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If you’re a Los Angeles Rams’ fan, most of the things you’ll hear or read this week – a week that takes them into the Superdome against the New Orleans Saints – is going to be about how daunting a task defeating the Saints is going to be.
They beat the Rams at home earlier this year. The duo of Sean Payton and Drew Brees have combined to be 6-0 at home in the postseason. And the last 10 conference championship games have been won by the home team.
So why even play the game, asks Rams’ head coach Sean Mcvay…
Road teams in the conference championship are 0-10 in the last 5 years.
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) January 17, 2019
Sean McVay doesn't seem to care: https://t.co/cF4HlvqLKX pic.twitter.com/q3i8mzXgms
A bit tongue in cheek from that handsome devil; but he shrugs off the idea that the Rams aren’t going out there to play spoiler. And it’s a sentiment, despite how often the Rams were favored during the regular season, that I’ve quickly grown to embrace.
Yesterday I was perusing the NFL.com homepage and came across a poll about which of the four remaining teams will win the Super Bowl. So I voted…for the Saints. I kid, I kid. The results were…not great for the team from Los Angeles.
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It doesn’t appear the fans are giving the Rams a chance. Maybe the Vegas odds are better. Over at CBS Sports, they’ve got the current lines from SportsLine.
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Nope. Still the longest odds of winning the big game. And it doesn’t appear – based upon these numbers – that the Rams even stand much of a chance (~20%) of winning this weekend.
Picks are slowly rolling into NFL Pick Watch – a website that compiles the weekly predictions of many NFL media and experts. There are still plenty of vacant predictions at this point, but do you have any guesses as to how the Rams are faring among a group of NFL pundits?
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Welp.
By the looks of it, not many are buying the Rams. And again, that’s ok. I think the fan base should embrace the underdog role. Honestly, it’s a far more comfortable feeling heading into a huge game against a stellar opponent than the clear favorite. It relieves a bit of the pressure, in my opinion. The Rams aren’t at home. The Rams aren’t favored. (Almost) nobody expects them to win. So how about going out there and playing spoiler!
So sure, the Rams are playing in a tough environment against a team that bested them earlier this season and currently is the odds-on favorite. No denying it.
But Sean McVay, Wade Phillips, and a very healthy Rams’ squad aren’t going to roll over, and they’ll certainly have a better feel for their opponent having played against them earlier this season. So revel in the fact that no one is picking them to succeed. Embrace being the underdog. Sleep well these next few nights. And let’s hope we get another chance to do this all again next week.
Here’s to a being part of the 15-20% that can take pride in a win this Sunday. Cheers!