NFC Divisional Round
LOS ANGELES RAMS at GREEN BAY PACKERS, 4:25 PM ET (Saturday)

BetAnySports NFL Playoff Odds: Packers -6.5, Total 45.5

What I'm thinking is that if Sean McVay thought Jared Goff was in any way ready for last week's game, he would have been starting. But instead they decided to use a guy (John Wolford) in his second pro start.

Things turned out pretty well for them, and it was because of a couple of things, not the least of which was their ability to run the football. The Rams got 164 yards on the ground, 131 of them from rookie Cam Akers, so that they needed only nine completions in 19 attempts for 155 yards from Goff after he came into the game upon Wolford getting hurt.

I know that the Rams were concerned as to whether Wolford could play here, but he was ruled out. So that means Goff will be behind center with Blake Bortles as a backup.

As you know, Goff is just a couple of weeks from surgery on his right thumb. And there is some concern because of the probability of freezing temperatures at Lambeau Field.

cording to Goff, "Over time, just over and over hitting it, there is a slight soreness, but nothing that's hindering me in any way. I think overall it's progressing in the right way."

One would expect that the Packers are going to line up to stop the run first. Green Bay allowed 4.5 yards per rush attempt this season, but you have to wonder how much that figure could improve if they knew there was more of a likelihood as to what is coming.

It seems no matter what is coming, the Rams can make life difficult for the opposing offense. Here is where they rate in the NFL on the stop end:

Points Allowed -- 1st
Yards Allowed -- 1st
First Downs Allowed -- 1st
Passing Yards Allowed -- 1st
Rushing Yards Allowed -- 3rd
Rushing Yards Per Attempt -- 3rd
Yards Per Play Allowed -- 1st
Time of Possession Allowed Per Drive -- 1st
Third Down Conversion Percentage Allowed -- 3rd
Forced Punts Percentage -- 1st
Forced 3-and-Out Percentage -- 1st
Sack Percentage -- 1st

Not once did they allow the opponent to gain 400 yards. Not once did they allow a 300-yard passing day.

In other words, they're pretty good.

In other words, they're probably the best defense in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers, in case you're not aware, is pretty good too. The numbers bear that out - 70.7% completions, 48 touchdowns,five interceptions, 8.2 yards per attempt. And he was sacked only 20 times. He wasn't significantly slowed by many opponents; Carolina, surprisingly did it in a 24-16 win that was tougher than expected for the Packers. Tampa Bay stifled him, holding him to 160 yards on 35 attempts.

So he's usually going to hit some numbers.

The Packers played nine games over the total this season. In twelve of their 16 games, they had 30 points or more. And fourteen of their games have topped the total that is currently posted. The other games reached 44 and 40 points, against opponents where the Packers seemed genuinely flat (Jacksonville and Carolina).

So we are pretty skeptical about the idea of using the "under" here. The only thing that nudges us in that direction is that the Rams' offense may not be all that reliable, and that we have an interesting coaching matchup.

Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur are buddies, former colleagues, and come from the same coaching think tank. You might say the offensive philosophies on these two teams is very much the same. And when a couple of offensive "gurus" get together, and know each other so well, it can sometimes turn into a defensive struggle. There are "no secrets" here.

The Packers will miss David Bakhtiari at left tackle. He is one of the best and highest-paid offensive linemen in the league,but is out with an ACL injury. It is a different O-line without him, but for what it's worth, in the four games he had to play without with principal protector, Rodgers had 15 TD passes, no interceptions and suffered through three sacks for exactly 14 yards in losses.

Sure, the Rams' defense will hold up to some extent - more than most of Green Bay's opponents. But Rodgers is perhaps the greatest precision passer of our time, and the Rams may not have much of a "Plan B" if the Packers can mitigate the ground game to a certain extent. Yes, we wil lean "under," but also feel compelled to lay the points with Green Bay.

BetAnySports helps you enjoy the NFL playoffs a lot more than anyone else, because they have reduced juice, which helps you get a better deal on the odds. And with Sports Betting Prime, you can keep the action going even after the opening kickoff..... Don't forget that you can make your deposits in a number of different ways, including debit and credit cards, person-to-person transfers or the virtual currency of Bitcoin, which is fast and easy with their automated system, and never incurs a transaction fee!