Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 16 Following last week’s blowout between two sub-.500 teams, Week 16 offers a pairing of NFC playoff contenders. The Rams and Saints enter this game at 7-7 and in the thick of the playoff picture. […]
Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 16
Following last week's blowout between two sub-.500 teams, Week 16 offers a pairing of NFC playoff contenders. The Rams and Saints enter this game at 7-7 and in the thick of the playoff picture. FullTime Fantasy's Thursday Night Football Preview: Week 16 breaks down what is a must-win game for both teams.
The visiting Saints have won two straight and are tied for the NFC South lead. At +42, New Orleans has the fourth-best points differential in the conference. However, they must contend with traveling on a short week to face an LA squad that has won three consecutive games at home.
Additionally, Los Angeles has averaged 33 points per game in their last four. This Rams offense is now healthy and will pose problems for a New Orleans defense that has struggled when facing teams that are capable of moving the ball up and down the field.
The game opened with the Rams being favored by 4.5 points with a total of 44.5.
Matchup
On paper, these two teams are more evenly matched than it seems. However, the Saints have an edge defensively. At least they did until recently. The Saints pass rush has slowed and the team has dipped to 24th in run defense.
Meanwhile, the Rams have had issues defending the run. However, the return of Kryen Williams has had a significant impact on the team's offensive resurgence. Also, in the last five games, Matthew Stafford is the overall fantasy QB5.
For this game, the Saints are looking at their own significant addition with ace No. 1 wideout Chris Olave returning after a 1-game absence.
This is the first away game for New Orleans since dropping a 24-15 game to the Falcons in Week 12. Meanwhile, the Rams have been thriving at home and have not lost to the Saints as hosts since 2009.
How will Thursday's Saints vs. Rams game go?
| TEAM | OFFENSE | PASS | RUSH | YDS/PLAY | POINTS |
| New Orleans Saints | 14 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 12 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 |
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