When the Saints (7-7) travel to face the Rams (7-7) to open Week 16 of the 2023 NFL regular season on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), it's back to being a duel between two starting veteran quarterbacks. New Orleans and Los Angeles are fighting for an NFC wild-card playoff spot, making it a critical game ahead of the final two weeks.
The Rams need to focus on the wild card with the NFC West out of reach. The Saints also have an eye on staying in the NFC South race. Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr are both playing well and will have all their key weapons healthy:
Who has the edge between two .500 teams from the same conference? Here's a betting breakdown for Los Angeles vs New Orleans on TNF:
Saints vs. Rams odds, spread, over/under
(All odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)
Spread: Saints +4 (-110) | Rams -4 (-110)
Over/Under: OVER 46 (-110) | UNDER 46 (-110)
Moneyline: Saints +175 | Rams -210
The Saints have been a little more than the requisite three-point road underdogs all week, as there's a little extra confidence in the hotter Rams at home. The total is rather robust for a Thursday game, reflecting the improved offensive health and increased defensive issues for both teams.
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Top props | Start-sit
Should you bet the Rams against the spread vs. Saints?
The Rams rebounded well after their OT losing effort at the Ravens in Week 14 by holding off the Commanders to cover at home in Week 15. Matthew Stafford has been picking apart every defense with Sean McVay's help in consistently getting Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua open. A big part of the offensive success also has been the running of Kyren Williams creating more favorable passing pop.
The Rams are the better overall team, the better coached team, and the team with the better veteran QB. That's plenty of reason to side with them on a short week.
Our Pick: Rams -4 (-110)
Should you bet the Saints-Rams OVER?
Carr will take a few dents here and be very reliant on his top two weapons, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, with the latter just returning from an ankle injury. Dennis Allen may not win the coaching chess match with McVay, but his defensive-minded Saints can get a key few stops to keep the two teams from hitting the OVER.
Our Pick: UNDER 46 (-110)
Final score prediction: Rams 24, Saints 17
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