media guys set up the Saints game

Saints at Rams: 6 key matchups to watch in Week 2 https://t.co/RYqqZ3fx6M

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) September 12, 2019

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams odds, picks and best bets https://t.co/o4o06PGD5Y

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) September 13, 2019

Random Ramsdom, 9/14: All systems go for Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 vs. Saints https://t.co/AIqRIctgz4

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) September 14, 2019

Rams vs. New Orleans Saints: Who has the edge?

KEVIN MODESTI

link: https://www.dailynews.com/2019/09/13/rams-vs-new-orleans-saints-who-has-the-edge-2/

Line: Rams by 2

RAMS OFFENSE vs. SAINTS DEFENSE
The Rams passing attack has to be more explosive than it was against the Carolina Panthers (now 0-2); this seems likely with quarterback Jared Goff having that first game action in seven months under his belt. The offense also has a chance to be more potent than it was in the 26-23 overtime win at New Orleans in the NFC championship game, since wide receiver Cooper Kupp is back from injury and running back Todd Gurley is practically certain to top his 10 yards on 4 carries that day. But it will take creativity by Rams head coach Sean McVay to plot ways past a strong Saints secondary, and sharp work by the Rams offensive line against a New Orleans defense that sacked Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson six times in Week 1. EDGE: Rams

SAINTS OFFENSE vs. RAMS DEFENSE
Little is new about the Saints offense that led the NFC in touchdowns in 2018. It’s still quarterback Drew Brees, the most prolific passer in NFL history; wide receiver Michael Thomas (Taft High of Woodland Hills), the league leader in receptions in 2018, and dual-threat back Alvin Kamara, all aided by a young and tough offensive line. One variable: Thomas caught 12 passes for 211 yards against cornerback Marcus Peters in the Saints’ regular-season victory over the Rams last year, but 4 for 36 yards with defensive back Aqib Talib healthy for the Rams’ playoff win. Another: The Saints averaged 38 points last season when Brees was sacked zero times or once, 23.1 when it was two times or more. The L.A. line must be on its game, but defensive end Michael Brockers (shoulder) missed two practice days before returning to the field Friday. EDGE: Saints

SPECIAL TEAMS
These teams should be confident about their kicking games and their ability to win a close one. The Rams and Saints remember Greg Zuerlein’s dramatic field goals to tie and win the NFC title game. The Saints are coming off Will Lutz’s 58-yard game-winner against Houston. Zuerlein and Lutz each made three of four field goals in Week 1. New Orleans’ Thomas Morstead and L.A.’s Johnny Hecker were sixth and seventh in punting average in 2018. Rookie Deonte Harris replaces Kamara and Taysom Hill as the Saints’ punt and kick returner. EDGE: Rams

COACHING
McVay and Saints head coach Sean Payton and their staffs match wits for the fourth time in 22 months. It would be interesting to know – if we ever know what’s said in the locker rooms – how they try to manage the players’ unique emotions in what has become the Rams’ main out-of-division rivalry. Payton would have the advantage if we went by experience (13-plus years in charge to McVay’s two-plus) and accomplishment (the 2009 Super Bowl victory). But McVay has never been outclassed by opponents like this; his Rams are 7-5 against Super Bowl-winning head coaches. EDGE: Rams

INTANGIBLES
The Rams tried to talk down the “revenge factor” in this rematch of the NFC championship game, and admitted they got help from a bad call. This probably hasn’t succeeded in blunting the Saints’ motivational edge. History suggests a victimized team does have an advantage in the next meeting. It could be worse for the Rams only if the game were at the Superdome in front of angry New Orleans fans. EDGE: Saints

RELATED ARTICLES
Todd Gurley sits out practice as Rams include him in health maintenance plan
Rams injury report | Who’s in, who’s out Sunday vs. New Orleans Saints
Stopping Saints’ Alvin Kamara is job one and two for Rams’ defense
Rams, New Orleans Saints cry foul about ‘revenge game’ talk
Whicker: The flag that didn’t fly still waves mockingly at the Saints
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald vs. Saints left guard Andrus Peat (and whoever else New Orleans throws at him). Donald, the NFL leader in sacks (20.5) and tackles for loss (25) in 2018, had zero sacks and three TFL in the two games against the Saints. He sounded frustrated after having zero sacks and zero TFL in the Rams’ win at Carolina last week. But that was the result of double-team blocking, and the Rams didn’t mind that this opened lanes for other defenders. The Saints allowed one sack of Brees against Houston, after allowing the second-fewest sacks in each of the past two years.

