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The Marquee Matchup of Week Nine: LAR (8-0) vs. NO (6-1) - Great Game!!


Who Wins the Game?  

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  1. 1. Who Wins the Game?



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Lindsey Thiry ESPN 

Rams WR Cooper Kupp is participating in practice today and is expected to play Sunday against the Saints. "I know he's feeling good and confident and excited to be back out there," Sean McVay said. Kupp has been sidelined since the second half of a Week 6 win at Denver because of a knee sprain.

 

Mike Triplett ESPN Staff Writer 

Drew Brees said the only other time he can remember facing two defensive tackles as disruptive as the Rams' Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh was back at Purdue, when he faced Georgia's Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud in the 2000 Outback Bowl. "But at this level, it's really unheard of to have Suh and Donald in there. Those guys are unbelievable." When Saints DT Sheldon Rankins was asked what stands out about Donald, who leads the NFL with 10 sacks, Rankins said, "I don't want to heap too much praise on him right before we play him. But he's probably the best defensive tackle I've ever seen play."

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Darren Woodson is Taking the Rams to Get to 9-0 on Sunday, but Tedy Bruschi Likes the Saints to Win at Home and Hand L.A. Their First Loss.
 
Steve Young breaks down the huge Saints vs. Rams matchup and wants the Saints' defense to step up vs potent Rams' offense.

 

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints: Win-Loss Predictions for Week 9

 

After a short stint at home, the Los Angeles Rams (8-0) are back on the road in Week 9 — heading east to take on the NFC South leading New Orleans Saints (6-1), in what is looking to be their toughest match of the year.
 
The Rams have been a very good road team since Sean McVay has taken over as head coach, but winning in front of a raucous crowd in the Superdome won’t come easy.
 
Do the Rams have what it takes to make it nine straight and remain undefeated on the year? The Turf Show Times staff make their predictions...

 

Mike Triplett ESPN Staff Writer 

Saints RB Alvin Kamara missed practice with an unspecified illness Thursday, and DE Marcus Davenport remained out with his toe injury. But DE Mitchell Loewen (neck) returned to practice on a limited basis. And everyone else practiced fully.

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NFL Week 9 Game Picks: Rams Lose First Game 

 

By Elliot Harrison NFL.com Analyst

 

 Jared Goff brings the NFC's top offense to New Orleans to face the most balanced attack ever generaled by Drew Brees. Philip Rivers and the Chargers against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks should never get third billing ... but it will this weekend. Not surprisingly, each of those games carry weight in the playoff race.

 

Back to Rams at Saints for a moment -- a few big-time receivers will surely figure into the outcome, be it Robert Woods, Michael Thomas or a guy who's played for both organizations, Brandin Cooks. Yet, all three of them combined might fail to equal one receiver's production in the wildest game in the history of this L.A.-New Orleans series. They called him Flipper, and his day in November of 1989 has never been equaled:

 

New Orleans Saints 31, Los Angeles Rams 28

 

4:25 p.m. ET (FOX) | Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)

 

The game of the week, if you ask me. Young quarterback making a push for MVP vs. the most prolific passer in the history of the game. Supremely talented quarterback at throwing intermediate routes vs. a man who has made his living off those skinny posts and (especially) seam routes. Long story short: Aaron Rodgers-Tom Brady isn't necessarily the most exciting quarterback matchup of the week. Jared Goff competing against Drew Brees is equal in every respect, save for maybe historical relevance. Goff-Brees feels like a young Peyton Manning facing Dan Marino in 1999. Or a baby-faced Marino going up against Dan Fouts in 1984. (I have that game on DVD. Classic OT thriller.) The difference in this matchup could be the Saints playing at home -- although, crowd noise won't be enough if New Orleans can't get to Goff. That's why I like the idea of the Saints offering up an Ingram/Kamara combo platter with all the accoutrement. Did you know that the Rams, for as unbeatable as they have seemed, allow the highest percent of rushes gaining 4 yards or more in the NFC? Yep, 51.5 percent of opponent rushing plays pick up easy real estate. It's been a non-factor against most of Los Angeles' opponents -- quite concerning versus these Saints, though.

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Injury Report 11/1: Kupp Returns to Practice

 

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Below is the full Thursday injury report for both teams.

