Las Vegas (2-4) at Los Angeles Rams (1-4)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Raiders 2-4; Rams 1-4.
Series record: Raiders lead 8-7.
Last meeting: Rams beat Raiders 17-16 in Inglewood, Calif. on Dec. 8, 2022.
Last week: Raiders lost to Pittsburgh 32-13; Rams lost to Green Bay 24-19 on Oct. 6.
Raiders offense: overall (27), rush (31), pass (17), scoring (T-26).
Raiders defense: overall (12), rush (24), pass (7), scoring (T-27).
Rams offense: overall (16), rush (27), pass (12), scoring (24).
Rams defense: overall (28), rush (32), pass (18), scoring (29).
Turnover differential: Raiders minus-10; Rams minus-2.
Raiders player to watch
WR Tre Tucker. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said it was a mistake not to get Tucker more involved in the offense in last weekend’s loss to the Steelers. Tucker figured to get more attention with WR Jakobi Meyers out with an ankle injury, but was targeted just twice and had no catches. Meyers is out again, so the Raiders will have another opportunity to make Tucker a focal point of their offense.
Rams player to watch
RB Kyren Williams picked up his first 100-yard outing of the season, finishing with 102 yards rushing and a touchdown on 22 carries in the loss to the Packers. Having the run game working can open up so much for Los Angeles’ offense, and Williams should be able to build on it against a Raiders defense giving up 4.95 yards per carry.
Key matchup
Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. Raiders pass defense. Las Vegas has solid statistics, allowing 186 yards passing per game. But the Raiders have faced a run of bad throwing offenses, and Carolina’s Andy Dalton was able to dominate them for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford has been solid in spite of the injuries around him, and this could be the breakout game he’s been looking for.
Key injuries
Meyers was doubtful and G Dylan Parham (foot) will not play. RB Zamir White (groin) and T Thayer Munford (knee and ankle) were expected to play. … Rams WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) returned to practice this week, but the upcoming schedule could factor into whether he plays against the Raiders. Coach Sean McVay said it might make sense to hold Kupp for next Thursday’s home game against Minnesota rather than asking him to play twice in five days.
Series notes
The Rams have won three straight over the Raiders, including both visits since returning to Los Angeles. They have also won five of the past six in this surprisingly sparsely played series.
Stats and stuff
Raiders: Second-year QB Aidan O’Connell has had 442 career drop-backs and no scramble runs out of those plays, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He is the only quarterback with at least 150 drop-backs to not have a rush since the website began compiling statistics in 2016. … T Kolton Miller was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass blocker last weekend with a 90.7%. In 41 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed no quarterback pressures. … CB Jakorian Bennett has allowed 12 completions on 26 targets. That’s the fewest number for cornerbacks who have had to defend at least 25 passes. … DE Maxx Crosby is three tackles for loss from becoming the fourth player since the statistic was first tracked in 1999 to reach 100 in his first six seasons. The others were J.J. Watt (133), Aaron Donald (117) and DeMarcus Ware (101). … Crosby has 57½ sacks, tied with Anthony Smith for third on the team’s career list. … The Raiders have had at least three sacks the past three games, tied for third for the NFL’s longest active streak with Chicago and Tampa Bay. Baltimore has the longest streak at five games followed by Denver at four. Las Vegas also has had multiple sacks five games in a row, its longest streak since a 10-game run in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. … Opponents have failed to convert at least half of their third downs against the Raiders for nine consecutive games, tied with the Buccaneers for the second-longest active streak. Cleveland is first with 23. … LB Robert Spillane made eight tackles against the Steelers, the first time this season he failed to reach double digits. … Rams DT Kobie Turner got going in a big way by dropping Packers QB Jordan Love in the first half for his third career game with two or more sacks. Turner finished with six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defended, joining Robert Quinn and Dante Fowler as the third Rams defender to tally that particular set of stats. … McVay needs one win to match John Robinson’s 79 regular season and playoff victories for most in franchise history. … OLB Jared Verse leads all rookies with 20 pressures. … WR Jordan Whittington had seven receptions for 89 yards versus Green Bay, giving him 18 grabs for 201 yards over his past four games. Whittington, a sixth-round pick, joins Puka Nacua (572) and Marques Colston (374) as just the third Day 3 selection since 2000 with at least 200 yards receiving through his first five games. … Williams has 29 runs that have resulted in a first down, second most in the NFL behind Derrick Henry of Baltimore (30). … The Rams are allowing a league-worst 8.45 yards per pass play.
Fantasy tip
Los Angeles has been struggling, having scored 20 or more points twice. But this could be the breakout game the Rams offense has been looking for, which should make Stafford and Williams priority plays this week and Whittington and Tutu Atwell interesting options for those in need of receiver help.
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