Los Angeles Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds For Week 10 Game

The Week 10 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers has pretty significant playoff implications for both teams. A loss for L.A. would virtually eliminate the Rams from the NFC West race and potentially put them 1.5 games out of the final wild-card spot. Pittsburgh needs a win to get back above .500 and stay in the AFC North race.

The latest betting line suggests that Los Angeles is a much better team, even though they are only a game ahead of Pittsburgh in the overall standings. The Rams are favored by 3.5 points on the road, according to OddsShark. The over/under is 44.

Pittsburgh has taken advantage of an easy schedule to remain in the hunt for a postseason berth. The Steelers’ only victory in their first five games came against the still-winless Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh’s three-game winning streak has included wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins, who boast a combined 5-12 record. The Steelers escaped with a win at home in Week 9 against the Indianapolis Colts, who lost their starting quarterback early in the contest.

Los Angeles returns to action in Week 10 following their bye. The team rebounded from a three-game losing streak with wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Bengals. Neither of those teams is very good, but the Rams took care of business, outscoring Atlanta and Cincinnati 61-20.

Jared Goff’s inconsistent play has killed Los Angeles at times. The quarterback has lost four fumbles and thrown seven interceptions. He threw for just 78 yards when the Rams last lost in Week 6, scoring just seven points against the San Francisco 49ers.

With an NFL-high 11 recovered fumbles as well as 11 interceptions, which is good for third in the league, Pittsburgh has relied on creating turnovers to win games. The Steelers have a pick-six in two of their last three wins.

It’s going to be difficult for Pittsburgh to have that same kind of luck with turnovers, even with Devin Bush, Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt playing like Pro Bowlers. Goff has gone three straight games without an interception. The Rams are still 10th in total offense and eighth in points per game.

Pittsburgh is sixth in opponents’ yards per play, so it could be a low-scoring game. The under has hit in 10 of the Steelers’ last 15 games and five of the Rams’ last seven contests.

Los Angeles is only one spot behind Pittsburgh, allowing 5.1 yards per play. The Rams are a respectable 12th in total defense. The Steelers are 11th.

Maybe Goff isn’t an elite quarterback like he appeared to be for much of last season. He still gives Los Angeles a significant edge at the game’s most important position Sunday afternoon.

Mason Rudolph is averaging 181.3 passing yards per game, putting him ahead of only Mitchell Trubisky and Ryan Fitzpatrick among starting quarterbacks. Only Trubisky, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones are averaging fewer than Rudolph’s 6.6 yards per attempt.

Since trading for Jalen Ramsey, the Rams have given up 10 points per game. Quarterbacks have a mediocre 89.2 passer rating against Los Angeles. The Rams have faced four of the league’s top-12 rated passers, including MVP favorite Russell Wilson.

James Conner is nursing an injury. His status for Week 10 is uncertain. Pittsburgh only had 273 yards of offense when Conner sat in Week 9.

Ranking 27th in yards per play and 28th in yards per game, Pittsburgh has one of the league’s worst offenses. Los Angeles still has an above-average offense, an average defense at worst and a quarterback that’s much better than the Steelers’ signal caller.

All of that should be enough for the Rams to win by a touchdown at Heinz Field.

Prediction: Los Angeles over Pittsburgh, 20-13