Can the Rams take the next step following their 10-7 2023 season and up their win tally? According to Vegas oddsmakers, it's a likely outcome. Los Angeles is expected to win 11 of its slated 17 matchups this year, per DraftKings.
To start the 2024 season, the Rams are a +3 underdog on the road against the Detroit Lions, in a rematch of its most recent contest, a 24-23 Wild Card Round defeat just a few short months ago.
Los Angeles is favored against the Arizona Cardinals as a -2.5-point favorite in Week 2. The Rams are underdogs once again in their Week 3 against their rival San Francisco 49ers, by a +2.5 slate. Surprisingly, the Rams are also expected to lose to the Chicago Bears in the subsequent week (+1.5).
The Rams are, however, expected to win the next eight straight contests, against the Green Bay Packers (-1.5), the Las Vegas Raiders (-4), the Minnesota Vikings (-3.5), the Seattle Seahawks (-1.5), the Miami Dolphins (-1), the New England Patriots (-4), the Philadelphia Eagles (-0.5), and the New Orleans Saints (-1.5).
In Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills, the Rams are +1-point underdogs. They're +6.5-point underdogs against the Niners again in their primetime Week 15 showdown on Thursday Night football, and +3-point underdogs against the New York Jets. In a Week 17 rematch against the Cardinals, the Rams are -6 favorites. The Rams close out their season with another matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Once again, the Rams are favored in this matchup by a full -5.5-point margin.
Some of these numbers are...particularly surprising, to say the least. I am surprised the Rams are underdogs to the Bears and Jets, but favored against the Packers, Eagles, and Dolphins. Given the state of each of those rosters and how they finished 2023, those results are a bit of a mixed bag.
It isn't particularly surprising that the Rams are underdogs to the Lions and 49ers. Those two teams are the cream of the crop in the NFC right now and figured to be their toughest games of the season.
