The Atlanta Falcons punched their postseason ticket when they beat the Carolina Panthers, 22-10, in Week 17, and took the sixth seed in the NFC. Their reward? A trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to take on the Rams, who fell in a meaningless Week 17 game to the 49ers, 34-13, after already clinching the NFC West. The Falcons did rout the Rams in 2016 by a 42-14 score, but this Rams team is much different, and your NFL Wild Card lines on this game should take the improvements of the Rams into consideration.
Atlanta at LA Rams NFL Wild Card Lines & Expert Pick
When: Saturday, January 6, 2018, 8:15pm ET Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles TV: NBC Radio: 92.9 FM (Atlanta) / 710 AM (Los Angeles) Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Wild Card Lines: L.A. Rams (-6.5), O?U 48.5We’re coming, LA. 📸 Practice Photos – https://t.co/BJ2FiyiPfu pic.twitter.com/LSYGEqqkCz
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 3, 2018
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 16°C/60°F
- Humidity: 90%
- Precipitation: 4%
- Cloud Cover: 21%
- Wind: 2 mph SW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why should you bet on the Falcons?
Atlanta would like to return to the Super Bowl, but they’ll need to win on the road three straight times to get there. Matt Ryan showed some regression from last season’s MVP performance, throwing a dozen interceptions (along with 20 touchdown passes). However, over the last five games of the season, he only threw four touchdown passes. He still has the great Julio Jones (88 catches, 1,444 yards) down the field, as well as Mohammed Sanu, and the FAlcons have Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman carrying the ball. The Falcons’ defense showed some starch at different points of the season, such as their big win over Dallas that ended a streak in which they had won just once in five games. They also limited Carolina to just 248 total yards last week in a game that the Panthers were trying to win, as that victory would have given them the NFC South title and send the New Orleans Saints on the road in the wild card round. Atlanta gives up just 19.7 points per game, and if they can mount a pass rush against Jared Goff, they could force a turnover or two early and build some momentum.Why should you put your money on the Rams?
First-year coach Sean McVay took a 4-12 Rams team from 2016 and turned them into the 2017 NFC West champions. A lot of this had to do with the fact that McVay brought in Wade Phillips as his defensive coordinator, and the Rams responded by putting up some of the best defensive numbers in the league. Aaron Donald tied a career best with 11 sacks, and he will be coming after Matt Ryan. The Rams did give up some big running games down the stretch, so they will need to solidify those gaps to keep Coleman and Freeman from running all over them. Jared Goff had a terrific sophomore season at quarterback, throwing for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions. In his last five games, Goff had at least two touchdown passes each week, so he finished the season on a high. Tailback Todd Gurley rumbled for 1,305 yards and found the end zone 13 times, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. He also had 788 receiving yards as the Rams found ways to use him creatively out of the backfield. Rookie wideout Cooper Kupp averaged 14 yards per catch — balance like this is what pushed the Rams to an average of 29.9 points per game, tops in the NFL.Latest NFL Wild Card Lines Trends
- Falcons are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games when playing LA Rams
- Falcons are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Atlanta’s last 5 games
- Rams are 4-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games at home
- Rams are 8-3 SU in their last 11 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Rams’ last 5 games
