Denver Broncos (4-10) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-9)
December 25, 2022 4:30 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Rams +1 / Denver Broncos -1 ; Over/Under: 35.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams meet Sunday in NFL action from SoFi Stadium. Denver enters this matchup at 4-10 overall. The Broncos beat the Cardinals in their last matchup. As for Los Angeles, they’re 4-10 as well and fresh off a Monday night game versus the Packers. In that one the Rams fell by 12 points. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Denver managed to go just 2-5 over their first seven games this year. The wins in that time were over the Texans and 49ers. Since then the Broncos have hit another 2-5 stretch, beating only the Jaguars and Cardinals.
On Sunday versus the Cardinals, the Broncos had a 10-9 lead going into the fourth quarter. Denver was able to hang on and took a win 24-15. QB Brett Rypien logged 197 yards with one TD and a pick. Latavius Murray had 130 rush yards with a score.
Over on the Los Angeles side, they posted a 3-4 run to start the year with wins over the Falcons, Cardinals and Panthers. The Rams would hit a 1-5 stretch over the next six with losses to the Bucs, Cardinals, Saints, Chiefs and Seahawks.
Matched up against the Packers on Monday, the Rams were down 10-6 going into halftime. Los Angeles gave up 14 points in the third quarter and ended up falling 24-12. QB Baker Mayfield put up 111 yards with one TD and one pick. Cam Akers rushed for 65 yards on 12 totes.
The Broncos are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 on turf and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games. Denver is 2-7 ATS in their last nine after an ATS win.
Meanwhile, the Rams are 13-3-1 ATS in their last 17 in December and 3-8 ATS in the last 11 on turf. LA is 1-3-1 versus a team with a losing record.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on the Broncos here. Probably not touching it, though. There’s not a whole lot to get excited about in this matchup, but it should be a competitive game. That said, Denver is coming off a sketchy outing versus Arizona, posting 324 total yards (156 passing), just 4-of-11 on third-down conversions and two turnovers. Still, Denver’s defense has kept them competitive by allowing 15 points or fewer in two of the last three games.
As for Los Angeles, they couldn’t get anything going against Green Bay on Monday. The Rams posted just 156 yards of offense (72 rushing), 3.6 yards per play, 14 first downs, 22:41 in time of possession and a 4-of-11 rate on third-down conversions. LA has managed 20 or fewer points in seven of their last eight games, so it’s tough to trust them on anything right now.