PREDICTION: SAINTS 26, RAMS 24
If you marked this game with a W when the schedule came out, you must expect the Rams to go undefeated at home. On paper, the Saints are the toughest foe of the regular season. (Odds watch: The Rams, Saints and Philadelphia Eagles are 9-2 co-favorites for the NFC title, says VegasInsider.com.) For its best chance, L.A. will have to hold down the New Orleans offense for a second consecutive meeting. That would be a rare feat.

Saints vs. Rams: Sean Payton, New Orleans still miffed and not afraid to talk about missed pass interference call
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/saints-vs-rams-sean-payton-new-orleans-still-miffed-and-not-afraid-to-talk-about-missed-pass-interference-call/

Saints vs. Rams – Game Summary – September 15, 2019 – ESPN
https://www.espn.com/nfl/game?gameId=401128122

Colin Cowherd Says The LA Rams Are Better Than The New Orleans Saints
https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/content/2019-09-12-colin-cowherd-says-the-la-rams-are-better-than-the-new-orleans-saints/

Saints at Rams: 4 biggest storylines for Week 2 https://t.co/WMeNW0GN4Y

— Rams Wire (@TheRamsWire) September 14, 2019

‘The locker room has really been boppin’ this week’: Saints, Rams ready to write next chapter

Vincent Bonsignore and Katherine Terrell

https://theathletic.com/1209376/2019/09/14/the-locker-room-has-really-been-boppin-this-week-saints-rams-ready-for-matchup-2-0/

It’s revenge week for the Saints and Rams! Sort of.

The Saints will travel to face the Rams in Week 2 after months of hearing about their loss to that particular team in the NFC Championship Game. You think the fans are ready to move on from the infamous “No-Call?” The players have been ready for weeks.

Revenge or no revenge, there’s a healthy dose of respect between these two teams. They both know it’s a good bet that they could be the last teams standing again if all goes well.

Here’s what Rams writer Vincent Bonsignore, Saints writer Katherine Terrell and New Orleans columnist Larry Holder had to say about the matchup in Los Angeles this Sunday:

What’s the mood in the locker room like this week? Do you get the sense the players have been looking forward to this game?

Bonsignore: I was at the facility late into Thursday night, and an assistant coach popped into the media room, saw me working and asked: “Getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday?” I kidded with him that “it’s just another game.” His response was telling and honest. “Nah. This is a big one. And that’s cool. Actually, it’s great. For us and for them and for the fans for the league. This is a big game. And that’s what it’s all about.”

I guess that’s a roundabout way of saying the locker room has really been boppin’ this week. The combination of the home opener and it being against the Saints and all the history and drama and ramifications and challenges that presents, there is no doubt the Rams have been bouncing around the facility all week. I think the Rams always do a good job of respecting each week’s challenge, but also of not shying away when, hey, there is some extra juice going on this particular week. So yes, I totally get the sense there is great anticipation for the Saints coming to town.

Terrell: It was like pulling teeth to get some of the players to discuss the last meeting. Terron Armstead joked that he had a meeting (then talked anyway), Cam Jordan said he couldn’t remember anything from last year, and Larry Warford said he’s sick of talking about it. They all adamantly said they see it as any other game. I don’t think that’s quite true, but I do get the sense it’s not a “revenge against the Rams” game.

The Rams just happened to be the team they were playing when they lost in the NFC Championship Game. I think the Saints would love it if they could move past the narrative. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t taking this game seriously. I think secretly, it’s been one they’ve looked forward to for a while. If nothing else, as Brees pointed out, they know the Rams are capable of making a playoff run. They had nothing but high praise for them and I think they’re as ready as they’ll ever be.

Holder: My sense is that many of the players can’t wait for this week to be over and done with. They’ve turned on the TV for nine months and the NOLA No Call regularly splashed across their screens. Guard Larry Warford said he’s personally sick of the questions surrounding the play and whether or not this team will rebound from the officiating blunder in last year’s NFC Championship game. Brees didn’t necessarily say it’s beneficial for the Saints to play the Rams in Week 2 to move past this storyline, but he recognized how the Minneapolis Miracle narrative calmed down dramatically after New Orleans beat Minnesota in 2018.

