Rams vs Packers NFC Divisional Round Betting Preview, Odds and Pick

On Saturday, January 16^th, the Los Angeles Rams head to Wisconsin to take on the Green Bay Packers in an NFC Divisional Round Playoff game.

The Rams come in banged up after pulling off the upset in Seattle during the Wild Card Weekend. The Packers are coming off a first round bye where they rested players and are the fresher team.

Will the Rams pull off another road upset this postseason or will the Packers flex their offensive muscles and beat Los Angeles at home? Kickoff inside Lambeau Field is at 4:35PM ET.

Rams vs Packers Live Odds and Betting History

The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:

Rams vs Packers NFC Playoff Game Preview

The Rams and Packers have played against each other 95 total times including two postseason matchups. The Rams hold the slight advantage with a 47-46-2 all-time record.

However, the Packers have won five of the last six meetings. Furthermore, Green Bay is 29-19 all-time in home games against the Rams and have won four of the last five matchups at Lambeau Field.

• The Los Angeles Rams (11-6) are coming off a surprising win over divisional rival the Seattle Seahawks. They went out on the road and came away with a dominating 30 to 20 victory led by the league’s best defense. Can the Rams duplicate their Wild Card Round success against Green Bay this weekend? With the win last weekend, the Rams improved to 22-26 all-time in the Playoffs. They’re 11-8 in the Divisional Round with their last appearance coming two years ago when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on their way to a Super Bowl appearance.
• The Green Bay Packers (13-3) got to rest up some players last weekend courtesy of their first round bye earned by napping the top seed in the NFC. Green Bay does have come concerns along the offensive line, but appear to have addressed these potential issues. Can the Packers get move on to the NFC title game?

The Packers hold a 35-23 all-time Playoff record. They’re 10-10 in the Divisional Round, which includes a win last season against the Seahawks. The Packers are 3-1 in their last four Divisional Round games.

Head to Head Betting Trends

• Packers are 6-4 SU in last 10 games
• Packers are 7-3 ATS in last 10 meetings
• Over is 5-4-1 in last 10 matchups
• Rams are 1-5 SU in last six contests
• Rams are 0-6 ATS in last six games

Los Angeles Rams Betting Trends

• 12-6 SU in last 18 overall games
• 11-3 SU in last 14 NFC games
• 5-2 SU as an Underdog this season
• 6-1 SU versus winning teams
• 5-1 SU in last six NFC North games
• 4-0 SU in last four January games
• 6-3 ATS in last nine games
• 13-6 ATS in last 19 road games
• 5-2 ATS as an Underdog this season
• 6-1 ATS versus winning teams
• Under is 11-3 in last 14 games

Green Bay Packers Betting Trends

• 6-0 SU in last six games
• 20-4 SU in last 24 home games
• 8-1 SU as a Favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts
• 11-2 SU as a Favorite this season
• 7-2 ATS in last nine January games
• 8-4 ATS in last 12 NFC games
• 2-5 ATS in last seven NFC West games
• 10-9 ATS versus winning teams
• Over is 4-2 in last six NFC West games

The spread opened with the Green Bay Packers favored by seven points. Since then, the line has come down to 6.5 points at most NFL betting sites. The Over/Under opened at 46.5 points and has come down slightly to 45.5 total points with most online betting sites.

Free NFC Playoff Sports Bet and Prediction: Rams +6.5 (-110)

Both teams have some injury concerns heading into this Playoff game. The Rams saw Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp both leave their Wild Card game against the Seahawks last weekend. Although they both will be less than 100%, each player is expected to play on Saturday.

For the Packers, starting left tackle David Bakhtiari was lost to a knee injury prior to the start of the Playoffs. The team signed Jared Veldheer this week. Veldheer becomes the first player in NFL history to play for two different teams in this same Playoffs as he was on the Colts in the Wild Card round.

In addition to injury concerns, the following in-game factors could determine who moves on to the NFC Championship:

Can the Packers Score on This Rams Defense?

This is the top matchup that will determine the outcome of the game. It’s the highest scoring team versus the top ranked defense.

Green Bay finished the year as the top scoring team at 31.8ppg, 5th in total yards at 389ypg, 9th in passing at 256.6ypg, and 8th in rushing at 132.4ypg.

The Rams finished the season 1st in total yards (281.9ypg), 1st in scoring (18.5ppg), 1st against the pass (190.7ypg), and 3rd against the run (91.3ypg).

In the Wild Card Round, the Rams held Seattle to 278 total yards, 20 points, forced two turnovers, and even scored a touchdown. They shut down one of the league’s explosive offenses and made Russell Wilson look like an average QB.

For the Rams to have any chance at beating Green Bay this weekend, they will need to slow down this Packers offense.

To accomplish this, I expect Jalen Ramsey to shadow the Packers’ top receiver DaVante Adams all game long. Ramsey is one of the best corner’s in the league and he will certainly slow down Adams who finished the season with over 1,300 receiving yards and 18 TDs.

However, the key will be to generate pressure up front and that starts with Aaron Donald. If he can collapse the pocket and the Rams can get pressure with their front four, Aaron Rodgers will be in trouble.

Will the Rams Find Success Running the Ball?

The Packers have struggled against the run at times during the regular season which should give the Rams some confidence. Green Bay allowed 112.8 rushing yards per game and the Rams averaged 128.3 rushing yards per game.

The Rams put up 164 rushing yards at Seattle who has a defense on par with the Packers. They were led by rookie Cam Akers who put up 131 yards and 1 TD on 28 carries. Malcom Brown added 30 yards on nine carries.

The other thing about the Rams rushing attack is that it helped Los Angeles win the battle for time of possession at nearly 34 minutes. You can expect this team to take the same approach against the Packers.

The X-Factor: Jared Goff

Last weekend against the Seahawks, Goff came off the bench to lead the Rams to an upset win over Seattle. Goff managed the game as he went 9-of-19 for 155 yards and 1 TD. It was clear that Los Angeles wanted to run the ball.

Goff will need to play better than that for the Rams to win at Green Bay. I would imagine the Packers try to force Goff to throw the ball by stacking the box to stop the run.

In the past, and for a few games this season, Goff has shined as a passer. Unfortunately, he had some rough performances down the stretch which caused many critics to feel that the team needed to part ways with their QB this offseason.

Betting Trends to Consider

The Rams are 5-2 ATS as an Underdog and 6-1 ATS versus winning teams this season. The Packers went 2-5 ATS in their last seven NFC West games and are just 10-9 ATS versus winning teams over the last few seasons.

If you can find the spread at 7 points then I would jump on it. But, the Rams are built for the Playoffs with the best defense that features the best corner and the best defender, while also having a strong running game. The Packers are going to need to play near perfect to beat the Rams.

With that said, Rodgers has been near perfect this season as he’s going to be named the NFL MVP. I expect the future HOF quarterback to make enough plays to help Green Bay edge out the Rams at home 24 to 20.

Rams vs Packers Betting Recap:

• Oddsmaker: BetOnline
• Moneylines: Rams (+255) vs Packers (-300)
• Spread: Packers -6.5 (-110)
• Over/Under: 45.5 total points (-110)
• Prediction: Packers 24 – Rams 20