The NFL’s new darlings got off to a great start with Matt Stafford under Center as they put the Chicago Bears to the sword. Indy on the other hand had it tough at home to the Rams divisional mate, Seattle Seahawks, who let Russ cook his way to a dub. Will the Rams make it to 2-0, or can the Colts halt the hype train and get their season up and running?
Indy struggled to deal with the Seahawks in Week 1, and it doesn’t get any easier heading into Week 2. Carson Wentz played well in his first NFL start for the Colts and was blemish-free apart from losing a fumble but this Rams defense is a big step up from what he saw against Seattle, so the question will is, can Wentz build on a decent start or will this stern challenge see him revert back to the passer we saw last year with the Eagles? Jonathan Taylor was underwhelming running the ball against Seattle only mustering a paltry 3.29 yards per attempt for 56 yards on 17 carries, and although he was a lot more efficient in the passing game, if Taylor and the Colts can’t establish the run, you worry about the ceiling this offense has if they’re forced to rely solely on Carson Wentz’s arm all year.
The Rams wiped the floor with the Bears on SNF in front of a full house at SoFi Stadium. The Rams defense improved as the game went on, but the highlight was Matt Stafford and the passing game, which destroyed the Bears secondary. Cooper Kupp was the main beneficiary of Matt Stafford’s first NFL start for the Rams, as the talented WR caught 108 of Stafford’s 321 passing yards, including a 56 yards hook up for a TD between the pair. I expect another big day for Matt Stafford, his U/O 280.5 passing yards is a number he eclipsed with ease last week, and in 3 previous career games against the Colts he’s thrown for over 300 yards in each of them, I like the over @ 5/6 and that’s my best bet in this matchup, but I’ve also put together a longshot bet for those that prefer to increase the risk for a chance to hit big. This bet incorporates the aforementioned bet but has these added elements;
Cooper Kupp over 67.5 receiving yards
Cooper Kupp anytime TD
Matt Stafford under 36.5 pass attempts
LA Rams -11.5 points
As mentioned above, Kupp had over 100 yards and a TD against the Bears and seems to have built a strong rapport with Stafford early, he also had over 75 yards and a TD in his only previous career game vs Indianapolis. Matt Stafford only attempted 26 passes on SNF against the Bears and I find it difficult to fathom a game script that would see him and McVay need to throw the ball 42% against the Colts. As for the -11.5 points, I guess I’m just super high on the Rams. They won in Week 1 by 20 points whilst the Colts lost by 12 to Seattle. At 25/1 with Bet365 Bet Builder, I think this is worth a small stake.
Spread; Rams -4.5
Total Match Points line: U/O 48.0
Game Prediction: Rams 45 – 23 Colts
Best Bet: Matt Stafford over 280.5 passing yards @ 5/6 with Bet365. [0.5]
Football Betting Advice 