What’s the biggest concern going forward for each team?

Bonsignore: Well, I think for the Rams it’s making sure an offensive line with new starters in Joe Noteboom and left guard and Brian Allen at center maintains a certain level of play, as everything they do offensively relies on plays getting blocked and protected. And as Jared Goff and Todd Gurley’s stats prove, they are just more effective when the line is doing its job. I think if that is happening consistently, the Rams will be in good shape.

Terrell: The defense. Obviously you can’t overreact too much from one game, but Deshaun Watson was gashing the Saints secondary despite being consistently hit by the Saints pass rush. That’s not to mention the struggles containing the run. The good news? The Saints will have defensive tackle David Onyemata back from suspension. That’s a huge plus for them. You would have to think the run defense is going to improve on that note alone.

Holder: I’m wondering about the Saints run defense. I didn’t expect the Texans to run the ball as well as they did in Week 1 with backs like Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde. The questions still linger around Gurley but performed well in limited carries against Carolina. And the Saints will have David Onyemata back after serving a one-game suspension. That will help at defensive tackle. This spot will improve even further once Sheldon Rankins and Mario Edwards return to the lineup.

What’s the key matchup in this game?

Bonsignore: The Rams have to get heat on Brees. They don’t necessarily have to get him to the ground, but they definitely need to make life difficult, force him off his preferred spots, get bodies in his face to disrupt his rhythm and vision. So winning that battle up front, and generating pressure both inside and outside, will be hugely important.

Terrell: The Saints run defense vs. Gurley and the Rams. The Saints allowed Hyde and Johnson and Watson to run for 180 yards. Now they’re facing one of the best running backs in the NFL. Every team always preaches stopping the run and that’s what the Saints need to do: Make them throw (not that Jared Goff is some slouch).

Holder: Michael Thomas absolutely torched Marcus Peters in the Week 9 matchup last season. Los Angeles altered its strategy in the NFC title game having Peters, Aqib Talib and Nickell Robey-Coleman simply remain in their spots in the Rams secondary. Thomas struggled for more with that game plan. It will be interesting to watch how the Rams handle Thomas on Sunday.

Who do you think will be the happiest to have the “No-Call” behind them once and for all? You can include yourself in this if you’d like.

Bonsignore: The Rams have never sweated the No-Call, and in talking to Robey-Coleman and some others about it, I think it’s because they were honest and upfront about the whole thing from the jump. Nickell never disputed it was a pass interference. Sean McVay this week said no one in his locker room would ever dispute it was a missed call. Others have echoed the same sentiment. In doing so — and I think it’s the key to the whole thing — it’s enabled them to say: “Hey, we benefited from that one. But it also didn’t control what happened immediately afterward, and that was our ability to just move on to the next play.” And I think that’s one of their sneaky great qualities — good or bad, positive or negative, they are always in the present and looking ahead to the immediate future. So in that respect, the No-Call is already behind them. And pretty much has been as soon as it happened. And as crazy as this might seem, I think it would have been exactly the same had the call gone against them.

Terrell: Somewhere, Tommylee Lewis is smiling and praying everyone just stops talking about this. Everyone seems thankful the game is Week 2 and we can all get on with our lives. I’m going to go with the fans: They’ve been holding on to this grudge for months. Letting it go will be cathartic, and if the Saints win, trust me, the party in New Orleans will be bigger than normal.

Holder: Judges? The NFL’s legal team? Al Riveron? The Who Dats? The truth is that the Saints players and organization will never completely have that storyline behind them. Heck, Marcus Williams probably doesn’t mind the No Call sticking around since it takes the heat off the Minneapolis Miracle.

Who wins and why?

Bonsignore: I like the Rams at the Coliseum, in their season opener, on a stage they look forward to operating on against an opponent that undoubtedly grabs their attention in a major way. It’s going to be a big-time show, and I’m looking at 35-28.

Terrell: I’m picking the Saints against my better judgment. I don’t know why, because I feel like both teams are fairly equally matched, but I just think they’ve been holding on to this for so long that they’ll be primed and ready. There’s going to be a lot of scoring, but I think the Saints can outscore the Rams, 27-24.

Holder: This is a toss-up game. Wouldn’t matter if this was being played in the Superdome or the Coliseum. Each team would give the other a battle anywhere. I’m going to say Rams 34, Saints 31.