Los Angeles Rams vs Los Angeles Chargers Preview (1/1/23): Betting Odds, Prediction, Depth Chart

The Los Angeles Rams visit the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 of the 2022-23 NFL Season. The Rams are coming off a blowout win against the Broncos on Christmas, while the Chargers also won pretty easily against the Colts on Monday night. This should be an interesting matchup because it’s a home game for both teams. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers Betting Odds

The Los Angeles Chargers are 6.5-point home favorites against the Los Angeles Rams and are at -275 on the money line. The over/under is also at 43. The Chargers being favored here makes sense because they’ve been the better team all year and aren’t dealing with as many injuries as the Rams. The over/under makes sense because these offenses can score and the defenses are beat up on both sides. This spread should stay where it’s at before kick-off too.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Los Angeles Chargers Prediction

The pick: Chargers -6.5

The Chargers seem to be a team that is hovering under the radar right now, but they are in the playoffs after winning last week and are going to be a tough out for whoever they play in the first round. Justin Herbert has been great at quarterback for the Chargers once again and his weapons are electric with both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at receiver and Austin Ekeler at running back. They need to be more consistent on the ground, but Ekeler has been great at pass-catching too. The offense averages 22 points and 369 total yards a game for the year. The defense has been okay this year, but has been wrecked by injuries across the board. Joey Bosa and JC Jackson are out for the year, while Derwin James just got injured too, leaving Khalil Mack as the lone star on the defense remaining. The Rams are another team that has been decimated by injuries this year.

They’ve had a revolving door at quarterback all year, with Baker Mayfield being the 4th quarterback they’ve started. Cooper Kupp is also out for the year with an ankle injury too. The defense has been underwhelming too, but they’ve also been injured a ton with Aaron Donald being the biggest name on that side. Taking the Chargers and the points is the smarter play here because the Rams don’t have nearly as much to trust due to how injured their roster is. It also makes sense to trust Justin Herbert over Baker Mayfield in this spot.

Betting Trends

Rams are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win.

Chargers are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 17.

Key Injuries

Los Angeles Rams Injuries: QB Matthew Stafford (Neck) O, WR Cooper Kupp (Ankle) O

Los Angeles Chargers Injuries: RB Austin Ekeler (Knee) Q, S Derwin James Jr. (Concussion) Q

Key Matchups

Check out the key matchups and mismatches for Los Angeles Rams vs Los Angeles Chargers below.

Justin Herbert vs the Rams Secondary

Justin Herbert has been decent this year, but not amazing. He has 4,254 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and he has a 68% completion percentage on the year. He needs to be the difference maker for the Chargers in not just this game, but the playoffs too. The Rams allow 243 passing yards a game which is a decent matchup for Herbert to take advantage of. He needs to have a good game here in order for the Chargers to win and feel good about the win.

Baker Mayfield vs the Chargers Secondary

Baker Mayfield has been on the biggest roller coaster ride of a season this year. He has 1,884 passing yards, 10 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions, and he has a 61% completion percentage on the year. The Chargers allow 219 passing yards a game, which will be a tougher matchup for Mayfield to face. He needs to have a big game in order for the Rams to have any chance in this game.

Los Angeles Rams Depth Chart

QB: Baker Mayfield
RB1: Cam Akers
RB2: Kyren Williams
LWR: Van Jefferson
RWR: Tutu Atwell
SWR: Brandon Powell
TE1: Tyler Higbee

Los Angeles Chargers Depth Chart

QB: Justin Herbert
RB1: Austin Ekeler
RB2: Joshua Kelley
LWR: Mike Williams
RWR: Keenan Allen
SWR: Joshua Palmer
TE1: Gerald Everett