by Eric Williams
St-Louis,MO(RushPRnews)10/22/08-The St. Louis Rams (2-4 SU, 2-4 ATS, 4-2 O/U) and New England Patriots (3-2 SU, 2-3 ATS, 2-3 O/U) are back amongst the living BetUS NFL Locker Room readers!
After dropping their first four games of the regular season under former head coach Scott Linehan, the Rams have won consecutive games under new head coach Jim Haslett, including Sunday’s emphatic 34-14 rout of the Dallas Cowboys to cover the 7.5-point spread as I predicted last week.
The Patriots shook off a dismal 30-10 rout at the hands of the San Diego Chargers in Week 6 to romp over the Denver Broncos on Monday night, winning 41-7 to cover as 3-point home favorites.
Rams quarterback Marc Bulger completed 14 of 19 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown against the Cowboys, but it was running back Steven Jackson that really torched Dallas, rushing for 160 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
Haslett praised his players saying, “I think it’s just the will of the players, more than anything. I thought they played extremely well today, in all three phases.”
The Patriots shocked the inconsistent Broncos to cover as 3-point home favorites as quarterback Matt Cassel went 18-of-24 for 185 yards with three touchdowns and veteran running back Sammy Morris racked up 138 rushing yards and one touchdown on just 16 carries. Wide receiver Randy Moss added two touchdown receptions in the win.
“The main focus was to really play a complementary game,” Moss said, “special teams, offense and defense. And I think we did that tonight.
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NFL Free Picks:
Rams
St. Louis is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games
St. Louis is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 5 games
St. Louis is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of St. Louis’s last 11 games on the road
St. Louis is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing New England
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing New England
Patriots
New England is 21-3-1 SU in its last 25 games
New England is 15-2-1 SU in its last 18 games at home
New England is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
New England is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing St. Louis
NFL Odds
St. Louis Rams +7 -110
New England Patriots -7 -110
Over 43½ -110
Under 43½ -110
Analysis: Despite playing on the road in this matchup, I like the St. Louis Rams to cover the spread here and possibly win outright! The fact of the matter is that new head coach Jim Haslett has his team flying around on defense and playing fast and free.
NFL Free Picks: Rams +7 Points/Over 43½ Total Points
source: betus.com
