It’s a clash of the top two seeds in the NFC to determine who gets to represent the conference in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII as the No. 1 New Orleans Saints welcome the No. 2 Los Angeles Rams to the Superdome on Conference Championship Sunday. Many watching this game are expecting an offensive explosion as two of the top-three scoring offenses will take the field in a game that could turn into a shootout.
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The Los Angeles Rams find themselves one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl after rushing all over the Dallas Cowboys’ vaunted rush defense in the divisional round after a bye in the Wild Card round. The Rams, led by star running back Todd Gurley and backup rusher C.J. Anderson combined for 273 rushing yards with both Gurley and Anderson picking up more than 100 yards on the ground.
The Rams, led by their potent rushing attack, are averaging 32.9 points per game, the second-best scoring offense in the NFL this season. Quarterback Jared Goff has continued to progress in his third year in the pros, and while his numbers against the Cowboys were modest with 186 passing yards and no touchdowns, he limited his mistakes and let his running game set the tone and tempo of the game. Goff has thrown for 32 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions this season and is also a threat to use his legs to extend plays and pick up important first downs. The Los Angeles defensive front anchored by Aaron Donald and featuring Michael Brockers and Ndamukong Suh, may not have been the most consistent unit given its star power during the regular season, but it showed just how dominant it can be against the Cowboys, holding running back and regular season rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott to just 47 yards on 20 carries, forcing the Dallas offense to become one-dimensional. The Rams will need their rush defense to play to that same level if they have a chance at stopping New Orleans’ running back tandem of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.
The New Orleans Saints overcame a sluggish start last Sunday to hold off the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that was a lot closer and low-scoring than many had predicted. In the end, it was former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees and his 301 passing yards and two touchdowns who outdueled current Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles as the Saints defense held the defending Super Bowl champions to just 250 offensive yards.
Drew Brees continues to defy time as he has put together a stellar regular season, passing for 32 touchdowns while only throwing five passes to the other team, and the running back duo of Kamara and Ingram has caused fits for opposing defenses, including the Eagles, who allowed the two backs to combine for 125 yards on the ground, while clearing out space for the Saints receivers. Michael Thomas continues to establish himself as one of the top receivers in the NFL and his 12 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles certainly helped build his case. The offense is averaging 31.5 points per game, good for third in the NFL – just behind the Rams.
The Rams lead the overall series with the Saints, 41-34, but the Rams and Saints are tied at 6 wins each since they met in the playoffs in 2000, a 31-28 win by New Orleans in a late December game. The Saints are favored by more than a field goal to win their second consecutive playoff matchup against the Rams this coming Sunday.
