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St. Louis Rams at New England Patriots NFL Picks & Odds

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Despite being without star QB Tom Brady and with injuries to other key players continuing to mount, the New England Patriots proved that they are still capable of playing dominant football with a lopsided 41-7 home win over Denver last week. That performance has instilled confidence in odds makers this week, who have favored the Patriots by 7.5 points with the total set at 42.5.

Since losing Tom Terrific to a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season, the New England offense has struggled to put points on the board. But the Patriots finally broke out for 41 points last week on Monday Night Football in a rout of Denver.

QB Matt Cassel was the star, connecting on 18 of 24 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

The defense stepped up to force five Broncos turnovers as well in the win.

Another good sign is that New England was able to get some good production from its running game. Sammy Morris carried 16 times for 138 yards as the Pats racked up 257 yards on the turf.

The Patriots put up those numbers without starter Laurence Maroney who was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Hopefully Morris will be back on the field as he sat out the second half with a knee injury and his status is listed as day-to-day.

If not, we will see undrafted rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis again, who ran for 65 yards last week. Third down specialist Kevin Faulk may also seen an increased role.

New England also lost 15-year veteran safety Rodney Harrison to a torn thigh muscle that could end his playing days. That moves the 24th overall pick in the 2007 draft, Brandon Meriweather, inter the starting role. While he lacks the experience, Meriweather appears to be a good one in the making.

Pass protection has been a problem for the Patriots all season. Cassel was still sacked six times last week despite his solid numbers. If you think New England can persevere through its injuries again this week for a big against the spread win, bet the Patriots at -7.5 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% sign up bonus.

The Rams looked like the worst team in the history of football through the season’s first four weeks, losing all of their matchups by 17 or more points. But with Linehan out and Haslett in, the Rams have pulled off a pair of big upsets against NFC East contenders.

St. Louis squeaked out a 19-17 win at Washington on October 12 and then destroyed Dallas 34-14 last Sunday.

Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson has returned to form. He ran for a season-high 160 yards and three scores. Jackson did leave in the fourth quarter with a strained thigh muscle, but the Rams remain hopeful that he’ll be ready to go Sunday.

Marc Bulger was benched in favor of Trent Green after Week 3, but Haslett has quickly vetoed Linehan’s move. Bulger went 14 of 19 for 173 yards and a touchdown in a very clean performance against the Cowboys.

The Rams defense was also on point, forcing the Cowboys into four turnovers to total seven the last two weeks. This unit will need to continue to come up big for the Rams to have a chance. The defense was only able to come up with two turnovers through the first four games and you know the results during that stretch. If you think St. Louis can pull off its third straight upset, bet the Rams at +7.5 at BetUS.

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