In 1994, the San Francisco 49ers had all the makings of a great team … and they added onto their roster with a number of acquisitions to enhance their prospects ever further. Quarterback Steve Young was firmly in control of the offense with Joe Montana now a Kansas City Chief. He had a full arsenal of offensive weapons including the best receiver of all time, Jerry Rice, and runningback Ricky Watters at the apex of his career.
The defense was solid, but that didn’t stop the 49ers organization from adding to the unit. It began with the arrival of Deion Sanders, the most dynamic player of his day, and a pair of veterans near the end of their careers. Rickey Jackson, who was a six time Pro Bowl selection during thirteen seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and veteran defensive lineman Richard Dent were added to the 49ers stop unit.
It can be argued that while Jackson and Dent were in the final stages of their careers, they wanted to join the 49ers to pick up a ring on their way to retirement.
It worked.
The 49ers rolled through the regular season and entered the playoffs with the best record in the league, 13-3. In the playoffs, they scored double-digit wins over the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys before covering a 19½ point line in the Super Bowl, dowing the overmatched San Diego Chargers, 49-26.
Why do I tell you that?
Because we have a parallel situation this year with the Los Angeles Rams. They are all in at making 2021 as much their season as was 1994 for San Francisco.
It started in the off-season with the acquisition of Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions. To pry Stafford out of Detroit they spent three high draft choices and their starting quarterback, Jared Goff, who was a number one pick in the draft and had taken the Rams to the Super Bowl three years ago.
Through the first eight weeks of the season the Rams have but a single loss, although they have been clipped on the spread in three other games. This week, they further looked to fortify their team while sending two more draft choices to the Denver Broncos to acquire one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Von Miller.
Miller joins an already formidable defense, and his skills can, as Sanders, Jackson and Dent did for the 49ers in 1994, make them better.
Tonight, the Rams host the Tennessee Titans, a team that has lost only twice this year. The Arizona Cardinals downed the Titans on opening day, Arizona is also the team that pinned the Rams with their only loss of the season three weeks later. The Titans second defeat of the season was an upset road loss to the New York Jets five weeks ago.
Over the past three weeks, the Titans have downed the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts. Their victory run has given them a cushion in their AFC South Division race, they lead second place Indianapolis by three games.
Meanwhile, while the Rams have lost only once, that defeat was against their division rivals and they are currently locked in a dead heat with the Cardinals while both teams have 7-1 season marks.
What does that leave us with today?
The better team, at home, in a tough division race against a Titans team on the road after three emotional wins including last week’s overtime upset of the Colts on the road.
The books know what is about to happen today at SoFi Stadium, the better team is going to get the win and probably by more than a touchdown. So, what do the books do to lure money onto the Titans?
They give the AFC South Division leading Tennessee squad a touchdown on the point spread. This is a clear indicator that the books want you to wager on the Titans.
Rule number one in making money in this game; Don’t give the books what they want.
Qoxhi Picks: Los Angeles Rams (-7) over Tennessee Titans