Published Oct 30, 5:38pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Oct 30, 5:38pm ET
Grok AI
Updated Oct 30, 5:38pm ET
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| Los Angeles Rams | -13.5 (-120) |
| New Orleans Saints | +13.5 (+100) |
With a break here and there, the Rams could be 7-0 right now.
Their first loss to the Eagles came on a blocked Joshua Karty game-winning field goal attempt, which Jordan Davis returned to a TD.
The second was an overtime loss to the 49ers, 26-23.
At age 37 and after a back problem stoked preseason fears that he would be compromised, Rams QB Matthew Stafford might be having the best season of his career. He leads the NFL in TD passes with 17 and has thrown only 2 picks. His QB rating is 109.3.
Stafford with the no-look on the TD pass 👀
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025
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Star receiver Puka Nacua is dealing with an ankle injury that held him out against the Jags, but he is trending toward playing against the Saints.
The Rams have a very good pass rush led by Byron Young and Jared Verse. They will almost certainly put a full-court press on the rookie QB in his first NFL start. Overall, the team is middle of the pack defensively against the run and the pass. They're +3 in takeaway differential. Shough should turn the ball over once or twice.
| PLAYER | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Rob Havenstein, OT | INJURED |
| Darious Williams, CB | INJURED |
| Kamren Kinchens, S | INJURED |
| Puka Nacua, WR | INJURED |
| Tutu Atwell, WR | INJURED |
Although Spencer Rattler has played well enough to retain the starting job, there are several reasons it makes sense to go to Shough now:
Moore is a former NFL QB and a well-regarded offensive mind, so if he believes in Shough, then the rookie might be the long-term answer. Still, he has a lot to overcome.
New Orleans may not be super-active at the trade deadline. Their biggest chip, running back Alvin Kamara, has said he does not want to be traded.
The Saints have been solid against the pass this season, ranked 9th in defensive passing yards allowed per game. They struggle against the run, so Kyren Williams and Blake Corum should get heavy work for the Rams.
| PLAYER | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Alontae Taylor, CB | INJURED |
| Devin Neal, RB | INJURED |
| Rashid Shaheed, WR | INJURED |
| Alvin Kamara, RB | INJURED |
For Week 9 Saints-Rams, the immediate reaction is that LA will roll over New Orleans. The Rams live and die on Stafford's arm, and the Saints' pass defense is decent. However, New Orleans is starting a rookie QB who did not gain a great deal of experience in college. He's a tools QB, and that will lead to mistakes.
The spread is significant, but LA should force Shough into errors while their offense picks apart New Orleans' defense in a blowout.
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Pick
Los Angeles Rams -13.5
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