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LA Rams 30, New Orleans Saints 22
The Rams seemed to have this one comfortably in hand for most of the game, even well into the fourth quarter. The hometown Rams were leading, 30-7, and it seemed as if they were on their way to a convincing home win, and edging ever closer to clinching a playoff berth.
And then something strange happened: the Saints suddenly began to execute a whole lot better on offense. It happened on two consecutive drives. In between, there was a bizarre play where a punt by the Rams was blocked. By a player or the turf - either a good play by a Saints player, or just bad execution on the part of the Rams punter - it was not immediately clear. But the fact that this gave the Saints the ball back in very good field position, and just minutes after they had scored a touchdown, to pull within 30-14. When they scored another touchdown - a little too easily and quickly for comfort by the Rams - it suddenly felt as if we had a game on our hands.
Not what anyone was expecting just a few minutes earlier.
However, the Saints were not able to complete the comeback. The next onside kick went to the Rams, and that pretty much wrapped this one up.
Truth be told, while the ending was made fairly exciting by the rally that the Saints mounted, most of the game was actually dominated by the Rams. It seemed to me that the Saints played flat and showed little to no life or fight in them. I mean, they are fighting for a chance at the playoffs, and even getting to host a playoff game, if they can manage to win the NFC South division title! Show something that suggests that you deserve it.
Matthew Stafford looked good, reminiscent of the Super Bowl season he and this Rams team enjoyed a couple of seasons ago. And the Rams offense looked in sync. And until late in the game, that Los Angeles defense looked solid, as well.
Ultimately, the Rams earned the "W." And it was well-deserved, for that matter. They played well enough to win. Even though the Saints did have a fairly serious comeback attempt, it fell quite a bit short of allowing New Orleans to steal the win. As a result, the Rams improve to 8-7 on the season, and have seriously strengthened their playoff positioning. Right now, it feels likely that the Rams will qualify for the postseason.
As for the Saints, this loss feels like it compromises them. They fall behind - at least temporarily - to Tampa Bay in the NFC South division title race, and they now are only half a game ahead of Atlanta. Also, they just don't feel convincingly good enough to justify being in the playoffs.
My pick: Accurate
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