 

LOS ANGELES RAMS
 
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
CB Sam Shields (illness)
C John Sullivan (not injury related)
LT Andrew Whitworth (not injury related)
 
LIMITED
WR Cooper Kupp (knee)
 
FULL
OLB Trevon Young (back)
 
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
 
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
DE Marcus Davenport (toe)
RB Alvin Kamara (illness)
 
LIMITED
DE Mitchell Loewen (neck)
 
FULL
OT Terron Armstead (knee)
WR Michael Thomas (shoulder)
C Max Unger (elbow)
WR Cameron Meredith (knee)
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Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

Sunday: 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox | Point spread: NO by 2 | Insiders pick: NO (2/3)
 
The Saints opened as underdogs at home, which seemed surprising even though the Rams are arguably the NFL's best team. Bettors quickly pushed the line in the other direction.
 
"Green Bay showed some things defensively against the Rams to be able to get at [Jared] Goff and make him really look like a young quarterback at times," one of the insiders picking the Saints said. "The Rams can scheme so much stuff with those underneath mesh throws where Goff just takes his three-step drop and lets it loose. The Packers did a good job making him hold onto the ball. It will be interesting to see if the Saints can do the same thing. To me, this is a shootout game, and if it's a shootout game, I pick Drew Brees."
 
The Saints were known for building their offensive lines from the inside out to protect Brees up the middle, helping him see throwing lanes as a shorter quarterback. The Rams have built the defensive line around interior players Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh before adding edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. at the trading deadline. Fowler has never faced New Orleans.
 
"I am going with the Rams," another insider said. "They just added another weapon to get to the quarterback and I think they are one of the few teams that can actually affect Drew Brees with pressure. I still haven't seen anybody stop Todd Gurley and until somebody does, I'm going to take the Rams."
 
Three opponents have held Gurley below 80 yards rushing this season. Those teams did not really shut him down, however. Gurley finished those three games with 11 rushing touchdowns, 11 receptions and 18 total first downs.
 
"A key for New Orleans is, don't be afraid to go at Marcus Peters," the third insider said. "You look at the tape and he has had troubles against [Adam] Thielen, then Davante Adams destroyed him and 83 of Seattle [David Moore] gave him trouble."
 
Peters had been expected to miss games after suffering a calf injury last month. He has started every game and struggled more than he typically would. The Rams' run defense has also struggled at times, notably when Seattle rushed for 190 yards. The Saints lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 12, one more than the Rams, but the Rams have a big edge in rushing overall.
 
"I like New Orleans in that atmosphere," the third insider said. "If this were a night game, I'd say New Orleans wins with the points because that place gets so crazy, but I will say New Orleans in a tight one."
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Quotes & Notes 11/1/18: Wade Phillips Talks Fowler, Scheming Against Brees

 

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Ryan Ramczyk: "It's gonna be an awesome environment"

Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk speaks to the media as the Saints prepare to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday November 4 at 3:25 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and broadcast on FOX.

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P.J. Williams: "Gotta look forward to challenges like this"

Defensive back P.J. Williams speaks to the media as the Saints prepare to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday November 4 at 3:25 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and broadcast on FOX.

 

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Marhson Lattimore: "We all respond well"

Defensive back Marshon Lattimore speaks to the media as the Saints prepare to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday November 4 at 3:25 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and broadcast on FOX.

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NFL 2018 Week 9: Rams vs. Saints preview, statistics, odds

 

In what is arguably the most highly-anticipated matchup of the season thus far, the undefeated Los Angeles Rams (8-0) will face the surging New Orleans Saints (6-1) in their Week 9 matchup.
 
Los Angeles is off to an 8-0 start for the second time in franchise history. They also went 8-0 in 1969 before finishing the regular season with an 11-3 record. The Rams' latest victory was a 29-27 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 295 yards on 19-of-35 passing with three touchdowns in the win.

 

Between The Horns: week 9 against the Saints - Los Angeles Rams (49:52)

Myles Simmons and D’Marco Farr Discuss the upcoming week against the New Orleans Saints.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz
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Saints vs. Rams: Sean Payton Is Ready for Sean McVay

 

By ALBERT BREER  November 01, 2018

 

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To keep his Drew Brees-led offense fresh and unpredictable, Sean Payton devotes hours each week to watching what other innovative offenses around the league are doing—and cribbing from them. That’s why when Sean McVay’s high-flying Rams visit the Superdome this Sunday, they could see a little bit of themselves in what the Saints throw at them.

