Welcome everyone to the latest game preview for the New Orleans Saints! This week, we look at the Saints matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
Last Week: The Rams offense was stymied last Sunday by the Minnesota Vikings by the score of 24-7. Meanwhile, the Saints pulled one of the most historic comebacks in recent memory over the Washington Redskins in a 34-31 overtime victory.
Last Meeting: The last time these two faced off, the Saints dominated the Rams in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a 49-21 victory. The Rams hold the overall series lead 40-33, but the Saints have won three of the last five matchups.
Storylines to Watch:
Riding the Wave: The Saints will be making a trip over to the West Coast and will be facing off against a team that many are calling “The Greatest Show on Surf”. The Rams offense, outside of last week’s loss has been phenomenal offensively, ranking towards the top in the NFL in most categories, including points per game with 30.3.
The Saints have been scoring at will this season after their rough start and this will be a test for them in terms of if this team can survive a shootout against an offense that has been just as high-powered.
Keeping the Balance: One of the biggest reasons why the Saints have been on the roll they’ve been on is because of their offensive balance. Last week was a slight change of pace largely due to how the ballgame went and it necessitated Drew Brees to go into hero mode and put the team on his back.
With the strong performances from Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram as of late, it’s probably best that the Saints continue to feed the rock to their workhorses.
Next Man Up: The Saints defense took some big hits during the win over Washington. They wound up losing Alex Okafor for the rest of the season due to a torn Achilles and Marshon Lattimore isn’t 100 percent for the matchup on Sunday after rolling his ankle during the first series of the ballgame.
When it comes to Okafor, it’s a huge hit considering how crucial he has been to the defensive line and being the perfect complement to Cam Jordan. The front seven has been a strong point during the season and been key to some of these wins because of their ability to create pressure. It’s a case of next man up for the Saints defense and they’ll need to have another defensive end step up to keep the front seven looking strong.
New Orleans Will Win If:
The Saints can make it nine in a row if the defense can keep the Rams below 30 points. It seems so basic, but last week’s game was a loss for the defense and required a Herculean effort from Brees to come away with a win.
Los Angeles Will Win If:
The Rams can come away with a win if the defense can win the turnover battle. After a pretty clean start, the Saints have started to give up the ball with a lot of frequency. The Rams currently have 19 total turnovers, seven of those being fumbles and if the Saints ball control isn’t on point, it will be a win for them.
-Clint Domingue