The Los Angeles Rams host the Tennessee Titans tonight and while the Rams have the better won/loss record this season, 7-1 as opposed to 6-2, the Titans are the team with the better hold on first place in their division.

The Rams record is no better than the Arizona Cardinals coming into play this week, while the 6-2 mark owned by the Titans gives them a three game cushion in the AFC North Division. Their closest competitor, the Indianapolis Colts, they knocked off last week in Nashville. The win would seem to lend to a weaker motivational edge for the Titans this week than the home standing Rams.

The Rams need it, particularly if the Cardinals go on and complete their victory over the San Francisco 49ers today. They currently lead the game in the fourth quarter.

The Rams also appear to have all the ingredients necessary to go all the way this season. The Rams off-season trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford, sending their quarterback, two first round choices and another high draft pick to Detroit for the veteran signal caller, indicated that the Rams were more interested in the now than the future.

This week’s acquisition of Von Miller, who was Most Valuable Player when the Broncos upset the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, is another indicator that future considerations, like draft choices, are taking a back seat The Rams are all in on their quest to win their first Super Bowl since they were in St. Louis and Kurt Warner led the franchise to a victory over the Titans to complete the 1999 season.

If I’m sitting at the end of a bar and shooting the gab with a guy drinking with me, I’ve got all sorts of reasons why the Rams are the bet tonight.

Thing is, I’m not the guy at the end of the bar, I’m entrusted to make critical decisions on when a team is a good bet and when they are not.

From an investment standpoint, backing the Rams tonight requires taking a team that hasn’t covered three of their four wins against the spread this season while laying a line in this one that adds value to the Titans side of the wager.

I like the Rams in this one, but my work prohibits me from delivering them as a money play giving a touchdown or more on the point spread.