• 2 weeks ago
Transcript
00:00Give the Dolphins credit, they won the game, but the Rams also lost it.
00:07I agree with you wholeheartedly. That was an ugly performance from the Rams, and there's really no reason for it.
00:15When you look at, they were getting healthier on the offensive line, and that might have been what screwed them up a little bit,
00:21because they didn't look fully comfortable with the center quarterback exchange at times.
00:26I know Jonah Jackson used to play guard and has moved to center this year for the Rams,
00:30so I don't know if him returning from injury and going back into that role was a little bit difficult,
00:35but I thought Matthew Stafford had a particularly brutal game.
00:39It seemed like every time the Rams needed him to make a play, he had a big negative moment.
00:45I mean, we saw both quarterbacks took some ugly-looking sacks that took their teams out of field goal range at times,
00:52but Staffords were particularly bad because you'd see him under pressure, and you would just say to yourself,
00:56all right, just throw this ball away or try to throw the check down, and he would just kind of hang on to it
01:01and turtle up and then create these long field goal opportunities for Joshua Cardi,
01:05who did very well making five of his six kicks, but that missed one ended up costing them
01:10because they could have had a chance at that game-tying touchdown drive late, but they were down two scores instead.
01:17So I thought between that and Sean McVay's strange lack of aggressiveness when they had that fourth and goal
01:22where Stafford didn't see that he had Kyron Williams for a check down touchdown and decided to kick it,
01:28I thought that was strange, too, just very not McVay-like in terms of not trying to go for the touchdown
01:34when you're at the three-yard line, so it just seemed like an off night for the Rams,
01:37but I'm not reading too much into it, but like you, I was very surprised that they kind of came out completely flat
01:43and that one didn't show up.
01:45Yeah, home game, too, for them, and there isn't a team in the NFL that has now lost more odds,
01:51I guess it's fair to say, than the Rams on making the playoffs and winning the division.
01:55I mean, just take a look at this now.
01:57All of a sudden, they went from one of the favorites to win the NFC West to 9-1.
02:02To make the playoffs, they're plus 470.
02:05I believe this number was like 250 or 300 even yesterday,
02:08and let's take a look at the standings, too, guys, real quick here.
02:12The Cardinals are 6-4.
02:15These odds seem off to me, too.
02:16Like, I think I'd rather have – actually, the Cardinals beat the 49ers once this season,
02:20so I guess that means the 49ers must beat the Cardinals next time out,
02:24but I feel like that is where my value is, to take the 49ers to win the division.
02:29I think that loss last night, Jacob, may have doomed the Rams.
02:33I think you might be right.
02:34I still sort of like the value at 9-1 on them, though.
02:38I'm not going to lie.
02:39It's tough when you look at the performance last night and say to yourself,
02:42do I really want to back that?
02:43Is this offensive line really that bad?
02:45Are they going to struggle against veteran defensive lines where Calais Campbell
02:50and Zach Seeler are very good for the Dolphins?
02:52Is this O-line going to be able to block?
02:54So I get why people would not want to back that,
02:57but I still think that they have a lot of talent on offense,
03:00and if they stay healthy, it should come together a little bit better.
03:04But I think you're right.
03:05The safest bet among those where there's a little bit of value
03:08and you'd feel pretty good about it is the 49ers because that team's another
03:12team that they didn't have Christian McCaffrey the first half of the season.
03:15He's a really dynamic game changer for their offense.
03:18Jordan Mason was great with him out, but McCaffrey's three-down ability
03:22and just what he can do as a receiver fundamentally transforms that offense.
03:27So I think they're going to get a little hot.
03:29I like what the Cardinals are doing, but there's still a talent gap there.
03:33They remind me a little bit of Dan Campbell's first year with the Lions
03:36when the Lions didn't get a lot of wins that first year,
03:39and then in the second year they kind of made that late playoff push,
03:42didn't quite get there.
03:43I think Jonathan Gannon has built something similar where the Cardinals play
03:47really, really hard and really, really well for the personnel they have,
03:51but they're still trying to bridge the gap on defense.
03:53So I think you're dead right that the 49ers look like the best mix of value
03:57and potential, but I'm not counting out the Rams just yet.
04:00I'm hoping last night was a fluke, but I get it if you don't want to back them
04:03for sure.
04:06♪♪♪

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