The New Orleans Saints are working on a short week as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. As luck would have it, Rams head coach Sean McVay is one of the toughest coaches to play in the NFL under these circumstances.
McVay has a 6-1 record in games where the Rams have short weeks, going 3-0 at home in those contests. That includes the matchup last season against Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders, in which Baker Mayfield came in and won the game despite being on the team for just a short time. That game really spelled the end for Carr’s time in Los Angeles, so he might have a chip on his shoulder going into this rematch.
On the opposite side of that stat, the Saints have struggled on Thursday nights in the past few seasons. New Orleans hasn’t won a Thursday night game since they beat the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. That makes four straight Thursday night losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars (earlier this season), Arizona Cardinals (2022), Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills (both in 2021).
Of course, both the New Orleans Saints and Derek Carr will be looking to change recent trends on Thursday night. This is biggest game of the year for Carr and Saints head coach Dennis Allen. Maybe they can be the first opponents to catch McVay off-guard.
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