Week 9 St. Louis Rams vs Arizona Cardinals NFL Free Pick – Odds – Handicapping Preview
Two teams in search of just their second win of the season meet on Sunday in a clash of the NFC West basement.
ST. LOUIS RAMS (1-6) vs. ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-6)
Date/Time: Sunday, November 6, 4:15 PM ET
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona
Broadcast: FOX
Rams vs. Cardinals Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Cardinals -3 ½
Moneyline: Rams +145: Cardinals -165
Over/Under: 42 points
St. Louis is coming off their first win of the season – an improbable 31-21 win over the Saints while the Cardinals have lost six straight! With the NFC West crown almost out of reach already, this game will be more about pride than it is their place in the standings.
St. Louis has been bad this season. They lost their first six games this year – each loss coming by at least 16 points – brutal! St. Louis will hopefully get their Stud quarterback back in the fold this week after being forced to play with AJ Feely at their pivot. Feely has been OK but Bradford will be a huge upgrade.
The Rams got a superb effort from another player returning from injury last week – Steven Jackson had 159 yards and two touchdowns last week versus the Saints. His return to elite calibre play is crucial if the Rams want to be competitive this season. The addition of Brandon Lloyd to the scuffling passing game also makes this team better. Currently, the Rams have the 26th ranked passing game, the 20th ranked running game and they are 31st in scoring – just 12.43 points per game this season.
The Rams defense has been absolutely brutal so far this year. They are OK versus the pass – 15th and giving up 226.57 yards per game but they are dead last against the run – 165.57 yards per game. The Rams give up the third most points per game in the NFL as well – a staggering 27.43 points per game. St. Louis can do all they want offensively but if the defense doesn`t stop anyone, it will continue to be a long, long year in Missouri.
The Arizona Cardinals haven`t had a lot of success this season but a closer look reveals the fact that they maybe are not as bad as the record suggests. The Cards have lost six straight games after winning their first – 4 of the 6 losses have come by 4 or less points! Arizona may be forced to play without Kevin Kolb this week – a variety of foot injuries could force John Skelton into action. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Kevin Kolb has made the Arizona passing game a little better this season but they still rank 19th in the NFL. Larry Fitzgerald has almost single-handedly carried the passing game. Arizona`s running game is 25th in the NFL – surprising considering the numbers that Beanie Wells seems to be putting up each and every week! Turnovers have certainly been an issue as has sacks – Kolb has been sacked a league high 24 times already this season.
Defensively, Arizona has been disappointing yet again! They are 30th against the pass, 15th against the run and they are 3rd worst in the NFL in terms of points allowed – 26.14 per game.
Betting Prediction: The St. Louis Rams are 1-7 SU and ATS in their last eight games and are 0-5 SU and ATS in their last five on the road. The Arizona Cardinals are 3-6 SU and ATS in their last nine games at home and are 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. The Cards are 8-1 SU in the last nine games versus St. Louis and are 5-2 ATS in their last seven versus the Rams. Arizona is 0-6 ATS in their last six versus the NFC West.
This game hinges on the availability of Sam Bradford. If he plays this weekend, the Rams should be fine. Word out of Arizona is that Kevin Kolb is highly questionable this week – without him, Arizona doesn’t have a chance! Either way, I like the Rams to build on a superb effort from last week and to make it two in a row. Take the road underdog!
Pick: St. Louis Rams +3 ½
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