LA Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks 2019: Prediction, Betting Odds For Week 5 Thursday Night Football

The Los Angeles Rams initially opened as road favorites for their Week 5 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. L.A. has since become the underdog in Thursday night’s game, looking nothing like the team that reached Super Bowl LIII eight months ago.

Thursday’s contest now features a 1.5-point spread in favor of Seattle, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The over/under is 49.

The two rivals are tied for second place in the NFC West, sharing a 3-1 record. L.A. entered the season as the prohibitive favorite to win their third consecutive division title. Their latest showing could be a sign that the Rams won’t cruise to another first-place finish.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a franchise-record 55 points in their road win over the Rams in Week 4. Los Angeles’ defense had been the team’s strength over the first three weeks, overcoming a disappointing start for the offense.

The Rams held the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns to 22 total points in Week 2 and Week 3.

In both seasons under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams led the NFC in points scored. Los Angeles is third in the conference in points per game through the first quarter of the season. The team ranks just 13th in yards per play overall.

Todd Gurley was the NFL’s top running back in 2017 and 2018. Jared Goff also made the Pro Bowl in both seasons, totaling 60 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions with an average of 12.9 yards per completion.

Both players were far less productive in September. If nothing changes in Week 5, the Rams will be hard-pressed to win in Seattle.

Goff really hasn’t been better than average in any game yet, throwing as many interceptions as touchdown passes. Even as he threw for 517 yards against Tampa Bay, the quarterback did so with 68 attempts and three picks.

Without an elite offensive line and an explosive playmaking running back, Goff has looked pedestrian. The quarterback has been sacked eight times. Gurley has 281 yards from scrimmage, putting him 251 yards behind last season’s pace.

Seattle’s quarterback might be playing better than he has at any point in his career. Russell Wilson has a 118.7 passer rating with eight touchdown passes and no interceptions. Wilson has posted a triple-digit passer rating in all four of the Seahawks’ games.

Wilson wasn’t the problem in the Seahawks’ only loss of the season. The Saints won in Seattle on the strength of a special teams touchdown and a fumble recovery that was returned for a score.

The Seahawks rank 10th in yards per play. Seattle has scored at least 27 points in three straight games.

Even when the Rams were dominating the league last year, they were almost beaten by the Seahawks. Los Angeles escaped Seattle with a 33-31 win when they met in Week 5 of the 2018 season. The Rams avoided an upset on Nov. 11 by defeating the Seahawks 36-31.

Now that Los Angeles’ offense isn’t clicking like it once was, Seattle should be able to pull out the win and put themselves in a position to potentially take over first place by the end of the week.

Prediction: Seattle over Los Angeles, 27-20