The Rams, at home to the Raiders this week, are in a pretty deep hole, missing Kupp, Stafford, Donald and a host of others, and with possibly Baker Mayfield at QB. The Rams have almost abandoned their pass-first offense, with rush plays shifting from 38% for the season to over 50% in the last three weeks. Against Seattle, they had considerably more rush yards (171) than pass yards (148). However it is not just the passing game that is struggling. There is almost no area on defense that hasn't declined significantly in the last three games. The Rams have allowed over 300 yards passing, 26 points against and a passer rating of 111 L3. Rush yards have remained consistent mainly because opposing teams are jumping on the Rams' poor pass defense.
As much as the Rams' defense has faltered, the Raiders appear finally to be returning to form. The Raiders' defense has improved dramatically in red zone defense, rush yards allowed, and yards per rush attempt of late. The one area they are still weak in remains against the pass, but they have toughened up in passer pressure, and saw their sack total rise to 5 last week. It would be very surprising if the Rams pass game put much on the board this week, irregardless of the defense. On offense, Carr has been well protected lately, and the Carr to Adams connection is as good as any in the league. The Raiders' yards per completion soared to over 15 1/2 last week, so the Rams will have to look out for a very explosive pass offense. Vegas running back Josh Jacobs has been a big part of the renaissance, and while he is questionable, the league's top rusher is still expected to play.
There will likely be many Raiders fans in attendance this week, hoping to revel in how the Mighty Rams have fallen. The line is Raiders -6.5, which seems high, but doing the math, surprisingly do-able for a surging Raiders team not completely out of the wild card picture at the moment. Take the Raiders to win and cover.