The Los Angeles Rams are your defending Super Bowl champions. Their 23-20 Super Bowl 56 win over the Cincinnati Bengals cemented their place in NFL history. With the majority of their stars back, the 2022 Rams look to repeat their success. Let’s examine the Rams’ current record prediction, their projected win totals, any intriguing prop bets involving the franchise, and their betting odds to win the division, conference, and Super Bowl in 2023.
All odds are from Caesars Sportsbook unless otherwise stated and are correct as of July 26 at 12 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles Rams record prediction 2022
Following the release of the NFL schedule, Caesars has provided odds and spreads for all of the Rams’ 2022 regular-season matchups. Based on those numbers, the Rams are projected as favorites in 12 games, underdogs in four, and a push in one. If the season were to play out to those predictions, the Rams would finish with a 12-4-1 record following Week 18 of the 2022 season.
The 2021 Rams were one of the strongest teams throughout much of the season. Their midseason trade for Von Miller and the signing of Odell Beckham Jr. completely changed the fate of their playoff run. The Rams don’t win nine of their last 10 games and the Super Bowl without both stars.
However, oddsmakers aren’t sold the Rams will be able to pick up where they left off with Miller now in Buffalo and Beckham still a free agent as he recovers from a torn ACL. Eight of their games have a spread of three points or less on either side. That means the Rams’ margin for error has lessened this offseason.
The Rams have the third-most difficult schedule in the NFL. Los Angeles’ season-opener against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football is a tough start. They must also survive a difficult stretch after their Week 7 bye week, which has only a couple of relatively easy matchups against Seattle.
Rams odds, picks, and props
Now that we know the sportsbooks prediction for the Rams on a week-by-week basis, let’s take a look at their season-long odds for win totals, the division, the conference, and the Super Bowl.
- Rams win total: 10.5 (over -105, under -115)
- Rams most wins in NFL: +750
- NFC West winner: +125
- NFC winner: +500
- Super Bowl winner: +1100
The Rams may be reigning champs, but they’re not being treated as a shoo-in to return to the Super Bowl. Tampa Bay and Green Bay are considered bigger favorites by oddsmakers. I think Green Bay is a mistake considering their losses over the offseason, but it’s not as if the Rams have gotten better, either.
Losing Miller to Buffalo was a huge moment in the offseason. The cleared cap room of Miller’s mammoth salary allowed the Rams to sign linebacker Bobby Wagner as well as receiver Allen Robinson as a replacement for the injured Robert Woods. But the Rams weren’t able to fill Miller’s presence as a pass rusher.
A tremendous playmaker in space, Wagner was a home-run signing for a team lacking an impact LB. It’s quite debatable as to whether Wagner can be great enough as an off-ball linebacker to compensate for Miller’s absence. There’s now pressure on Justin Hollins and Terrell Lewis to instantly become impactful role players.
Sean McVay’s offense should do quite well. McVay spurned overtures from Amazon to join their booth for primetime games in order to come back with a fat extension from the Rams. He’ll be happy to have Cam Akers back for the season and reap the rewards from a Matthew Stafford-Robinson connection.
Rams MVP odds and player props
If there’s a team with more high-profile stars on it than the Rams, then Los Angeles is not far behind in star power. This is great for prop bettors. The Rams have an array of individual awards and regular-season player props available.
For as talented as guys like Jalen Ramsey, Cooper Kupp, and others are, we have to be wise about being overly optimistic about their production. Can Kupp repeat his record-breaking 2021 season or is he more likely to regress in 2022? We dive in below.
- MVP
Matthew Stafford +1500 - Offensive Player of the Year
Cooper Kupp +1200 - Defensive Player of the Year
Aaron Donald +750 - Most regular-season receptions
Cooper Kupp +450 - Most regular-season receiving touchdowns
Cooper Kupp +500 - Matthew Stafford regular-season passing touchdowns
Over/Under 34.5 (-110) - Aaron Donald regular-season sacks
Over/Under 11.25 (over -130, under +100)
There’s a full smorgasbord of options for prop bettors with the Rams. Each of these is playable for the right value. We highlighted the most attractive and likely to hit.
Both Kupp and Donald have actual upside to winning major awards. Stafford likely doesn’t have a chance at winning MVP, though. LA will likely run the ball more with Akers back in the lineup, and any dip in Stafford’s production will crush his odds.
Kupp may not repeat a season with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, and 19 touchdowns, but he was so far ahead of the pack that it won’t matter. Seeing Davante Adams land in Las Vegas and DeAndre Hopkins suspended for six games also takes away prime competitors to his throne of having the most receptions and touchdowns.
Rams 2022 picks
I want to have a lot of action on the Rams.
Their 10.5-win line is reasonable despite the difficult schedule. Arizona will be without Hopkins for their first matchup against the Rams, and Seattle is terrible. The 49ers are also breaking in Trey Lance, and these teams face off twice in the first eight weeks. Lance may not be settled in by then.
The only way the Rams don’t win the NFC West is if Stafford or Donald suffers a major injury. It’s a competitive division but not nearly as scary as 2021. Really, the same can be said for the entire NFC outside of Tampa Bay.
We’re getting solid value on both the Rams over the 10.5-win line and to repeat as NFC West champions. I’ll even sprinkle action on the Rams to win the NFC, even if I think Tampa has the better team today. Green Bay, Dallas, and Philadelphia all have their own flaws and concerns that sway me away from picking them over Los Angeles.
The Rams’ player props are certainly enticing as well. Having some action on Kupp repeating as Offensive Player of the Year is worthwhile at +1200 since his main competition might come down to Jonathan Taylor and Justin Jefferson. It’s not a deep enough field to fade the bet altogether.
It’s also a smart decision to bet the over on Donald’s sacks and Stafford’s touchdowns. Donald hasn’t produced less than 12.5 sacks since 2017, and he’ll be more relied upon than in recent years to be a finisher. This is an easy over-bet.
Stafford’s TD total is also enticing. He posted 41 touchdowns last year, which was the first season he had more than 29 since 2015 and only the third time he eclipsed that total in 13 years. What happened with the Lions outside of McVay’s scheme is largely irrelevant, though.
McVay and this deep array of playmakers and advantageous scheme give Stafford a reliable pathway to throwing for close to 34.5 touchdowns. In this situation and with the addition of Robinson as a dominant red-zone presence, I’m confident Stafford goes over as long as he’s healthy.
1u: Rams over 10.5 wins (-105)
1u: Rams to win the NFC West (+125)
.5u: Rams to win the NFC (+500)
.5u: Kupp to win Offensive Player of the Year (+1200)
1u: Kupp with most regular-season receptions (+450)
1u: Donald over 11.25 sacks (-130)
1u: Stafford over 34.5 TD passes (-110)