Talk the Line: Early breakdown of NFL Week 8 odds
FOX Sports Betting Analysts Geoff Schwartz, Sam Panayotovich and Jason McIntyre break down every Week 8 game's opening spreads. Is it too hi...OCTOBER 23, 2023
Brett Maher - Struggles with three missed kicksMaher connected on one of three field-goal attempts and missed his only PAT attempt during Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
ImpactThe embattled kicker started his day on the wrong foot with his first field-goal attempt clanging off the left upright from 53 yards out. Maher made a 41-yard attempt in the second quarter, but he then pushed a PAT later in the quarter wide left, and he finished it off with another wide left field-goal try from 51 yards in the third quarter. The Rams could've desperately used those seven missed points, which happened to be exactly the margin of defeat, and the trio of misses has put Maher's job security back into question. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic noted that coach Sean McVay said of the kicking position and Maher after the game, "We'll look at it, and we'll see. He's got to be better." Maher, who is now 8-for-12 on field goal attempts over his last four contests, will look to bounce back against the Cowboys in Week 8, if still employed by the Rams.
OCTOBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Tyler Higbee - Does little with three targetsHigbee secured one of three targets for seven yards during Sunday' 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
ImpactFor the third straight game, the veteran tight end saw three targets from Matthew Stafford but produced a season-low one catch and seven yards from them. Higbee was actually third on the team in targets behind Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise dreadful outing. Through seven contests, Higbee has posted a 21-241-0 line and is on pace to finish the season with 51 catches, which would be his lowest total since 2020. He'll try to turn things around Week 8 against a Cowboys defense that was torched by George Kittle for three touchdowns Week 5.
OCTOBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
What we learned in NFL Week 7: Lamar Jackson as MVP frontrunner; Travis Kelce's immense value
Lamar Jackson is an MVP frontrunner, Travis Kelce showed why he's as valuable to his team as any pass-catcher in the NFL — and that's just a...OCTOBER 23, 2023
Tutu Atwell - Records TD on only catchAtwell caught one of two targets for 31 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
ImpactThe big touchdown catch by Atwell may or may not have been an errant pass directed to Cooper Kupp late in the first half, but the speedster happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to walk into the end zone untouched after snagging the pass at the 1-yard line in front of a double-covered Kupp. For the third straight game, Puka Nacua and Kupp dominated Matthew Stafford's attention with a total of 19 targets to the rest of the team's 10, and perhaps more tellingly, Atwell's usage dipped to a season-low 71 percent of snaps on offense. With Atwell now looking like he's reverted to his usage patterns of 2022, he'll be hard to trust in lineups with a stout Cowboys pass defense up next in Week 8.
OCTOBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
Nobody stepped up to make a difference while the star-deficient Rams blew a lead, lost to Steelers
The Los Angeles Rams’ most disappointing loss of the season came with some painful reminders of this roster’s self-inflicted shortcomingsOCTOBER 23, 2023•ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zach Evans - No offensive snapsEvans took four snaps on special teams during Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
ImpactThe Rams chose to lean on Royce Freeman (12-66-0) and Darrell Henderson (18-61-1) to spearhead the rushing attack, while Evans made only a few appearances on special teams and never saw a snap on offense. The sixth-round rookie will likely have even more competition for playing time next week, as Myles Gaskin, who just signed with the Rams on Tuesday, was inactive against Pittsburgh. It's hard to see a viable role in the short term for Evans with the glut of backs added to the roster, and a matchup against a Cowboys defense that just held Austin Ekeler and the Chargers to 53 yards rushing in Week 6 doesn't inspire confidence in a sudden breakout performance.
OCTOBER 23, 2023•ROTOWIRE
