The undefeated Los Angeles Rams (2-0) and Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) meet in NFL Week 3 on Sunday, September 21. Kickoff is set for in 1:00 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The game will broadcast live on FOX.
The Eagles are 3.5-point favorites over the Rams on the spread (Eagles -3.5), with the over/under set at 44.5 total points. Philadelphia is a -190 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +160 to pull off the upset.
The Eagles enter Week 3 fresh off a win over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl rematch. The Rams, meanwhile, also have a perfect record despite entering the season with a lot of uncertainty surrounding quarterback Matthew Stafford — so far, so good for the Rams.
Let's get into my Rams vs Eagles prediction for this big NFC game today.
Rams vs Eagles Prediction
- Rams vs Eagles pick: Rams +3.5 (-115)
My Eagles vs. Rams best bet is on Los Angeles to cover the spread, with the best price currently available at bet365. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Rams vs Eagles Odds
| Rams Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -115 | 44.5 -110o / -110u | +160 |
| Eagles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -105 | 44.5 -110o / -110u | -190 |
Rams vs Eagles NFL Week 3 Preview
Everything that concerned me about the Eagles coming into the year has mostly come to fruition in the first two weeks of the season. I thought there was a good chance we would see the defense take a step back after losing so many key pieces — they've been an average unit by most metrics so far.
There are a number of problems with the Eagles defense at the moment:
- They're not getting as much pressure as we've seen in the past
- Jalen Carter doesn't look to be in full game shape
- The second corner spot is a problem; there are some holes in the secondary in general.
The Rams will be seeking revenge after the Eagles handed them two losses last season — once in the regular season and once in the playoffs. This is a team that went into Philly in the snow last year and were just 20 yards away from eliminating the Eagles on their home turf.
The Rams are getting pressure without blitzing, and the Eagles offense was bound to take a step back with a new offensive coordinator at the helm, and it's looked pretty horrendous so far.
The Eagles only completed two passes that went 10+ yards in their first two games of the season. And those games were played against a Cowboys defense that just gave up 500 yards to the ghost of Russell Wilson, and a Chiefs defense that got carved up by Justin Herbert.
They still have Saquon Barkley, and we all know how good the Eagles are at playing rugby. This year, 12% of their successful plays on offense have been via the tush push. You can't decipher much from their success rate in yards per play though because they tend to gain eight yards and then push it twice. There's no creativity, there's no juice to it.
I think the Rams are the better team overall, but because of the way the Eagles play, they have become the new Chiefs. It's not surprising that they’re getting the ball and running the clock down to win by three points.
There's no team that's more likely to win by a 3-point margin than the Eagles — if they get the ball back with 10 minutes to go up by a field goal, they’re going to run out the entire quarter with 3-yard chunks.
That works in your favor if you are betting on the underdog. If you take the Eagles, you're going to be pulling your hair out because they're basically just kneeling down at the 30-yard line.
Rams head coach Sean McVay tends to play conservative in these spots. He’s one of the few coaches that's still does that, and that is helpful as an ATS underdog.
He is 18-11-2 against the spread as a 'dog of more than a field goal. His teams always performs well on the East Coast, with a record of 14-7-1 ATS when his team travels across the country.
McVay knows how to get his team ready for these spots. The Rams have covered by almost five points per game on the East Coast over a sample size of about 22 games.
Rams vs Eagles Prediction, Betting Analysis
The tush push is such a huge part of the Eagles' offensive game plan and all of the discourse this week surrounding Philly's famous play has hinted at the referees calling it tighter moving forward. They should've been called for false start penalties four times last week, and I believe they lined up illegally five or six times.
McVay — who used to be on the rules committee — contacted the league office on Wednesday. Every single show is talking about it.
If I could bet on at least one, maybe two, tush pushes getting flagged for false starts or offsides this week, I would.
They might also call a neutral-zone infraction on the defense, but I think that they're going to send a message to the Eagles that you can run this play, but it has to be legal. That could be the difference between extending a drive and scoring a touchdown versus having to settle for a field goal or punt the ball away.
Pick: Rams +3.5 (-115)
Spread
My Eagles vs. Rams betting prediction is on Los Angeles to cover the spread at +3.5.
Moneyline
Although I will be taking the Rams to cover the spread, I'm not targeting the moneyline market.
Over/Under
I'm also staying away from the total in this matchup.
