2016 Record: 28-11
The pick:
Rams Pick'um Over Jets
That tagline is, drumroll please...."The Same Old Jets."
Rams have every starter on the field healthy while the Jets injuries continue:
Mangold, Bruce Carter, Marcus Williams, Josh Martin, Kellen Davis, Buster Skrine (quest), Brandon Snell (Quest), Fitz (Quest).
They are not healthy. They are not going to the playoffs.
The Rams are most certainly in the thick of things in their lousy division so they absolutely have something to play for.
Despite the worst offense in football, I love that Keenum gets AWAY from a fan base cheering against him for his backup. His last game on the road was his best of the season against the Lions in a 31-28 loss:
84% completion rate
321 yards
3 TD's and 1 INT
You think that had NOTHING to do with the fact he got away from that fan base and the pressure that lies therein? You are out of your mind if you do. A road game BENEFITS us 6 points and benefits because it benefits our QB even more points beyond that. And of course he's up against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL (27th). That's not a bad deal for this line.
WFAN, which I listen to down here is reporting that Petty will be starting. They are dependable as a radio station. I've seen Petty in practice. His first NFL start will be tomorrow most likely. I do not fear Petty and I do not fear the Star Player down Other Players Step up angle because Fitz in not a Star. Not even close. The trade-off is marginal in the season he is having. If he plays he'll be playing less than 100% in a bad season. And Petty is marginal at best in this spot. Can Petty surprise people? Sure. But he's been unremarkable in what I've seen of him. And he hasn't started all this time for a reason. Even a Fitz that calls out the coach in his win over the Ravens was started right away. The coach would take Fitz, and having him called out to the media by him, over a fully healthy Petty on the bench. Says a lot folks.
Fisher and the players have called for an all hands on deck mentality to start the second half:
“Gear it up and have a sense of urgency,” safety T.J. McDonald said.
“Find a way,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said, “to finish games.”
“Do your job, hold yourself accountable and make some plays,” receiver Tavon Austin said.
Lip service yes but I love the attitude, an attitude NOT coming out of the frustrated and injured Jets locker room.
Let's not forget that the Rams are on a 4 game losing streak. This is a GOOD thing. Just ask Marshall over Middle Tennessee State who broke out. You just have to harness that breakout.
Are the Rams ready to break out? I believe so. It may not be in a big way but with a line that is even, that's ok. A 1 pt win takes it down.
And let's not forget the last three games: Lions, Giants, Panthers. All ONE score games where the Rams have lost by a total of 13 points. They had the ball and were driving for the win in all three.
Jets are too beat up, too uncertain behind center and too lackadaisical in a lost season to take down a team that still believes and mathematically can win it's division (i.e., something very much to play for).
No 4 points to deal with, and SWEAT out, like last week. Great! Rams come East and play an early one yes, but with so much on the line...They'll take the East Coast (a place they already beat Tampa in) over London any day of the week.
Good night! Medium play. Nothing crazy.
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