Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams NFL Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on December 12, 2008

seahawks-rams

A pair of 2-11 NFC West squads meet in what of the least glamorous matchups of the week. Perhaps, if we find some NFL betting value, it will spice things up. NFL odds makers have listed the Seahawks as slight 2.5-point favorites with the total set at 42.5.

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck is not expected to play much the rest of the season, but he would like to return for one of Seattle’s final three contests. Hasselbeck is not expected to play, but that may not matter as Seattle has won seven straight against their NFC West rivals. Doctors have alerted Hasselbeck that disk injuries take time to heal. Hasselbeck has tried to play through the pain and has started seven games while being in and out of the lineup this season. The veteran All-Pro should just call it a season to make sure that he is healthy for 2009 but he has stated that he wants to get back in there to help his teammates out down the home stretch, despite there being nothing to play for, outside of pride and for love of the game. Hasselbeck missed Thursday practice to get treatment on the bulging disk in his back and he did not play last week against New England after being roughed up by Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.

Coach Mike Holmgren is now just three weeks away from taking a leave from football and this appears to be his best shot at getting one more win in his accomplished coaching career. Seattle already has one win under its belt against the Rams this season, defeating them 37-13 back on September 21. The Rams have not beaten the Seahawks since January of 2005 in a wild card game. Seattle will play the New York Jets next week and conclude the season with Arizona so it is not going to be a breezy home stretch.

Seattle did perform well last week against the New England Patriots and have been right on the brink of winning football games. The Seahawks haveblown a chance to win or tie late against a playoff contender each of the past three weeks, most recently in their 24-21 loss to New England last Sunday. Backup QB Seneca Wallace was sensational in the game. Wallace threw for 212 yards on 20 of 28 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Another performance like that should get the Seahawks another “W” as long as the defense does its part. Lofa Tatupa is the leader of a Seahawks defense that has been a major letdown all season. The Seahawks returned every starter from a unit that allowed only 18.1 ppg but is relinquishing 25.7 ppg in 2008. If you like Seattle on the road this week, bet the Seahawks at -2.5 at BetUS.

The Rams defense has been even worse than Seattle’s, ranking 31st in the NFL by giving up 31.8 points per contest. The Rams offense has not been much better, scoring 12 or fewer points in each of its last three games – not what you’d expect from a team with a Pro Bowl backfield. Running back Steven Jackson lost two fumbles in last week’s 34-10 rout at the hand of Arizona. Turnovers have been contagious down the stretch as the Rams have committed 21 in their last six games. The good news is that the Rams will have Jackson in the lineup as he appears near full strength after spending most of November on the shelf with a nagging quad injury. If you think St. Louis can pull it together to get a confidence-boosting win this week, bet the Rams at BetUS.

Editor’s Note: Jimmy Boyd has cashed in 6 of his last 7 5* NFL picks and he has a pair of big 5* plays going this week – his 5* NFL Blowout of the Year and his 5* NFL Upset of the Year! Be there!

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