MNF – St. Louis vs Seattle Week 14 Gambling Preview
The Seattle Seahawks will try to keep their ever so slim Wild Card playoff aspirations alive on Monday night when they take on the St. Louis Rams in Seattle.
ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-10) vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-7)
Date/Time: Monday, December 12, 8:30 PM ET
Venue: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Broadcast: ESPN
Rams vs. Seahawks Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Seahawks -9 ½
Moneyline: OFF
Over/Under: 37 points
Seattle appears to have turned the corner on season that started with disappointment while for the St. Louis Rams a nightmare season plagued by injury and all-around substandard play continues.
There is not a whole lot to like about the St. Louis Rams going into Monday night’s showdown – they have one of the worst offenses and one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Their Stud running back has fallen on hard times and the team may be forced to start a quarterback that they just promoted from the practice squad at quarterback – Yuk!
The Rams have been terrible all season on the offensive side of the ball – they rank dead last in scoring (11.67 points per game), they are 28th in passing (185.42 yards per game) and 27th in rushing (98.58 yards per game).
Tom Brandstater may be the Rams QB on Monday night – Sam Bradford aggravated an ankle injury and backup AJ Feeley broke a finger in last week’s 26-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Oh well, at least they can lean on Steven Jackson right? Wrong – Jackson has averaged just 41.6 yards rushing per game in his last three.
The Rams offense generated just 185 yards total three weeks ago against the Seahawks and had 9 punts, 2 fumbles and an interception to go along with the seven points that they scored!
Defense? What defense? The Rams are currently dead last against the run in the NFL (157.75 yards allowed per game) and are surprisingly 8th against the pass (208.42 yards allowed per game). [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Seattle Seahawks are on a mini-roll at the moment, coming off an impressive 31-14 beat down on the Philadelphia Eagles and they are winners of three of their last four games. Offensively, this team has found an identity and defensively they are among the better units in the second half of the season.
Seattle’s offense has been about one man lately – Marshawn Lynch. He has taken the running game from the second worst in the NFL to 22nd in the league. The Seahawks have rushed for over 100 yards in five straight games – no wonder they are having some success. Marshawn Lynch has been outstanding over the last month, leading the NFL with 591 rushing yards and five run TDs in five games since Week 9. On Monday, the Seahawks host St. Louis, which is last in the league against the run, allowing an average of 157.75 yards. Despite an injury ravaged Offensive Line, Lynch keeps getting it done – he had 88 of Seattle’s 126 yards just three weeks ago against St. Louis.
Seattle’s defense has been on fire – 8 interceptions and 9 sacks in their last four games – games that included showdowns with such teams as Baltimore and Philadelphia. They are 20th against the pass and 11th against the run and they gave up just 185 total yards in the Seahawks first meeting with St. Louis on Nov. 20th. With or without Sam Bradford, Seattle’s defense should be able to control the Rams offense.
Betting Prediction: The St. Louis Rams are 2-11 SU and ATS in their last 13 games and are 1-7 SU and ATS in their last eight on the road. They ate 1-12 SU in their last 13 games against Seattle and are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 against the Hawks. In Seattle, the Rams are 0-5 SU in 5 games and 1-5 ATS in six.
The Seattle Seahawks are 7-4-1 ATS this season, are 14-6 SU in their last 20 versus St. Louis and are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games at home.
The Seahawks have taken 12 of the last 13 matchups with the Rams – including six in a row at home by an average of 17.6 points – and they’ve averaged 164.5 yards on the ground in those wins at CenturyLink Field.
St. Louis (2-10) has been outscored 114-25 in its last four visits to Seattle, and experienced similar offensive woes last Sunday. The Rams managed a season-low 157 yards in a 26-0 loss at San Francisco.
The Seattle Seahawks still have something to play for – a Wild card spot is a ways off but is still a possibility. The Rams have absolutely nothing to play for. Expect the Hawks to come out flying on home turf on Monday night. Just ask the Eagles how good the Seahawks are at home on National Television. It is going to be loud and it is going to be an easy win for the surprisingly good Hawks!
Pick: Seattle Seahawks -9 ½
