Washington Redskins at St. Louis Rams Odds

The St. Louis Rams will be looking for their first win of the season when they host the 2-1 Washington Redskins Sunday, and odds makers are giving them a fighting chance.

The Rams are currently listed as a 1-point favorite with the total set at 42.5.

It’s been a rough start for the Rams, who have lost each of their first three games by at least 12 points. Last week, the Rams fell behind 30-0 to the Baltimore Ravens and went on to lose 37-7.

It was a forgettable day for the St. Louis defense, which was torched for 553 yards.

It was also a forgettable day for Sam Bradford, who completed only 50 percent of his passes for 166 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was also sacked five times.

After back-to-back wins over the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins appeared destined for a 3-0 start when they went up 16-9 on Dallas late in the third quarter. That wouldn’t be enough, however, as the Cowboys added three more field goals in an 18-16 victory.

Rex Grossman completed 22 of 37 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and one interception and was sacked three times.

Washington’s running game, which only managed 65 yards against the Cowboys, could be the key to victory this week. Tim Hightower and company should be able to find more running lanes against a St. Louis defense that ranks last in the NFL with 174.7 rushing yards allowed per game.

The Rams gave up 168 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per carry to Baltimore last week.

Running the football could also be the key for St. Louis, which ranks 11th in the NFL with 108.3 yards per game on the ground. Washington’s defense has been pretty solid against the run, allowing just 97.7 yards per game, but it was torched for 125 rushing yards at Dallas Monday.

St. Louis’ running game will receive a big lift if Steven Jackson is feeling healthier. The three-time Pro Bowler, who is dealing with groin and quad issues, only got four carries against the Ravens.

These teams have split the last six meetings with the Rams winning three of the last four, including a 30-16 home win on Sept. 26, 2010.

The Redskins are 0-4 against the spread in the last four meetings, but the underdog is 8-2 against the number in the last 10.

It is also worth noting that the road team is 7-3 against the spread in the last 10 meetings.

As far as the total is concerned, the under deserves some consideration. These two have played to the under in five of the last seven meetings.

Also, the Rams are 7-0 under in their last seven games when playing against a team with a winning percentage between 60 and 70 percent. We have only seen an average of 36 points per game in this situation.

Jimmy Boyd is off to a hot 6-2-1 start with his Sunday NFL plays through the first three weeks of the season. He is on a dominant 34-18-1 run (excludes preseason) on the pro gridiron dating back to last season. Join him again this Sunday for more expert premium picks!