Can The Rams Complete the LA Championship Trifecta?

30 October 2020

With the Dodgers (MLB) and Lakers (NBA) winning their respective leagues, all eyes (at least those of Los Angeles sports fans) turned to the Rams.

Why?

Like Cody Bellinger said to Jared Goff when Goff congratulated him on winning the World Series: It is your turn now. Fans have watched the Dodgers and Lakers win titles. Now they want to see the Rams do it.

Jared Goff and the Rams would undoubtedly like to make it happen. But unlike the Dodgers and Lakers, his Rams did not enter the season as the championship favorite.

That does not mean the Rams cannot win it all. But circumstances are a little different when your preseason title odds are +450 (Lakers) or +385 (Dodgers) relative to +5000 (Rams).

The Rams have been better than expected them this season. After getting off to a 5-2 start, their odds of winning the Super Bowl are down to +1700 (via DraftKings).

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So, things are looking up for the Rams, but seven teams still have better odds – the Chiefs(+400), Ravens (+600), Buccaneers (+800), Steelers (+850), Seahawks (+1000), Packers (+1100), and the Saints (+1400).

Not easy, but not impossible either. But getting to the Super Bowl will not be easy. The Rams are expected to make the playoffs (-230). But to get there, they have to fight through the NFC West.

They are not even favored to win that (+300); the Seahawks are (-125).

But with each conference having three wild card teams this year, the Rams are a good bet to at least make the playoffs. They are not a bad bet to win the NFC (+800), but they only have the fifth-best odds behind the Buccaneers (+350), Seahawks (+450), Packers (+500), and Saints (+600).

A Tough, But Historic Road

So, yeah—the road will be a tough one for the Rams. However, should they succeed, they can make history.

Over the years, there have been several occasions where a city saw two of its teams in the four major sports (NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL) win it all. There has only been one occasion where a city had a team play for all four titles (Philadelphia in 1980; Phillies were the only ones to win).

Only one city has ever completed the championship trifecta—the City of Detroit (1935-36). The Tigers won the 1935 World Series. That year saw the Lions win their first NFL Championship, and then the Red Wings won the 1936 Stanley Cup.

The NBA was not created until 1946 (as the Basketball Association of America).

Should the Rams overcome the odds to win the Super Bowl, the City of Los Angeles will become the first to complete the NBA, NFL, MLB championship trifecta.  As if winning the Super Bowl was not tough enough already.

Doing it will require the Rams to make history. No pressure, right?

So – Should You Bet on The Los Angeles Rams?

There are several 5-2 teams in the NFL right now, some with a negative point differential. The Rams are not one of those teams. They have one of the better offenses in the league at generating yards (tenth in total yards/game).

But they rank in the lower half in scoring (19th; 25.1 points/game). While that should be concerning, the defense appears to be capable of picking up the slack.

The Rams defense currently ranks second in points allowed/game (17.7).

It is not hard to see a team like the Rams with a good offense and a great defense make a deep playoff run. But just because it is possible to see them winning games does not mean they are a good team to bet on.

As far as the NFC West goes (+300), they appear to be a good bet right now. But in a couple of weeks, fans will find out if they are a great one when they take on the Seattle Seahawks for the first time this season.

But even if they do not win the division, they are a good bet to make the playoffs (-230). They have some challenging games ahead, but they will win enough to qualify for one of the wild cards.

Can they do anything once they get to the playoffs, though?

From a betting perspective, when it comes to the Rams winning the NFC and Super Bowl—they have value. They are good enough to make it to both and even win, but to do so, they have to play perfect games and hope their competition does not.

It is possible, but Los Angeles sports fans may not want to count on it happening.

Betting Play: Rams will win the NFC West and make the playoffs, but will not win NFC Championship or Super Bowl.

Best Sportsbooks For This Pick

New Jersey		Bet@William Hill
Pennsylvania		Bet@SugarHouse
Indiana		Bet@BetMGM
West Virginia		Bet@BetMGM
Colorado		Bet@BetMGM
Illinois		Bet@BetRivers

Travis Pulver

Travis a native-Texan which is where his love of football originated. But after moving around a lot when he was younger, he was able to develop an appreciation for the game and not just his favorite teams. He now lives in Indiana with his wife, Nicole, and two kids, Jackson and Addison. You can find him on Twitter at @FatManWriting.