The Los Angeles Rams travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints on Sunday in a battle of the two remaining elite rosters in the NFL playoffs.
Los Angeles and New Orleans faced off earlier this season. The game ended in a double-digit win for the Saints as they played a near perfect game. The offense steamrolled Los Angeles scoring six total touchdowns and totaling close to 500 yards.
At the time, Los Angeles suffered their first loss of the season. The loss at the hands of New Orleans allowed the Saints to jump to the number one seed where they would finish 2018. The Saints, on their way to an eventual 10 game winning streak, annihilated every opponent in their way. During the streak, New Orleans beat seven of the 10 teams by double-digits. Since then, New Orleans has taken a step back.
The wins are still existent, as New Orleans finished 13-3 but only one has been by two possessions. The Saints have looked vulnerable. Last week's Divisional round victory over the Eagles came down to the last possession. If not for an Alshon Jeffrey dropped past that landed in the hands of a Saints' defender, New Orleans may not even be playing Sunday.
While New Orleans has seen a slight drop off, the Rams have caught fire. Jared Goff pulled himself out of a second-half slump, Todd Gurley is back to full strength, and the defense has tightened the screws.
Los Angeles has won three games in a row, including last weeks dominating win over the Cowboys. Against Ezekiel Elliot, the NFL's leading rusher, the Rams' defense the running back to 19 yards. Los Angeles will need and should expect, a similar performance versus New Orleans' sixth-best rushing offense.
The Rams offense ranked second in the NFL during the regular season by averaging 32.9 points and 421.1 yards. Los Angeles has improved in the playoffs by averaging more yards and being more efficient. The Saints offense is not far behind but statistically, Los Angeles is superior.
Close to evenly matched offense, defenses will be the key in Sunday's contest.
The Saints' defense over the last six weeks has allowed an average of 18.5 points per game. The average would be third best among teams during the regular season. New Orleans may limit teams from scoring but struggle to limit the passing game.
During the regular season, New Orleans ranked fourth worst against the pass by allowing 268.9 yards a game. Los Angeles will look to exploit the Saints secondary with their fifth-ranked passing unit led by Jared Goff.
Goff was the fifth-best quarterback with his 4,688 yards, according to NFL.com. Goff, whose stats have declined since a week 11 match-up against the Chiefs, has taken the role of game manager. Rather than throwing for 300 yards per game, Goff has picked his targets precisely allowing his team to do the work for him. Goff's lack of explosiveness will allow the Saints to key in on the run. Goff can strike at any time, but Los Angeles' running game has carried the offense.
Todd Gurley is finally healthy again, and it showed last week as he ran all over Dallas' defense. Gurley totaled 115 yards and a touchdown on Dallas sixth-best rush defense. An already great rushing offense improved with Gurley's absence, as it opened the door for C.J Anderson to find a role. Anderson, last week, outplayed the All-Pro Gurley with 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Matching the powerful duo of Gurley and Anderson, The Saints defense has not allowed a single 100-yard rushing performance all year. If any team can stop the Rams offense, it is New Orleans. Goff's slightly declining but still above average play, and a defense that can match the intensity of Los Angeles' running game gives the Saints an edge.
Giving quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints an edge may be the Rams' death sentence, but Los Angeles defense gives them life. More so the Saints struggling offense that did not have momentum until a late first-half touchdown helps the Rams.
The Saints offense, albeit among the league's best, has looked off kilter. Drew Brees has come back down to earth, although finishing 2018 with a completion percentage upwards of 75. The running featuring dual-threats Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram has not had the flash of past weeks.
In fact, in their last two games, Kamara nor Ingram have scored a touchdown. Rather than pounding the ball through the tackles, New Orleans has elected to use the two in the passing game. The duo has totaled 15 receptions for 149 yards while opening the field for New Orleans elite receiving target Michael Thomas.
Michael Thomas' 2018 has put him in the discussion for the best receiver in football. Thomas finished the season with 10 touchdowns and a league-leading 125 receptions. His last four games, Thomas has been the hottest player in the entire league. Since week 15, Thomas has caught 35 passes and three touchdowns for a total of 358 yards. Earlier in the season, Thomas even angered Rams' cornerback Marcus Peter after having a career game against him.
Marcus Peters even address his poor performance in an explicit interview. Peters also spoke to the media recently in anticipation for this Sunday's rematch against New Orleans.
The highlight of Peters' interview was his straight-faced "we ain't done yet" comments.
Knowing Peters ranked as the 100th best cornerback in football this season, according to Pro Football Focus, may make it hard to trust him. Also knowing the Rams have been on a tear recently negates the past edge given to the Saints.
The playoffs are all about who has the hot hand, and that is Los Angeles. Having scored an average of 33 points in the last four games and holding the league's leading rusher to under 20 yards, the Rams are scorching.
The running game has never been better, and while more can be asked for from Goff, head coach Sean McVay is mastermind that has never losses to the same opponent twice in the same season.
The defense of Los Angeles can be penetrated by the Saints offense, but Aaron Donald's league-leading 20 sacks will tear through the Saints' offensive line.
The Rams have the superstar feel and determination to leave Sunday with a win. The Saints have a home-field advantage like no other, but their recent offensive performance could be their down fall.
FINAL SCORE: Rams 28, Saints 26
Check out our AFC Conference Champions predictions here:
https://www.bushleaguesports.net/blog/afc-championship-game-predictions
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*preview photo credited to Sporting News
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