Rams Seek TNF Victory in Playoff Chase – December 21

After nine games this NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams were 3-6. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was not having a great season. Former Super Bowl MVP WR Cooper Kupp was hurt and out of the lineup. The Rams were competitive until the end of October and beginning of November. In successive weeks, the Rams were blown out by Dallas (43-20) and Green Bay (20-3).

Then, the Rams turnaround began. Late in a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 19, Stafford took a huge hit to the chest. The Rams trailed 16-14 and eventually got the ball back in the game’s final minutes. Stafford engineered a 14-play, 75-yard Rams drive that ended with a Lucas Havrisik 22-yard game-winning field goal. The Rams beat Seattle 17-16 and their late-season surge was on.

Rams on a Roll

Led by Stafford with Kupp back in the lineup, the Rams have won four of their last five games. The offense has been outstanding, scoring 30-plus points in four of the five games. Just like that, the Rams are a playoff contender and would like to keep it that way tonight when they play the New Orleans Saints. The Rams are a 4-point favorite heading into tonight’s game with the Saints.

Currently, the Rams occupy the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoffs. Los Angeles is 7-7, the same record as No. 6 Minnesota, No. 8 Seattle, and No. 9 New Orleans. With a win, the Rams can keep their hold on that coveted postseason berth. The Saints are in somewhat of a similar situation. 

New Orleans has battled Tampa Bay and Atlanta for control of the NFC South. The Saints were 5-4 then lost three straight before winning their last two games. A road win by the Saints would move them into the top-7 in the NFC and put them closer to qualifying automatically as the NFC South Division champion.

The Rams have also covered the spread in four of their last five games. That is something New Orleans has had trouble with. The Saints have covered in just four of their 14 games this season. Also, the Under has cashed in 16 of New Orleans last 20 games. The Under is also 8-1 in the Saints last nine as an underdog, 11-2 in Saints’ Thursday games, and 7-0 in New Orleans last seven primetime games. You can get more information like this plus tonight’s best picks on our Thursday Night Football picks page.

Knup Sports Makes It a Double

For the second day in a row, our friends at Knup Sports ended up on top of the leaderboard. Yesterday, they put in another 22 picks and won 15 of them. That comes after winning 16 of 24 the day before. Knup Sports is on a nice little run that has put together a nice three-day haul.

Knup Sports Isn’t the only one. Our top six handicappers yesterday all made at least $300. As we go deeper down the board, we find that the entire top-10 made at least $200 and seven of those top-10 cappers are Sports Hub experts. I say this a lot, but it’s true. Our handicappers are the absolute best in the world. They win consistently and if you are a bettor who likes money, you should have a Sports Hub account to have access to these brilliant cappers.

Now, let’s look at yesterday’s leaderboard.

• Two in a row: As mentioned, Knup Sports went 15-7 yesterday. They won a total of $665, which gives our friends a nice three-day total of $1530. Knup Sports is No. 2 on our 7-day leaderboard and No. 2 on our NHL 7-day leaderboard. Keep an eye on these guys. They have multiple picks in the system already for a big football weekend coming up. 
• Scott’s Picks: Scott has been here before, though it’s been a while. Yesterday, Scott went 6-1 and earned $532 to finish right behind Knup Sports. He nailed all four of college basketball picks and went 2-1 on three NBA picks.
• Mike Hawk: This Sports Hub expert has been on a tear. Last night, he pulled the ultimate ‘drop mic’ win. One pick, one win, and $416! That gives our boy Mike $841 in winnings over the last three days and $2841 over the last 30.
• Sports Central: The team at Sports Central had a solid day hitting five of seven picks yesterday. That earned them $340 and a spot in yesterday’s top-5.
• Sports Hub experts: The next six cappers on the board were all Sports Hub experts and rounded out yesterday’s top-10. Ross Walker and Nick Sabatini each went 3-0 and won $300. Bill Blatt went 4-1 and won $290. Bill is up $1828 for the last 14 days. Robert Ferguson and Gino De Luca each went 2-0 and won $200 and Dan Jones went 3-1 and won $190. A solid day from our SportsHub experts.

Rams Not the Only LA Team on a Roll

We know that the Los Angeles Rams have won four of their last five games and currently own one of the NFC’s seven playoff spots. But, the Rams are not the only team in LA that is on a big-time roll at the moment. Let’s not forget the city’s Clippers, who won again last night. Read more below to see how the Clippers are doing.

It was a big day yesterday for college football teams. Early signing day led to some big-time programs getting even better. Ohtani makes the news again and will Jaromir Jagr ever stop playing hockey?

Let’s look at our trending sports news.

• Clippers: With a 120-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks last night, the Clippers notched their ninth straight win. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points to lead the Clips who are now 17-10 overall and in fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

• CFB recruiting: Yesterday was early signing day and a number of teams made a splash with big-time recruiting classes. One of those was two-time national champion Georgia, which lost out on 5-star QB Dylan Raiola, but still signed what most experts call the No. 1 class in college football. Raiola decided to commit to Nebraska where his uncle is an assistant coach and where his father played.
• Harbaugh: It’s interesting that Michigan received a notice of allegations of recruiting violations on the eve of early signing day. The gestapo NCAA once again says Michigan violated its ridiculous rules. Almost as if on cue, “Harbaugh to the Chargers” headlines began popping up all over the internet.
• Ohtani: For the second time in three years, Shohei Ohtani is the AP Male Athlete of the Year. Ohtani, who recently was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, edged out soccer star Lionel Messi and tennis star Novak Djokovic for the award.

Rams on TNF Tonight

Thursday night football is, of course, the king tonight. The Rams will host the New Orleans Saints in a crucial NFC battle with playoff implications for both teams. The betting public will likely lean all over the Rams, since they are the favorite and the home team. Check out the picks database to see how our handicappers see this one.

Here’s a look at the rest of the schedule.

1. TNF: You should know by now that the Saints play the Rams on Thursday Night Football. There are almost a dozen picks in our system right now for the game. Check back throughout the day as there will be several dozen more.

2. NBA: There are eight games on tap in the NBA tonight. Who would have thought Orlando at Milwaukee would be a battle of top four teams in the East?
3. NHL: There are 12 games on the ice tonight. The feature games on ESPN+ and Hulu is Edmonton at New Jersey. Both teams are on hot streaks. The Devils are 6-3-1 over their last ten games. The Oilers are 7-3.
4. NCAAB: The college basketball schedule is huge today. There are dozens and dozens of games. No. 1 Purdue is in action, playing at home against Jacksonville. Check our picks database as there will be hundreds of college basketball picks today.
5. Soccer: There is one match in the Premier League today and four more in La Liga. A number of other professional leagues around the country – the Nigerian Pro League, for example – have matches today. Check Sports Hub’s member’s area for picks.
6. Boca Raton Bowl: South Florida takes on Syracuse in a battle of 6-6 teams in the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl.

That’s it for today. If you’re betting the Rams-Saints tonight, make sure you consult with the best cappers in the business. That would be our experts right here at Sports Hub. You’ll find picks for the rest of today’s sports schedule too. Make it a great day and come back tomorrow to see how you did compared to our experts. Hasta manana.