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St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions NFL Week 8 Picks & Spread

Written by Jimmy Boyd

The 0-7 St. Louis Rams appear to be in danger of matching the Detroit Lion’s 0-16 regular season mark of a year ago. They’ll try to snap their losing streak Sunday against those Lions at Ford Field. Last week, the Rams were completely dominated by the Colts in a 42-6 rout while the Lions were idle. These two teams last faced off in the 2006 season with the Rams outscoring the Lions 41-34 in a shootout. Detroit has won four of the last six meetings but the Rams hold a slight 41-38-1 lead in the all-time series. The books have listed the Detroit Lions as 4-point home favorites with the total set at 44.

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Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, appears to have benefited from Detroit’s off week as he is listed as probable for Sunday’s contest. Stafford played very well in his last start against the Bears, throwing for 296 yards before going down with an injury. The question heading into this week is: how rusty will he be? If the rust isn’t thick, he should have a good opportunity to take advantage of the Rams’ 25th ranked passing defense.

I expect the Lions to ease Stafford back in and that means that they will be looking to run the football with Kevin Smith early. The talented running back has 515 yards from scrimmage in his last five home games. If Detroit makes St. Louis respect the run, Stafford or Daunte Culpepper could have a big day with play action. It is worth noting that the Lions are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games following a bye week. If you like Detroit to come out strong following its bye week, bet the Lions at -4 at Bookmaker.

Detroit is only 1-22 in its last 23 games but the Lions seem to have shaken off the worst team in football brand thanks to the Rams, who have now lost 17 consecutive regular season games. Detroit is definitely the weakest remaining team on St. Louis’ schedule so if the Rams don’t take care of business here, they could be joining Detroit as the only teams in NFL history to finish the regular season 0-16.

For St. Louis to come out on top this week, they are going to need to give the Lions a heavy dose of running back Steven Jackson. Jackson ranks third in the NFL in rushing this season, but he is yet to score a touchdown. That’s not as strange as it may seem when you consider that defenses are keying on him in the red zone. Jackson figures to get the Rams in scoring position Sunday and then it may be up to the passing game to make a play. Although, you have to like Jackson’s chances of finally getting in the end zone this week against a Lions team allowing an NFC-high 31.3 points per game. It is worth noting that the Lions are only 16-34-1 against the number in their last 51 games as a favorite. If you St. Louis can end its winless streak, bet the Rams at +4 at Bookmaker.

Crush your sportsbook this Sunday with NFL expert picks from world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd!

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