The Los Angeles Rams are hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, attempting to snap their 6-game losing streak. That’ll be tough to do without Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford and most likely Aaron Donald again, but perhaps Baker Mayfield can get acclimated quickly enough to lead the Rams to a win in his debut.
Here’s a look at six stats and facts to know for Thursday’s matchup at SoFi Stadium.
1
Raiders lead all-time series 8-6 despite being outscored 311-270
The Rams and Raiders have only met 14 times in their history and the split is almost even. The Raiders have won eight of the 14 matchups, but it’s the Rams who have scored significantly more points.
They’ve outscored the Raiders 311-270, which is largely because of the last two games between these teams. In 2018, the Rams won 33-13 and in 2014, they blew out the Raiders, 52-0.
Of the Rams’ six wins against the Raiders, four of them have come by at least 15 points, with the other two victories being by five and six points. The Raiders have three wins by double-digits in this all-time series.
2
Raiders have 2nd-fewest turnovers, 2nd-fewest takeaways in NFL
Through 12 games, the Raiders have a minus-two turnover differential. Not terrible, but also not great. Their margin would be much better if they actually took the ball away from their opponents.
The Raiders have just nine takeaways all year, which ranks 31st in the NFL. They have four interceptions and five fumble recoveries, so they haven’t done a great job forcing turnovers. However, they also don’t turn it over themselves. They’ve turned the ball over only 11 times: eight interceptions and three lost fumbles.
3
Josh Jacobs has 248 more rushing yards than the Rams have as a team
Jacobs is having a remarkable season, leading the NFL in rushing with 1,303 yards. He’s also tops in the league with 1,634 yards from scrimmage, scoring 10 total touchdowns.
The Rams have one of the worst rushing offenses in football, ranking 30th in the league in yards on the ground. Their 1,048 yards rushing are 255 fewer than Jacobs has on his own, and his 1,303 yards are nearly 1,000 more than the Rams’ leading rusher, Cam Akers (334 yards).
4
Red zone has been a weak spot for Las Vegas
The Raiders rank ninth in scoring offense this season, which is pretty good. They’d rank even higher if they could actually convert red zone trips into touchdowns. They have the fourth-worst red zone touchdown percentage in the NFL, finding the end zone just 47.1% of the time.
They’re also not very good defensively at keeping opponents out of the end zone when they reach the 20-yard line. The Raiders rank 26th in red zone defense, giving up touchdowns 62.5% of the time.
The Rams certainly have the edge in the red zone, ranking 17th offensively and second defensively.
5
Davante Adams has 8 catches for 68 yards vs. Jalen Ramsey in last 2 meetings
This will be Adams’ first time facing Ramsey in a Raiders uniform and he’s had some success in this matchup in recent years. In his last two games against the Rams, Adams has caught a total of eight passes for 68 yards with Ramsey covering him.
He’s only been targeted eight times, so he’s caught all of the passes that have come his way. It’s not as if Adams has owned this battle with Ramsey, but he has played well against the Rams’ top corner.
6
Rams have 2nd-worst record against the spread this season
The Rams have not been very good at covering the spread this year. In fact, they’re one of the worst. They’re only 3-7-2 against the spread, the second-worst record in football. Only the Buccaneers, 3-8-1, have been worse against the spread.
The Raiders haven’t been great, going 6-6 ATS in their 12 games.
In this game, the Raiders are favored by 5.5 points, the third straight week the Rams are sizable underdogs.
