NFL Free Pick – Cardinals vs Rams
In what promises to be a less-than-thrilling NFC West encounter, the Arizona Cardinals head to St. Louis to determine who really is the worst of the West. The Cards had been playing OK before last week and the Rams … well – they looked like the Rams of 2009!
ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-7) Vs. ST. LOUIS RAMS (2-8)
Date/Time: Sunday, November 27, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Broadcast: FOX
Cardinals vs. Rams Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Rams -3
Moneyline: Cardinals +115: Rams -135
Over/Under: 39 ½ points
The Arizona Cardinals looked to have been turning the corner with two straight wins but then they ran into the San Francisco 49ers. John Skelton finally had a bad game – a 315 yard effort in Week 10 was followed by a 99 yard, three interception effort against the 49ers. There is a chance that Arizona could get Kevin Kolb back this week, but chances are that Skelton will get another chance to prove his worth.
Arizona’s offense has been bad this season – they are the 29th ranked pass defense and are near the bottom of the NFL in rushing. The wheels have completely come off Beanie Wells who started the season strong but has averaged just 38.3 yards per game in his last three outings. He hasn’t scored in any of those games. Wells will have a chance to right the ship this week however; the Rams are dead last in rushing defense this season and give up an average of 148 yards per game on the ground.
John Skelton or Kevin Kolb has one job – get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald who is the best athlete that will take the field on Sunday. Despite being keyed upon, Fitzgerald was the lone bright spot for the 49ers last week hauling in three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona’s defense is nothing special at all! They are 27th versus the pass and 24th against the run. Special teams definitely favours the Cardinals in this game though – Patrick Peterson has a league best 463 yards on punt returns this season with three touchdowns – the last one was a game-clincher in Week 9 in overtime against these very Rams. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
There is not a whole lot to like about the Rams ahead of Sunday’s game – not much at all! Sam Bradford is suffering through a sophomore jinx. He has a total of five touchdowns in eight games this season. But some of the blame can be taken by a lack of a decent receiving corp. – Brandon Lloyd is their only quality pass catcher. All the opposition has to do is key in on Lloyd and the passing game is stymied.
Steven Jackson had been Hot for the Rams before last week’s brutal 42 yard effort. He had three consecutive 100 yard games including 130 in Week 9 against the Cardinals. Jackson has averaged 107.3 yards per game in his last four games against Arizona.
St. Louis is a horrendous offense – they have the 26th ranked passing game and the 17th rated rushing offense. The Rams score the least amount of points per game in the NFL – just 12. They have scored a mind-boggling 10 offensive touchdowns in 10 games this season – Amazing!
Betting Prediction: The Arizona Cardinals are 2-7 SU in their last nine games and are a miserable 1-12 SU in their last 13 on the road. Arizona is just 5-12 ATS in their last 17 away from home. Against St. Louis, the Cardinals are 9-1 SU in their last 10 meetings including six straight wins and are 5-0 SU in their last five trips to St. Louis.
The St. Louis Rams are 2-9 SU and ATS in their last 11 games and are 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five at home. Against Arizona, the Rams are 2-6 ATS in their last eight games and are 2-5 ATS in their last seven at home.
Set your DVRs for this one folks! This one could be a classic… Dud. The Arizona Cardinals are playing better football at the moment, despite a brutal loss last week. The Rams are a disaster on both sides of the ball and are just as brutal against the Cardinals (just 1-9 in the last 10). Expect the misery to continue on Sunday and for the Cardinals to record their third win in four games. In a Battle of the Brutal, take the road underdog to win.
Pick: Arizona Cardinals +3
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