 

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Lee Corso to make headgear pick before Saints-Rams, a first for ESPN NFL coverage

 

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By Christopher Dabe, NOLA.com
 

Lee Corso will make his famous headgear pick on the Sunday NFL Countdown set for ESPN leading into the New Orleans Saints' home game against the Los Angeles Rams. This will be the first time in the 33-year history of Countdown for Corso to be on set for an NFL pick, according to ESPN coordinating producer Matt Garrett.
 
The set will be outside Manning’s Bar & Grill in New Orleans. Corso also will be in Baton Rouge on Saturday to make his headgear pick leading into the LSU home game against Alabama. The headgear pick is closely associated to ESPN’s college football coverage, particularly on ESPN’s traveling College GameDay set.
 
Edited by 26CornerBlitz
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Game Preview: Rams and Saints Set to Battle as NFC’s Best

 

Clarence Dennis - Rams' STAFF WRITER

 

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The Rams (8-0) will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints (6-1) for the third time in three seasons in Week 9.

 

In 2016, the Saints beat the Rams 49-21 in quarterback Jared Goff’s second-career start. Last season, Goff and the Rams got revenge back home in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum — beating the Saints 26-20. Goff threw for 354 yards in that game, one yard shy of his career high, which remained until Week 4 of this season, when Goff threw for 465 yards against the Vikings.

Edited by 26CornerBlitz
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Which duo will triumph on Sunday: Los Angeles rams head coach Sean McVay/quarterback Jared Goff or New Orleans Saints head coach (3:18)

The "Good Morning Football" crew debates which duo will triumph on Sunday between Rams head coach Sean McVay and QB Jared Goff and Saints head coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees.

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From Andy Benoit:

 

Rams at Saints

Running backs in the passing game could decide this one. Alvin Kamara was the reason the Saints were even competitive when they visited the Rams in Week 12 last year. Will Sean Payton go back to featuring Kamara on the weak side of spread empty formations? (Taysom Hill’s curious rise seems to have come at the expense of New Orleans’s once-foundational spread-empty passing game.) Speaking of empty sets, that’s what the Rams employed at times last week against Green Bay when throwing to Todd Gurley. This doesn’t necessarily reflect a shift in philosophy, though. Those empty formations were condensed, not spread, and out of them the Rams still ran many of their usual pass plays for Gurley. Whichever team gets more big catches from its tailback will win this game. And keep in mind it was reported yesterday that Saints DE Marcus Davenport will be out for about a month with a toe injury.

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Despite Facing Many Double-Team Blocks, Donald Still Dominating

 

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald leads the league with 10.0 sacks so far in 2018.
 
Donald is also seeing more double-team blocks than any other of the league’s sack leaders by a significant margin.
 
That’s according to NFL Next Gen stats, which has Donald being double teamed on 70.0 percent of plays. Of the players tied for No. 2 with 8.0 sacks, Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt is seeing the most double teams at 46 percent.
 
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Rams (8-0) at Saints (6-1): 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox

Point spread: NO -2 Matchup quality: 91.3 (of 100)
 
Lindsey Thiry's pick: The Rams have won eight consecutive games, but the Saints in the Superdome are undoubtedly their biggest test yet, especially on offense. Defense could be the difference in this one. The Rams have the edge in that department after adding edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. at the trade deadline and with Aaron Donald's league-leading 10 sacks. But it might not be enough against Drew Brees, who gets the ball out fast. Saints 28, Rams 24
 
Mike Triplett's pick: This is the latest in the season that two teams averaging 33 points or more have faced each other, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Rams have the edge on defense led by Donald, and while they added firepower this week by trading for Fowler, the Saints lost firepower when rookie DE Marcus Davenport suffered a toe injury. However, the home-field advantage helps the Saints, and there might not be a more battle-tested team in the NFL right now after they had to grind out come-from-behind victories at Baltimore and Minnesota in their past two outings. Saints 29, Rams 27
 
FPI win projection: NO, 49.8 percent. With a pregame matchup quality of 91.3, this is the second-best matchup of the season according to FPI, trailing only the Chiefs-Rams matchup in Week 11. This game is also projected to be incredibly close, as only the Falcons-Redskins game noted earlier has a smaller spread in our data set, according to FPI.
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