Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Who has the edge?

RAMS (7-4) VS. JAGUARS (2-9)

When: Sunday, 1:05 p.m.

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood

TV/radio: Ch. 11; 710 AM, 93.1 FM, 1330 AM (Spanish)

Line: Rams by 13

Notable injury designations: Rams: RB Darrell Henderson (thigh), WR Odell Beckham Jr. (hip), RT Rob Havenstein (foot) and CB David Long Jr. (ill) are questionable; RB Buddy Howell (thigh) is out. Jaguars: CB Shaquill Griffin (concussion) is out; RB James Robinson (heel/knee) is questionable.

What’s at stake? The Rams need a drama-free win over one of the worst teams in the NFL to keep a three-game losing streak from turning into free fall. A win would keep the Rams two games behind the NFC West-leading Cardinals, who are favored at Chicago, going into next week’s game in Arizona. The Rams are currently the No. 5 seed in the NFC; Football Outsiders analytics give them an 84.4% chance of making the playoffs but only a 5.7% chance of winning the division.

Who’s better? The Rams, clearly. But don’t tell them. They’ve made a habit of failing to cover big point spreads, going 0-3 against the spread with one push (and the outright loss to the Jets last December) when favored by 10 points or more the past two seasons. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are 2-0 this year as double-digit underdogs, including their outright win over the Bills.

Matchup to watch: Rams DT Aaron Donald vs. the Jaguars’ offensive line. Donald is hungry after going without sacks the past two games. That’s a problem for Jacksonville guards Andrew Norwell and Ben Bartch.

Rams win if … If QB Matthew Stafford breaks his early-turnover habit and takes advantage of Shaquill Griffin’s absence from the Jaguars’ secondary … the defense can do its part for ball control by limiting James Robinson and a Jags ground game averaging 5.0 yards a carry … the Rams’ rotating cast of punt and kick returners start to produce positive field position.

Fantasy pick: Rams TE Tyler Higbee. Rams coach Sean McVay is looking for ways to reduce turnovers and work around a limping run game, and he said “higher percentage plays in the pass game” are one option. Higbee is looking to bounce back from a couple of poor games (drops vs. 49ers, one catch vs. Packers).

Prediction: Rams 27, Jaguars 17. It’s hard to imagine the Rams losing to this opponent. It’s also hard to recommend them (believe it, we’ve been trying); the NBA has played a quarter of its season since the last time the Rams beat a point spread.