Public Favors Rams
The St. Louis Rams have looked awfully bad in two games this year, but the public favors them Sunday over the Seattle Seahawks. Oddsmakers have made the Seahawks a 9.5-point favorite.
Little has gone right for the Rams so far in 2008. After getting shelled by the Eagles 38-3 in Philadelphia in Week 1, St. Louis was shredded by the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants 41-13 in Week 2. With the Rams falling behind early, running back Steven Jackson has had a limited impact. And the St. Louis defense has yet to improve like the team had hoped in the offseason. But with the Seahawks struggling themselves, the Rams might have an opportunity to notch their first win this Sunday.
As previously noted, the Seahawks have struggled mightily this season. After getting rocked in Buffalo in Week 1, Seattle dropped its home opener last week in a 33-30 overtime loss to division rival San Francisco. The team has been absolutely ransacked by injuries, especially at wide receiver. Former first round pick Koren Robinson will even start this weekend, a player the Seahawks picked up off the street just days ago. What’s worse is that Seattle’s defense has been bad, too, giving up over 30 points a game.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBG Global have made the Seahawks a 9.5-point favorite and the over/under total has been set at 44. Current public betting information shows that 55% of bettors favor St. Louis to cover the 9.5-point spread.
Both of these teams are a mess, which is why it’s a little surprising to see the Seahawks favored by almost double-digit points. The Rams’ offense has been brutal so far, but they’ve also faced two tough defenses in Philadelphia and New York, respectively. If the St. Louis defense can shut down Hawks’ running back Julius Jones, they should be able to contain Hasselbeck and the passing game. Seattle is tough to beat at home, but the Rams should be able to keep it close. We predict the Seahawks over the Rams 27-20.
Rams at Seahawks Point Spread and Over/Under Total
Rams +9.5 over 44
Seahawks –9.5 under 44
Key Injuries:
ST LOUIS
[OL] Jacob Bell missed last game, %27?" – Hamstring – 09/14/08
[WR] Drew Bennett expected to miss up to six weeks – Foot – 09/08/08
[DE] Leonard Little missed last game, %27?" – Hamstring – 09/14/08
[OL] Mark Setterstrom IR – Knee – 08/17/08
[OT] Brandon Gorin IR – Shoulder – 08/18/08
[CB] Justin King IR – Toe – 08/16/08
SEATTLE
[WR] Deion Branch is out indefinitely – Knee – 09/15/08
[LB] Wesley Mallard IR. – Knee – 08/06/08
[WR] Bobby Engram out indefinitely – Shoulder – 08/24/08
[QB] Seneca Wallace expected to miss three to four weeks – Calf – 09/15/08
[RB] Maurice Morris is expected to miss. – Knee – 09/08/08
[WR] Logan Payne IR – Knee – 09/15/08
[RG] Rob Sims IR – Pectoral – 09/09/08
[RT] Sean Locklear missed last game, %27?%27. – Knee – 09/14/08
[WR] Ben Obomanu IR – Shoulder – 08/31/08
[WR] Nate Burleson IR – Knee – 09/08/08
Top Trends:
ST LOUIS is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 67-95 ATS (-37.5 Units) against conference opponents since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 24-42 ATS (-22.2 Units) in games played on a grass field since 1992.
ST LOUIS is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in September games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 5-13 ATS (-9.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 3-11 ATS (-9.1 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 2-9 ATS (-7.9 Units) in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 45-70 ATS (-32.0 Units) off a division game since 1992.
Head-to-Head Series History
SEATTLE is 2-2 against the spread versus ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
SEATTLE is 4-0 straight up against ST LOUIS over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
Did you like this article? Subscribe to our NFL news feed for the fastest updates delivered right to you – Click here to Subscribe
