Probably won’t see any of the top Los Angeles Rams players on Saturday night in Week 3 of the preseason as Los Angeles looks for its first win of the exhibition slate. The Rams are slightly favored, though, on the NFL Odds over the visiting Denver Broncos.
How to Bet Broncos vs Rams NFL Preseason Week 3 Odds & Game Info
- When: Saturday, 9 PM ET
- Where: LA Memorial Coliseum
- TV: NFL Network replay
- Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
- Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
- NFL Preseason Week 3 Lines: Los Angeles Rams -1.5 (Total 37)
Last Meeting
In Week 6 of the 2018 regular season, the Broncos hosted the Rams and L.A. won 23-20. Todd Gurley rumbled for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The Broncos were gashed for 270 yards on the ground.
The Broncos pulled to 23-20 on Case Keenum’s 1-yard dart to Demaryius Thomas with 1:22 remaining, but Rams receiver Robert Woods knocked Brandon McManus’ onside kick out of bounds, and the Rams ran out the clock. Keenum and Thomas are gone now.
Weather Forecast
- Sunny: 24°C/76°F
- Humidity: 64%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 3%
- Wind: 6 mph SW
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on Denver?
Denver has played three preseason games because it was in the Hall of Fame Game. It won that over Atlanta but has lost the past two weeks. It was 24-15 on Monday vs. San Francisco. The star of that one was Broncos second-year defense end Bradley Chubb. He Chubb picked up three tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble in limited action.
Rookie second-round pick Drew Lock suffered a “bad” thumb sprain in the game but does not require surgery. The injury is to Lock’s right (throwing) thumb. Thus, Lock surely will not be ready for Week 1, meaning Kevin Hogan will begin the season as Joe Flacco’s backup. The No. 42 overall pick finishes the preseason an unimpressive 31-of-51 (58.3 percent) for 254 yards (5.0 YPA), one score and one pick.
First-round rookie tight end Noah Fant suffered a “mild” ankle sprain in Monday’s game. The No. 20 overall pick has had a quiet camp and preseason, catching five passes for 28 yards. Fant won’t be playing this week. The team signed tight end Orson Charles as insurance.
Apparently, we won’t see starting QB Joe Flacco at all in this game. Hogan will start vs the Rams and rookie Brett Rypien will play plenty. Coach Vic Fangio said most starters won’t play. Fangio said that Rypien is competing for the backup quarterback job.
Broncos linebacker Todd Davis suffered a calf injury in the first week of training camp and has not returned to practice. On Wednesday, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said he’s still uncertain if Davis will be ready to play in the Sept. 9 regular-season opener in Oakland.
Team Stats (Offense)
- Points per Game: 23.43
- Passing Yards: 255.43
- Rushing Yards: 109.43
- Turnovers: 2.00
Why Bet on LA Rams?
The Rams have totaled just 13 points in losing both their exhibition games. It was 14-10 to Dallas last week in Hawaii. With starting quarterback Jared Goff among the large number of Rams starters that did not make the trip to Hawaii, Blake Bortles got the start and finished 7 of 11 for 62 yards. His 7-yard scoring pass to JoJo Natson capped Los Angeles’ second drive.
Don’t expect to see any of the Rams’ top players because that’s how Sean McVay likes it. The Rams are using the “veteran plan” to limit Todd Gurley’s reps in camp. That means Gurley won’t play in preseason games and will receive multiple practices off. Malcolm Brown and rookie Darrell Henderson have shared first-team running back snaps when Gurley has been rested.
The Rams matched an offer sheet from the Detroit Lions to keep Brown, a restricted free agent this offseason, paying him $3.3 million for another two seasons. Henderson rushed six times for 16 yards, but also caught six passes for 38 yards, including one for a 26-yard gain against Dallas. McVay called Henderson, a third-round pick from Memphis, the “change-of-pace back” he’s been in search of since he took over in 2017.
Linebacker Micah Kiser underwent surgery on his pectorals Tuesday and is out indefinitely. Kiser was a fifth-round pick last year. He was expected to replace Mark Barron next to Cory Littleton this season after playing no defensive snaps as a rookie. The Rams have a trio of former seventh-rounders in Dakota Allen, Travin Howard and Bryce Hager as options.
Team Stats (Offense)
- Points per Game: 24.29
- Passing Yards: 256.43
- Rushing Yards: 127.29
- Turnovers: 1.14
Broncos vs Rams NFL Preseason Week 3 Betting Trends
- Broncos are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Saturday games
- Broncos are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against an opponent in the NFC West division
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver’s last 5 games on the road
- Rams are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall
- Rams are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Denver
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Rams’ last 6 games against an opponent in the AFC conference
Expert Final Score Prediction for Broncos vs Rams
Denver Broncos 24 – LA Rams 23
