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*** OFFICIAL NFC CHAMPIONSHIP : LA Rams vs NO Saints *** (1 Viewer)

:thumbup:

Hope it’s a great game.  Saints are not the same team they were last meeting.  Hopefully they get the offensive magic back and don’t lose the defensive magic. 

 
Super nervous.  Saints matchup up well against us.  But as Henry pointed out the Saints are a different team now, so are the Rams. Should be interesting. 

 
Rams haven't been to the game since the Torry Holt days..rooting hard for them to get back! 

I like their chances. 

 
I expect the Saints to win this game the same way they won the NFC Championship Game back in 2009: with a field goal in overtime

Saints 31, Rams 28 (OT)

 
2 thoughts so far on this matchup.

1) You can't base what you expect your team to do the following week on the previous week. Especially in the playoffs. Even moreso than in the regular season, it's a one-week season every week, regardless of records, past matchups, and whatever else. 2) Both teams are different now than when they met in the regular season. 

Bottom line, I think the homefield advantage wins it for us in a close one. I think both teams will effectively stop the run for the most part which will leave it in the hands of the quarterbacks. I like Brees to make some heroic magic in the 4th quarter. 

 
Drew Brees at home vs Jared Goff on the road. 

Saints but close.

Saints have never lost a playoff game at home, I like that.

Tom Brady vs Drew Brees

beats the hell out of

Patrick Mahomes vs Jared Goff

 
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The Saints stumbled early against The Eagles,that won't happen Sunday. The Rams ran roughshod through The Cowboys D,that won't happen Sunday. Michael Thomas is a beast at home,that will happen Sunday. The Cowboys were unable to expose an average Rams D,The Saints will expose them Sunday. Saints by 2 scores,at least.

 
I am a  Saints fan, but last week I brought up the fact that the Saints have been sluggish offensively down the stretch. Some argued that was cherry picking and that they would score 31 or more easily. They started slowly, but their defense stepped up and kept the game close. Still, they only scored 20 points at home in the win.

The Rams had their way running the ball against a fairly good defensive front of the Cowboys and yes, the Saints are better defensively. However, Sheldon Rankins, one of their top defensive linemen and an excellent run stopper may not play. I think that the Rams will be able to establish a run game and this one is going to be a struggle, likely lower scoring that most expect particularly since the Rams are 2nd in scoring and the Saints 3rd.

I expect this game is going to be very close and hope that Brees and the Saints are in position to make a play late to secure the win. Go Saints, but like someone said earlier go hard from the jump start or this one could get away. 

 
I am a  Saints fan, but last week I brought up the fact that the Saints have been sluggish offensively down the stretch. Some argued that was cherry picking and that they would score 31 or more easily. They started slowly, but their defense stepped up and kept the game close. Still, they only scored 20 points at home in the win.

The Rams had their way running the ball against a fairly good defensive front of the Cowboys and yes, the Saints are better defensively. However, Sheldon Rankins, one of their top defensive linemen and an excellent run stopper may not play. I think that the Rams will be able to establish a run game and this one is going to be a struggle, likely lower scoring that most expect particularly since the Rams are 2nd in scoring and the Saints 3rd.

I expect this game is going to be very close and hope that Brees and the Saints are in position to make a play late to secure the win. Go Saints, but like someone said earlier go hard from the jump start or this one could get away. 
I came in to post about Rankins.  He's out, and that is going to hurt the Saints ability to stop the run/control the clock.  Huge loss.

 
Marcus Peters is about to get abused again by Mike.  He should just shut up.
Unfortunately this is a distinct possibility, MT is a beast and Peters has been massively disappointing this year.  But with Talib back the truth is Peters won’t be as exposed and likely isn’t covering MT the majority of the time.  

 
Unfortunately this is a distinct possibility, MT is a beast and Peters has been massively disappointing this year.  But with Talib back the truth is Peters won’t be as exposed and likely isn’t covering MT the majority of the time.  
We'll Talib isn't what he once was.  They're going to have to double Mike and see if that works.  Brees will take advantage of that.

 
2018 was not the first time the Saints beat an undefeated Rams team, it also happened in 1978.

The Saints lost their first 9 games in L.A. before that.

All time the Saints trail the Rams 34-41, but the record in NO is 17-19, including 1-0 in the playoffs.

 
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The city is corner to corner in black & gold. There's Saints music blasting. The fans are ready. :football:

One other item that has come out is that Payton has clued the fans in that apparently McVay calls out signals to Goff right up until he hits the 15 second mark before the snap, so he has suggested that the fans help out by raising the noise level pre LOS. Hopefully that pans out, sounds like a good idea.

 
One other item that has come out is that Payton has clued the fans in that apparently McVay calls out signals to Goff right up until he hits the 15 second mark before the snap, so he has suggested that the fans help out by raising the noise level pre LOS. Hopefully that pans out, sounds like a good idea.
Bobby Hebert has been talking this up all week on the drive-time sports radio shows, as well. Fans in the Dome will be well aware of the need to keep up the noise between :45 and :15 on the play clock.

