NFC Championship Game 2019: Rams vs. Saints Comments and Stat Predictions

The Los Angeles Rams have a difficult task ahead of them in Sunday's NFC title game with the New Orleans Saints.

They have a chance to win the NFC earn a spot in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta February 3, but they are going to have to beat the league's most consistent team at the Superdome if that is going to happen.

The Rams had a chance to do that earlier this season, but they fell 45-35 in Week 9. The Saints have appeared unstoppable at times this season.

NFC Championship Game: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints

Date: Sunday, January 20, at 3:05 p.m. ET

TV and Streams: Fox, Fox Sports Go and fuboTV

Spread: Saints -3 (per OddsShark)

New Orleans dropped its season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rested most of its key players in the regular-season finale defeat to the Carolina Panthers. The Saints won 13 of 14 games in between those two losses and proved their dominance nearly every week.

The Rams will depend on head coach Sean McVay to force the New Orleans defense into a guessing game with his play-calling. That's an area that McVay has excelled in during the past two seasons.

"There's certain moments in games where being a good play caller—you can't teach it—but there's certain moments where you have to go for that dagger or you have to pull back a little bit," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said Friday, per Brett Martel of the Associated Press (h/t the Boston Globe). "There's just different ebbs and flows in games. I think he's got a great feel for that."

McVay refused to take credit for his skills in that area, deferring to Saints head coach Sean Payton because of his experience and long-term success in the game.

"He's been doing it at really high level for a lot longer than I have," McVay said. "He's an outstanding coach—clearly referenced by the way that his team is playing this year, how they've played over the course of his career when he's been leading the Saints. So, I don't think we're in that category yet."

The Rams are going to have to play better defense than they did in their earlier loss to the Saints. Wideout Michael Thomas had a brilliant season with 125 receptions, and he had 211 receiving yards in the win over the Rams.

Los Angeles cornerback Aqib Talib explained why Thomas is so tough to defend, per Clarence Dennis of TheRams.com: "He's got a Hall of Fame quarterback (in Drew Brees). Anytime you're a receiver and you got a Hall of Fame quarterback, that's going to take you to the next level, man. Then he's big, he's fast, he's got great hands, great body control."

When the Rams have the ball, they are going to need the 24-year-old Goff to stay calm and not get overwhelmed by the moment. It seems fairly obvious that the 40-year-old Brees can handle himself in a championship game, but Goff has to demonstrate that he can perform at a peak level when it matters most. He is clearly excited by his opportunity.

"It's always something you dream about growing up is being able to play in the Super Bowl," Goff said. "Even playing in the NFC championship is a dream come true. We're excited for it. It's an opportunity you work for and I think we see it as something that we've earned."

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Payton said that the Saints will be depending on their fans to fill the Superdome with noise and disrupt the Rams offense.

"What's important for our fan base is understanding when that crowd noise needs to begin differently this week than normal weeks," Payton said, per the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). "That crowd noise needs to begin just as that last play finished. You get 65, 70 snaps of that crowd noise earlier than normal and louder than normal, it's difficult."

One of Payton's great strengths is his ability to use all of his roster to gain an advantage over his opponents. 

"It's a chess match," New Orleans wideout Austin Carr said, per Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. "You hear that said a lot, but I actually see the strategy in the different moving pieces that he has every week."

By the numbers

Look for another high-scoring matchup for these two teams. Perhaps they won't reach the 80-point mark they did in Week 9, but 60 points or more seems likely.

The Saints have the home-field advantage, a veteran quarterback and a loud home crowd that will make it difficult on Goff. The Saints win by seven points or more as the Brees-to-Thomas combination proves impossible to stop.

Rams stats

Goff: 250 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception

Todd Gurley: 80 rushing yards, one touchdown

Robert Woods: 85 receiving yards, one touchdown

Brandin Cooks: 75 receiving yards, one touchdown

Saints stats

Brees: 285 passing yards, three touchdowns

Alvin Kamara: 85 rushing yards, one touchdown; 55 receiving yards, one touchdown

Thomas: 150 receiving yards, two touchdowns