Los Angeles at New England Week 13 Betting Pick & Odds

It’s definitely going to be a long week for the Los Angeles Rams, who have both the public and sharp bettors ganged up against them in the NFL lines ahead of their Week 13 visit to Foxboro for a clash against the New England Patriots. And going by how the Oddsmakers have the Pats heavily favored to win this contest, it appears that the Rams will have to play their mighty best if they are to stand a chance of upsetting New England or even keeping the scores respectable. Still, the Rams haven’t been all that bad this season, so you shouldn’t write them off just yet.

Los Angeles at New England Week 13 Betting Pick & Odds

Power Rankings heading into the matchup with New England | https://t.co/WMYhi8ztjK pic.twitter.com/WOpDcR31Y7

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 30, 2016

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts When: Sunday, December 4, 2016, 1:00 PM ET TV: FOX Radio: Los Angeles / New England Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Lines: New England (-13.5), OVER/UNDER 44.5

Why Bet on the Rams?

For the large part of this season, the Rams have struggled to win games due to their iffy offense. Last weekend, though, it was the exact opposite, as rookie QB Jared Goff—in his second career start—passed for three first half touchdowns in a promising effort, but his output was undone by the Rams’ defense that was gashed for 555 total yards and 49 total points in a 28-point loss to the Saints. Getting slashed for such yardages and points won’t cut it if Los Angeles is to get the better of the mercurial Tom Brady and his talented Patriots offense. Fortunately, the Rams have been playing well enough in defense for pretty much the whole season, giving up 17 or fewer points in the four previous games before last week’s meltdown against the Saints. If Jeff Fisher can coach this D back to its basics, then keeping the banged up Pats– who struggled a lot in their 22-17 victory over the three-win Jets last week– contained should be possible. Of course, another strong effort will be required from Goff, Todd Gurley and the LA offense in order to give the Rams a complete fighting chance this weekend.

Why Bet on the Patriots?

Apparently, coach Fisher has been outscored 104-7 by the Patriots in his last two games against them—59-0 with the Titans in 2009 and 45-7 with the Rams in 2012. Making matters worse, the Patriots are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last 5 overall games against LA. With such a history, it certainly makes sense why bettors are pounding heavily on New England in spite of the Pats being favored to win this game by two touchdowns. Barring any major unforeseen calamities, we agree that the Patriots should be due for a big win here, considering New England’s emphatic balance on every side of the pigskin (#6 in passing offense, #7 in running offense, #6 in points scored and #3 in points allowed per game) and the strong history and betting trends that are in the hosts’ favor. That being said, New England supporters should keep in mind that Brady played last week with an ailing knee that affected his performance, and such effects could carry on to this week. The same goes for star TE Rob Gronkowski and #1 WR Julian Edelman, two of Brady’s top targets, who didn't practice on Wednesday and are considered questionable for the weekend with injuries as well.

Betting Predictions and Picks

While there is no doubt that the Patriots will be winning this game even irrespective of their injuries, I am a bit concerned about taking them for the 13.5-point spread, given their key injury concerns and how the health issues affected their play against the Jets last week. I mean, last I checked, the Rams can just be as physical and menacing in defense as the Jets, which draws me to the conclusion that the Los Angeles could keep things closer than most people expect them to do this week. Add to the fact that Goff didn’t look too shabby last week; I am inclined to lean slightly on Rams for the point spread value. Final Score Prediction: New England 27, Los Angeles 16 Writer’s NFL Pick: Los Angeles (+13.5)