The Los Angeles Rams boast one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL, and that was never more apparent than in their 24-3 victory over the New England Patriots in Week 14. Coming into the game, the Patriots had won four of their last five games to fuel their flickering playoff hopes. But the Rams limited them to just 220 total yards, including just 62 in the second half, while their rushing offense that ranked third in the NFL was held down to 3.7 yards per carry.
After getting a measure of revenge against the team that defeated them in Super Bowl 53, Los Angeles now welcomes a team that is nearing history – for all the wrong reasons. The 0-13 New York Jets are three losses away from becoming just the third NFL team to go winless in a 16-game season(despite this one being 17), and the Rams can push them closer to that ignominious record when they host the Jets at the SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
The game features a match-up between the Rams’ league-best defense and the Jets’ offense, which ranks dead last in the NFL in almost every category (points per game, total yards per game, and passing yards per game). New York is coming off a 40-3 shellacking at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, in a game where they were limited to just 185 total yards. Los Angeles faces Seattle in Week 16 in a game that could decide the NFC West division, but before that all-important meeting, they will need to avoid an upset against a New York team desperate to avoid a winless season. Here are four predictions for when the Rams face off against the Jets:
1. Jared Goff passes for two touchdowns
Following the Rams’ 23-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, head coach Sean McVay didn’t mince words, saying that “our quarterback needs to take better care of the football” after the game. Goff, who took the comments in stride, has done just that in the Rams’ last couple of games. In their wins over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 and the Patriots, the 26-year old has completed 53 of 72 passes for 488 passing yards and two touchdowns with just one interception, two sacks taken, and no fumbles.
Goff’s run of good games is likely to continue against a Jets team that has the league’s second-worst passing defense, giving up an average of 286.8 passing yards per game and having just 21 total sacks this season (24th in the NFL). The two-time Pro Bowler hasn’t had a game with more than one passing touchdown since the Rams’ Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But a game against the Jets and their porous defense that gives up a lot of yards in the air should fix that and give the Rams’ signal-caller another solid performance heading into the critical game against the Seahawks.
2. Cooper Kupp will have at least 75 receiving yards and a touchdown
The Rams’ leading receiver this season went eight games without a touchdown, but finally found the end zone in Week 14 against the Patriots. Kupp finished that game with five receptions, 33 receiving yards, and a score. His last big game, however, came back in the team’s Week 11 win over the Buccaneers, when he had 11 receptions and a season-high 145 receiving yards. A game against the Jets and their lackluster defense, however, may bring out the best in the 27-year old wide receiver and give him a chance to add to his numbers this season, which stands at 79 receptions, 869 receiving yards, and three touchdowns through 13 games.
If Kupp is going to score his fourth touchdown of the season, it will likely come against the team that has the second-worst passing defense in the NFL, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the former Eastern Washington product have his best game since the Rams’ win over Tampa Bay. Another big game would bring the fourth-year pro to his second straight 1000-receiving yard season after he finished with 1161 receiving yards last season.
3. The defense scores a touchdown for the fourth straight game
The dominance of the Rams defense has manifested in different ways, but one way in which they have stamped their class in recent games is in scoring defensive touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s unit forced Patriots quarterback Cam Newton into throwing his first pick-six this season, with linebacker Kenny Young returning an interception for 79 yards for a score while adding one sack and a team-high eight tackles.
Young’s pick-six gave the defense a touchdown in each of the Rams’ past three games. Despite their dismal win-loss record, the Jets have actually had fewer turnovers than the Rams this season with just 17 compared to 21 for Los Angeles. That number includes five fumbles and 12 interceptions, tied for 25th in the NFL.
But the Rams defense is one of the best in the league at forcing turnovers with 21 this season and tied for fifth, including 13 interceptions and eight fumbles. With their defense pressuring Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, who has thrown nine interceptions this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the defense get more points on the board and record a defensive touchdown for the fourth game in a row and once again proving their dominance.
4. The Rams cruise to an easy win and move up to 10-4
A meeting between the league’s best defense and worst offense usually doesn’t bode well for the offense, and the Rams are an overwhelming favorite heading into the game. In fact, Los Angeles is favored by 17 points over the Jets, the largest margin that the team has been favored in a game since 2001. The Rams’ also hold a 10-4 series record over New York and seem poised to continue their mastery over the downtrodden Jets.
But more than history being on their side, the Rams seem to be rounding into form in their wins over the Cardinals and Patriots, racking up victories in four of their last five games. The recent improved play of Goff, the big game of rookie running back Cam Akers, who rushed for a career-best 171 yards on 29 carries against New England, and the dominance of their elite defense has Los Angeles looking ready for their crucial games against the Seahawks and Cardinals in the last two weeks of the regular season.
The Jets, meanwhile, seem to be inevitably headed toward a winless record, even snatching defeat from the jaws of victory a couple of times this season. The Rams should take care of business against New York at home, sending head coach Adam Gase's team to their fourteenth straight loss while picking up their 10th win against four losses to keep in step with the Seahawks in the race for the NFC West title.
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