Unanimous consensus for LA Rams W not good omen for Week 13

If you have followed NFL forecasters and predictions long enough, you know that three things are the kiss of death. The first, if you are suddenly lobbied for by one of the many NFL talking heads around the NFL. Those talking heads include Colin Cowherd, Skip Bayless, and Steven A. Smith, all of whom weigh into conversations about professional football to incite emotional debates. And if the LA Rams are suddenly getting two thumbs up from any of that group, then there is a very good and passionate argument to be made to oppose them.

Another clearcut warning sign is the national media consensus of how good a veteran or rookie acquisition is before they take the football field. While there is always some level of optimism that accompanies a new roster addition, those feel-good stories are only grounded in some version of reality when the author has a body of work researching and understanding the team’s system.

But the third and perhaps the biggest warning sign for any team is the unanimous consensus from a ‘panel of experts.’ When a group of NFL aficionados all agree on the outcome of some future game, you learn to be awfully wary.

The vote is unanimous and unlucky

Such is the case for the LA Rams hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. A panel of NFL experts from USA Today unanimously predict the LA Rams to win this one. So too, the Sports Illustrated MMQB Staff unanimously predict the LA Rams to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Finally, even the ESPN team unanimously predicts the Rams to emerge as the victor this week over the Jaguars.

While I expect that the LA Rams will win as well, the fact that not one person has voted for the upset somehow seems to make the possibility of an upset that much more likely. If nothing else, it most certainly seems to raise the chances of the Jacksonville Jaguars to keep this one close enough to go against the spread (ATS).

Superstition? Perhaps. But in the uncontrollable three-game losing streak, even the most improbable factors suddenly seem like footholds to stop the team from losing once more.