Who will take the Battle of Los Angeles in this thrilling Sunday afternoon contest in Week 3 of the young NFL season? Both teams have plenty of weapons on offence, but the Rams also command one of the best defences as well. Oddsmakers have marked down the Rams as 7-point favourites in this game.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

These two newly-based Los Angeles teams surprisingly do not have a large history against one another. The Rams hold a slim 6-5 all-time advantage, although the Chargers won the last match-up 27-24 back in 2014. The Chargers rank third in total offence (445 yards per game) while the Rams are seventh in that category (398.5 yards per game). The over has been in play for the Chargers in five out of their last six games played dating back to last season. Interesting enough, the Rams have been on the under their last three games, mainly because of their stingy defence.

Los Angeles Chargers

Despite having a 1-1 record, Quarterback Phillip Rivers has had a very good start to the season completing 73.1 percent of his passes for 680 yards, six touchdowns and a passer-rating of 119.6 percent. He’s faced the Rams three times during the regular season over the course of his career throwing three touchdowns and 716 yards in those three games. Running back Melvin Gordon has continued where he left off last season, but in a different way. He’s been Mr. Everything to the Chargers, rushing the ball 24 times for 92 yards, and leads the team in receptions with 15 through two games for 140 yards. His back-up is hardly a “back-up” as Austin Ekeler has carried the ball 16 times for 116 yards rushing. Receiver Keenan Allen continues to be a favourite target for Rivers, with 14 receptions for 175. He had a big game against the Rams back in that 2014 contest grabbing six balls for 104 yards and a touchdown.

nfortunately the Chargers don’t expect to have defensive lineman Joey Bosa in the lineup for this game. Bosa is still nursing a foot injury. The Bolt’s pass rush have six sacks on the year, which ranks them eight overall in the NFL. Rookie Derwin James leads the Chargers with two and also has 11 total tackles on the season, followed by Denzel Perryman and Kyzir White who have 10.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams boast a high-performance offence that has scored 67 points in their first two games. It’s all about stud running back Todd Gurley who has carried the ball a league-high 39 times for 150 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also has six receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for 587 yards, three touchdowns and an interception this year finding top targets Brandin Cooks (12 catches for 246 yards), Cooper Kupp (11 receptions for 115 yards), and Robert Woods (nine receptions for 118 yards). The Rams weapons on offense are an embarrassment of riches. Entering the season the Rams’ defence was projected to be a top three in the entire league. So far, they have delivered, allowing only 6.5 points per game, while shutting out the Arizona Cardinals last weekend.

Chargers vs. Rams Prediction