2022 NFL season: Four things to watch for in Raiders-Rams game on Prime Video
- WHERE: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video, NFL+
One year ago this week, the Rams had failed to win a game in the month of November but would embark on a hot closing streak that would eventually vault them into the playoffs, ending the 2021 season as Super Bowl champions.
At the same time, the Raiders were at a similar crossroads, winning one game between Weeks 8 and 14 and clinging to their playoff lives following the resignation of Jon Gruden. But they’d do just that, winning their final four games and back-dooring their way into the postseason with four straight wins.
Oh, how much difference a year makes.
The Rams are playing merely for pride down the stretch, now losers of six straight following their 3-3 start. No matter that injuries have decimated the defending champs or that most of those recent losses have been fairly close, competitive games.
The facts are these: The Rams currently have the worst record ever for a defending Super Bowl champ through 12 games, falling just below the 1987 New York Giants, who started 4-8 in the strike season that year. (Those Giants would finish 6-9, with four of the losses coming with replacement players.)
The Rams’ six-game losing streak is now the longest by any defending champ, and Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks ensures that they’ll finish with a losing record under head coach Sean McVay for the first time.
The Raiders’ fortunes have been almost the inverse of the Rams’. Las Vegas started the season with three straight losses and a 2-7 mark that drew calls from some for team owner Mark Davis to pull the plug on the Josh McDaniels experiment halfway into his first season.
But since then, the Raiders have won three straight, including two on the road. Beating the downtrodden Broncos was one thing, but taking down playoff contenders in the Seahawks and Chargers was a sign that the Raiders are playing their best football of late.
Here are four things to watch for when the Rams host the Raiders on Thursday night on Prime Video:
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