Fresh off a critical win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, the Los Angeles Rams will return home for their second matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams are still in pursuit of an NFC West title, while the 5-8 Seahawks are in desperate need of a win to simply keep their playoff hopes alive.
Looking at the opening odds, you wouldn’t necessarily know the Rams are four games better than the Seahawks. That’s because the Rams are only 4.5-point favorites over Seattle, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
If that number feels low, you’re probably not alone. And there’s a reason for the Rams only being favored by 4.5-points. They’re currently dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused 16 players to be placed on the reserve list, putting their statuses for Sunday’s game in question. Among those players are Jalen Ramsey, Rob Havenstein, Dont’e Deayon and Darrell Henderson Jr.
As long as they’re vaccinated, they’ll all have a chance to return for the Seahawks game; they just need to test negative twice at least 24 hours apart. But with the possibility of the Rams missing several key players again, the oddsmakers are playing it safe by setting the spread lower.
The Over/Under is 45.5 points, which is also on the lower end. On the money line, the Rams are -220, meaning a $220 bet will return a profit of $100.