St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions Odds

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The Detroit Lions will try to build on their best season in recent well over a decade when they host the St. Louis Rams Sunday at 1:00 PM ET in their season opener.

The Lions won 10 games a season ago – their most since 1995, and they advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

The Lions, who ended 10 consecutive losing campaigns from 2001-2010, know all too well what the Rams are currently going through. St. Louis, which went 2-14 last season, has suffered seven consecutive non-winning campaigns.

The Rams have won two of the the past three meetings with Detroit, but the Lions won the most recent meeting 44-6 Oct. 10, 2010. Odds makers expect the Lions to take care of business Sunday. They have listed them as a seven-point favorite. The total has been set at 45.5.

Detroit Lions:

A potent offense carried the Lions in 2011. They ranked fourth in the league in scoring (29.6 points per game) and fifth in total offense (396.1 yards per game). Led by one of the best hook-up combinations in the league – Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson – the Lions did most of their damage through the air. They finished fourth in the NFL with 300.9 passing yards per game.

Stafford, who was finally able to stay healthy for an entire season, connected on 421 of 663 passes for 5,038 yards with 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. 96 completions went to Johnson, who finished with 1,681 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions.

While Detroit will throw the football the majority of the time, it may look to run a little more Sunday. That’s because the Rams finished 31st in the NFL against the run a year ago with 152.1 yards allowed per game.

St. Louis Rams:

The Rams were one of the worst offensive teams in the NFL last season. They ranked dead last in scoring (12.1 points per game) and 31st in total offense (283.6 yards per game).

With Sam Bradford miss significant time to injury, the passing game suffered. The Rams finished 30th in the league with 179.4 yards per game through the air. In order to get things turned around, the offensive line must perform at a much higher level. It allowed a league-high 55 sacks in 2011.

With a healthy Bradford, star running back Steven Jackson and the return of wide receiver Danny Amendola, the Rams should be a better offensive team in 2012. They will have an opportunity to move the football Sunday against a Detroit defense that ranked 23rd in the NFL in both scoring and total defense last season with 24.2 points and 367.6 yards allowed per game.

Betting Trends:

The Rams are only 1-9 against the spread in their last 10 road games while the Lions are 11-5 against the number in their last 16 at home. However, it is also worth noting that the Lions are 0-5 against the spread in their last five versus NFC foes.

As far as the total is concerned, the under could be worth a look. That’s because the Rams have finished below the number in 35 of their last 52 on the road with one push. The Lions have come in under the total in five of their last seven at home.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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