Going old-school: Which NFL kicker will mess up this week? Don’t bet against the Rams’.

Welcome to a weekly look at the NFL’s next round of games. A peek that will be less quarterback-crazy and more about offensive lines, defense, running games, maybe even the occasional punter, for gosh sakes, and all things that make this the greatest team game ever invented, not the star-driven individualized sport that too many of us try to make it out to be. An effort will be made to keep the tone somewhere between “Old-School” and “Get off my lawn!”

@#$#%! Kickers! In the NFC’s Game of the Week, the Rams (6-2) head to San Francisco (6-3) as a Super Bowl contender.

Or do they?

Nothing gripes an old-school guy worse than a lousy kicker. Ain’t that right, Zim?

And, well, the Rams have the worst of the NFL’s worst kicking operations. In this, the Year of the Blocked Kick, the Rams and Joshua Karty are in most of the blooper reels.

“It can’t continue like this; it’s gone on far too long,” said Rams coach Sean McVay, a beacon of NFL new-schoolers whose steadfast belief in Karty finally wavered this week after eight games.

The Rams signed to their practice squad Harrison Mevis, a 23-year-old from Missouri with no NFL regular-season kicking experience, a 5-11, 243-pound frame and a cool nickname — The Thiccer Kicker. They also signed veteran long-snapper Jake McQuaide, who was with the Vikings for four games last year.

Karty’s field goal percentage is 66.7, worst in the league. He’s missed from 20-29 yards, 30-39 yards, 40-49 yards and 50-59 yards. The 49ers are 6-for-6 from 50-plus.

Karty has had four kicks blocked this year. His two blocked field goals are tied with the Bears for most in the league. His two blocked PATs are more than the rest of the league combined. He’s missed three PATs this year and seven in 25 games over two seasons.

It must feel strange for older Vikings fans to view this from the comfort of Will Reichard’s confident shadow. The Vikings’ second-year kicker has never missed a PAT (54 of 54, and sorry for the jinx, Will). And he’s missed only two field goals this year, and we all know the NFL knows but won’t admit that one of them hit an overhead camera wire in London.

Meanwhile, back in L.A., McVay channels his inner Vikings Nation when he says of his lousy kicking situation, “It’s going to cost us.”

Yep.

0-2. That’s Aaron Rodgers’ prime-time record this season as the AFC North-leading Steelers (5-3) head into Sunday night’s game at the Chargers, whose 6-3 record includes a 3-0 mark in prime time. Rodgers has an NFL-career record 166 touchdown passes in prime time but is trying to avoid losing on the big stage for the third time in four weeks after defeats to the Bengals in Cincinnati and to his former team, the Packers, at home.

Second-year quarterback Drake Maye takes the Patriots (7-2 and tied atop the AFC with Denver and Indianapolis) into Tampa Bay (6-2 and tied atop the NFC with Philadelphia and Seattle) as the fourth player in NFL history and the first younger than 24 to post eight consecutive games of 200 or more yards passing and a passer rating of 100 or higher. Rodgers (12 in 2011 and 8 in 2020), Tom Brady (8 in 2007) and Peyton Manning (8 in 2004) are the only other players to do it.

While discussing the challenges of replicating Lamar Jackson in practice, coach Kevin O’Connell also said playing the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert would help prepare the Vikings for what they’re about to experience with Jackson for the first time since 2021, when he ran through Mike Zimmer’s defense 21 times for 120 yards in a 34-31 win at Baltimore. Hurts had minus-10 yards on four carries against the Vikings. Herbert had seven for 62 yards. Let’s put the over/under rushing total for Jackson — now healthy and coming off a Thursday night game — at 80 yards. I’ll jinx Lamar and take the over.

The Packers (5-2-1) host the Eagles (6-2) on Monday night in a game that will tell us everything about Green Bay’s moxie as it goes forward without tight end Tucker Kraft. An ugly home loss to a 13 ½-point underdog Panthers team wasn’t the worst part of Week 9 for Green Bay. Falling from the NFC’s first seed to the fourth as Philly overtook the top spot wasn’t the worst part either. The worst part was the season-ending knee injury to Kraft, a 2023 third-rounder who had become a focal point in the very fabric of this team’s identity. He was leading the team in receiving yards (489), receiving touchdowns (six) and team-lifting toughness.

Raiders (+8½) at Broncos: The Broncos have won six straight overall and nine at home. In other words, it’s probably their turn to blow it. Broncos 24-19

Falcons (+6½) vs. Colts in Berlin: Colts turnovers Weeks 1-8: 3. Colts turnovers last week: 5. Danny Dimes gets back on track against fickle Falcons. Colts 30-20

Saints (+5½) at Panthers: Carolina ran over Green Bay as a 13½-point road dog. It should do the same to a Saints team playing for a higher draft pick. Panthers 20-14

Giants (+4½) at Bears: Call that Bengals game ugly if you want. The Bears still had 576 yards, 47 points and a fifth win that matches last year’s total. Bears 30-24

Jaguars (+1½) at Texans: Cam Little nails game-winning field goal from the team hotel parking lot. Jaguars 16-13

Bills (-9½) at Dolphins: The Dolphins’ give-up is stronger than any Bills’ letdown. Bills 40-20

Patriots (+2½) at Buccaneers: New England has won six straight and Maye is a living god. In other words, take the Bucs. Buccaneers 30-27

Cardinals (+6½) at Seahawks: Sam Darnold is everything the Jets are trying to find as they acquire everyone’s first-round picks in 2026-27. Seahawks 38-27

Rams (-4½) at 49ers: The beat-up 49ers are due to fall apart. That’s my story and, unfortunately, I’ve been sticking to it. Rams 30-24

Lions (-8½) at Commanders: Sorry, Washington, but someone has to pay for what the Vikings just did to the Lions’ tough-guy image. Lions 30-13

Eagles (+2½) at Packers: Howie Roseman’s four-step philosophy: 1. Need a great player; 2. Somehow acquire a great player; 3. Repeat; 4. Kiss the trophy. Eagles 31-28

Last week’s pick: Giants (plus-2 ½) 19, 49ers 17. Final: 49ers 34, Giants 24. Record: 2-6.

Last week/season straight up: 7-6/70-46.

Last week/season against the spread: 3-10/49-67.