’t) and this is the perfect one to do it. Matt has a bad elbow and could use a break. In this game the Rams defense will kill the game… which will open up things for the struggling Rams offense.
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NFL Betting Trends
Carolina is 0-3 ATS as an underdog of 10 or more points the last 3 seasons.
Carolina is 1-3 ATS against conference opponents this season.
The Rams are 1-4 ATS as a favorite of 10 or more points the last 3 seasons.
Starting Lineups
Panthers: QB Baker Mayfield, RB Christain McCaffrey, WR DJ Moore, TE Giovanni Ricci, TE Ian Thomas, TE Tommy Tremble, LT Ikem Ekwonu, LG Brady Christensen, C Pat Elflein, RG Auatin Crobett, RT Taylor Morton
Rams: QB Matthew Stafford, RB Cam Akers, WR Allen Robinson II, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Ben Skowronek, TE Tyler Higbee, LT Joe Noteboom, LG David Edwards, C Jeremiah Kolone, RG AJ Jackson, RT Rob Havenstein