For the first time since both teams moved to the City of Angels, the Rams and Chargers will play one another in the regular season with Los Angeles bragging rights on the line. Kickoff is set for 4:05 EST on Sunday, September 23, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, making the Rams the home team. Fans in southern California can watch the game on CBS.
Oddsmakers list the Rams as 6.5-point favorites. That line is down slightly after the Rams opened as 7-point favorites over their Los Angeles brethren. The over/under for the game is set at 42 points. Be sure to check out a full list of this week’s NFL betting odds.
It may be just two games, but the Rams already look like the class of the NFL. They had a dominant 2nd half against the Raiders in Week 1 and picked up right where they left off last week, crushing the Cardinals 34-0. It’s fair to question the competition the Rams have faced in their first two games. But it’s hard to argue against them looking like the most complete team in football through two weeks.
Things have not gone quite as well for the Chargers early in the season. The Lightning Bolts were the first team to be victimized by Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Kansas City offense. However, Philip Rivers and company were able to bounce back during last week’s east coast trip, knocking off the Bills 31-20. Of course, few people will be impressed by a win over the Bills, so a matchup with their intra-city rivals is a great way for the Chargers to prove that they’re for real in 2018.
Even in Week 3, the Chargers should be feeling a fair amount of urgency. They share a division with two teams that have started 2-0. If the Chargers drop to 1-2, they could quickly be two games in the hole. The Rams, meanwhile, look as though they could sleepwalk to a division title in the NFC West. That being said, this week begins a tough stretch of games for them, so they won’t want to take their foot off the gas after last week’s convincing win.
The Rams are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NFL. However, the Chargers will surely be a big step up in competition from what they’ve faced thus far. As good as the Rams may be, they’re not invincible and covering 6.5 points against a quality team is a hard ask. I’ll show some faith in Rivers and the Chargers and lean toward them to keep this game within one possession.
Ultimately, this game will come down to whether or not the Chargers can consistently put points on the board against the Rams defense. As they’ve shown in their first two games, the Rams have a deep and talented secondary along with multiple difference makers on the defensive line. They have the potential to create matchup problems for just about any team in the NFL.
That being said, Rivers has been outstanding early in the season. He’s averaging over 300 yards passing per game and has thrown six touchdowns with just one interception. Mike Williams looks like he’s ready to break out, giving the Chargers a second threat at the wide receiver position alongside Keenan Allen. It’s fair to say that the Chargers have played a pair of subpar teams in the Chiefs and Bills. However, we’ve seen enough of Rivers in the past to know that when he plays at this level, he’s capable of doing damage against any team.
The Chargers have also had an effective running game this year. Melvin Gordon is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, but backfield mate Austin Ekeler has helped pick up the slack, gaining 7.3 yards per carry. Gordon has actually been more dangerous in the passing game, as he leads the team with 15 receptions. Ekeler, likewise, has been used effectively catching the balls out of the backfield. Having that element in their offense could help the Chargers to neutralize both the Rams’ pass rush and their outstanding secondary.
Alas, questions about the Chargers defensively have to be asked. After all, the Rams can be an unstoppable force with an abundance of playmakers around quarterback Jared Goff. In fact, the Rams are not all that different from the Kansas City team that dropped 38 points on the Chargers a couple weeks ago.
However, the Chargers actually out-gained the Chiefs by nearly 200 yards in that game. An early punt return for a touchdown also put the Chargers in an early hole and skewed their defensive numbers. The Chargers have a little more talent on the defensive side of the ball than most people realize, so they should have periods of success against the Rams.
As mentioned, picking this game is all about what the Chargers can do offensively. Despite how good the Rams can be on both sides of the ball, I’m just not ready to assume that Rivers and the Chargers can’t keep up. I admit it’s a bit of a risk, but I honestly believe the Chargers can make a game of this and beat the spread.