NFL Week 15 – Cincinnati vs St. Louis
The Cincinnati Bengals will try to stay in the AFC playoff hunt on Sunday when they travel to St. Louis to take on the lowly Rams.
Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) at St. Louis Rams (2-11)
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 18, 2011
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Broadcast: CBS
Bengals vs. Rams Betting Lines from betonline.com
Spread: Bengals -6.5
Moneyline: Bengals -265: Rams +225
Over/Under: 38.5 points
The Bengals have lost two straight games after letting one slip away in the dying seconds last week while the Rams have lost four straight while looking brutal in the process.
The Cincinnati Bengals were the surprise of the season before their current streak on four losses in five games. They face a must-win in Week 15 against a team that nearly everyone has beaten up on this season. Currently, the Bengals are only one game back of the New York Jets for an AFC Wild Card position. Needless to say, Marvin Lewis and the boys have a ton to play for on Sunday afternoon.
Cincinnati heads into Sunday’s contest with the 19th ranked passing and running game in the NFL. Andy Dalton may have been the Rookie of the Year if not for Cam Newton – his acclimation to the pro game has been nothing short of incredible! Cincinnati averages 215 yards per game through the air thanks to Dalton and another super-rookie AJ Green who has emerged as one of the most consistent and dangerous receiving threats in the game. Jerome Simpson has been good and Jermaine Gresham has been terrific as well.
It is safe to say however that this game will likely ride on the shoulders of Cedric Benson who has the honor of facing the worst run defense in the NFL. Benson rushed for 91 yards against a superb Texans defense last week and should be prime for a huge game against the Rams.
Cincinnati’s defense has also had a hand in the Bengals surprising ascension. They are 11th against the pass and are 7th against the run. He Bengals own the league’s 4th best road run defense and are 7th in total defense in the NFL. Cincinnati is coming off perhaps their most impressive all-around defensive effort in the less last week to Houston.
The St. Louis Rams just keep losing. They are not just losing, they are getting battered! Now they face a hungry team on a short week in a game in which their opposition needs to win. Offensively, the Rams are near the bottom of the league and defensively they are even worse!
St. Louis has been awful on the offensive side of the ball all season long. They own the 28th ranked passing game, the 26th ranked running game and they score the least amount of points in the NFL – just 11.77 points per game! Sam Bradford has been banged up and brutal – he has six whole touchdowns and six interceptions on the year – yuk! [soliloquy id=”82219″]
How about Steven Jackson? He has been the lone bright spot for the Rams offense but has had a poor season by his standards as well. Jackson did run for 63 yards and a score against Seattle last week but with an injury riddled offensive line, it appears as though that is all we can expect from Mr. Jackson.
The Rams defense has done absolutely nothing to help out the offense this season. They, like the offense have had their share of injury issues. It all amounts to the Rams fielding a whole bunch of backups on the defensive side of the ball. They are 8th against the pass, dead last against the run and are 25th in scoring defense allowing over 25 points per game – not good when the offense gives You 11.77 points per game!
Betting Prediction: The Cincinnati Bengals are 0-4-1 ATS and 1-4 SU in their last five games overall but are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight on the road. They are 5-1 SU in their last six on the road. The St. Louis Rams are 2-12 SU and ATS in their last 14 games and are 1-5 SU and ATS in their last six games at home. The Rams have won three of the last four games against Cincinnati and are 4-1 ATS in their last five against the Bengals.
Wanna know how bad the Rams are? They have averaged 10.2 points in five losses at home this season, including defeats by 17, 18 and 30. Covering the 6.5 shouldn’t be a problem against a St. Louis team that could very realistically be without Sam Bradford on Sunday.
Plain and simple – the Cincinnati Bengals are better in absolutely every aspect of this game. Way worse team have destroyed the Rams this season and I expect the same to ring true. The Bengals stay alive with an easy victory Sunday!
Pick: Cincinnati Bengals -6.5
