Rams' No. 1 defense faces winless Jets' No. 32 offense
NEW YORK JETS (0-13) at LOS ANGELES RAMS (9-4)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE - Rams by 16 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Jets 4-9; Rams 8-5
SERIES RECORD - Rams lead 10-4
LAST MEETING - Rams beat Jets 9-6 on Nov. 13, 2016, at East Rutherford, N.J.
LAST WEEK - Seahawks beat Jets 40-3; Rams beat Patriots 24-3
AP PRO32 RANKING - Jets No. 32, Rams No. 6
JETS OFFENSE - OVERALL (32), RUSH (21), PASS (32).
JETS DEFENSE - OVERALL (30), RUSH (12), PASS (31).
RAMS OFFENSE - OVERALL (5), RUSH (8), PASS (12).
RAMS DEFENSE - OVERALL (1), RUSH (3), PASS (1).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - The NFL's best defense faces the NFL's worst offense at SoFi Stadium. The Rams are also tops in the league in passing defense, and the Jets are last in passing offense. ... The Jets have only three chances left to avoid the third winless 16-game season in NFL history. ... New York's 13-game losing streak is the longest in franchise history. ... Jets QB Sam Darnold returns home to Southern California. The former USC star grew up in Orange County. He was injured for the Jets' road loss to the Chargers last month. ... Frank Gore has 15 rushing TDs in his career against the Rams, the longtime 49ers running back's most against any opponent. ... Rookie WR Denzel Mims is expected to return after missing last week's game at Seattle to handle a family emergency. ... The Jets cut Sergio Castillo after he missed three field goals last week, and claimed Chase McLaughlin off waivers from Jacksonville. Either McLaughlin or former Rams K Sam Ficken will kick in LA. ... The Jets are averaging an NFL-low 14.1 points per game. Los Angeles has held seven of its 13 opponents under 20 points. ... New York fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after the debacle against Las Vegas, but the defense was even worse under interim defensive coordinator Frank Bush. New York allowed Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to score touchdowns on five of six trips inside the 20-yard line. ... The Rams have won four of five out of their bye week to take a share of first place in the NFC West, but can't afford a slip-up before visiting co-leader Seattle next week. ... Rams QB Jared Goff has 11 turnovers (7 interceptions, 4 fumbles lost) in the last six games. The Jets' defense has forced 16 turnovers, only five fewer than the Rams. ... Rams RB Cam Akers had a career-high 194 yards from scrimmage last week against New England. His 171 yards rushing were the most by a Rams rookie since Jerome Bettis in 1993. ... The Rams have two receivers closing in on 1,000-yard seasons: Cooper Kupp (869) and Robert Woods (796). Josh Reynolds also has a career-high 515 yards. ... Rams DT Aaron Donald leads the league with 12 1/2 sacks. He's a half-sack behind Derrick Thomas (85) for the third-most sacks in a player's first seven NFL seasons. ... Rams ILB Troy Reeder has 32 tackles in three games since taking over for injured Micah Kiser. ... The Rams' defense has allowed one 300-yard passer and no 100-yard rushers this season. ... K Matt Gay has mostly shored up a problematic position for the Rams, hitting 6 of 8 field goals and all 13 extra points while booming 19 of his 22 kickoffs for touchbacks. ... Fantasy tip: It's tempting to grab Akers after his breakout game against the Patriots, but McVay insists he will continue to distribute his carries among his three running backs. Players relying on Akers could lead to frustration Sunday, particularly if the Rams get far ahead and rest their first-stringers.
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