 
Makes me wonder, too, if our defense can thwart McVay's sideline reading ... if the Saints D can effectively disguise their intentions from McVay until after the mike cuts out.

 
Rams win. look, Eagles had a nice lead last week, and probably should've won that game. and they didn't run the ball at all. they didn't even have a great offensive game but still nearly stole it..Rams will put up 35+ we know this.

the difference for me comes down to coaching,specifically, defensive coordinators. Wade Phillips >>>>> D. Allen..he's just WAY better. Suh is playing lights-out ball now, Talib is back, CJ Anderson has the freshest legs of any player in the playoffs. Rams have a chip on their shoulders about Payton and his smarmy, sarcastic remarks after the first meeting.  revenge games area a beautiful thing ( see Giants 2007 season barely losing to NE final week of he season,beat them in the SB). 

Rams 35-24. 

 
Rams win. look, Eagles had a nice lead last week, and probably should've won that game. and they didn't run the ball at all. they didn't even have a great offensive game but still nearly stole it..Rams will put up 35+ we know this.

the difference for me comes down to coaching,specifically, defensive coordinators. Wade Phillips >>>>> D. Allen..he's just WAY better. Suh is playing lights-out ball now, Talib is back, CJ Anderson has the freshest legs of any player in the playoffs. Rams have a chip on their shoulders about Payton and his smarmy, sarcastic remarks after the first meeting.  revenge games area a beautiful thing ( see Giants 2007 season barely losing to NE final week of he season,beat them in the SB). 

Rams 35-24. 
After seeing this and who posted it I'm going drop a G on the Saints -2.5.  Thanks!

 
Rams win this one by 13+. Easily control the game with Gurley and Anderson. LA blowout. 
Man, wouldn't that be something. The Saints losing Rankins hurts. They seem more limited now on offense without Kirkwood - Kamara, Thomas, and Ginn. But it is Brees and Payton so.

 
Have to like the fact Drew Brees has never lost a home playoff game.

Pickwatch is a place all those out there who pick games SU/ATS have their plays listed.  81% of these guys have the Saints winning SU.  That is strong.

 
ZenoRazon said:
Pickwatch is a place all those out there who pick games SU/ATS have their plays listed.  81% of these guys have the Saints winning SU.  That is strong.
What did those guys have last week going into the Eagles @ Saints game?
 

Have to like the fact Drew Brees has never lost a home playoff game.
It's a nice thing in retrospect, but will have no bearing today. Today's game is an independent event.

 
What did those guys have last week going into the Eagles @ Saints game?
 

It's a nice thing in retrospect, but will have no bearing today. Today's game is an independent event.
Why is it the Lions have never played in a SB or the Browns?  All those different players all those years just don't matter, while there are the Pats in how many SB's?

Let's see what happens today.

 
Why is it the Lions have never played in a SB or the Browns?  All those different players all those years just don't matter, while there are the Pats in how many SB's?
Correct. The 1970s Steelers, 1980s 49ers, and 2000-10s Patriots didn't have decades of dominant history to draw upon when their dynasties got going. Especially the Steelers ... they had struggled for decades before Chuck Knoll, Terry Bradshaw, and the Steel Curtain hit town.

If the "never loses a home playoff game" were meaningful, Drew Brees and the Saints could have slacked off on preparation this week and went and partied it up last night in the French Quarter with no ill effects. Brees being at home is not magic -- the team still has to prepare and execute successfully to beat the Rams.

 
Correct. The 1970s Steelers, 1980s 49ers, and 2000-10s Patriots didn't have decades of dominant history to draw upon when their dynasties got going. Especially the Steelers ... they had struggled for decades before Chuck Knoll, Terry Bradshaw, and the Steel Curtain hit town.

If the "never loses a home playoff game" were meaningful, Drew Brees and the Saints could have slacked off on preparation this week and went and partied it up last night in the French Quarter with no ill effects. Brees being at home is not magic -- the team still has to prepare and execute successfully to beat the Rams.
So you would feel the same if it was the Saints with Brees  have lost six in a row NFC title games at home.  No difference at all, none.....really?

 
So you would feel the same if it was the Saints with Brees  have lost six in a row NFC title games at home.  No difference at all, none.....really?
No, I would indeed feel a lot different. No doubt about it. At the same time, I'd recognize that my feeling doesn't affect the outcome of the game.

All I'm saying is that the Saints can't expect to just roll out their helmets and simply beat the Rams by merely showing up. The Saints will have to earn it and put forth tremendous effort this afternoon to come out on top.

Nick Foles-led Eagles teams had a nice run going into last weekend, too. Nice runs alone aren't sufficient to win games, though.

 

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