Rams Giants Spread

Written by Jack Jones

No teams have been bitten worse by the injury bug early in the season than the St. Louis Rams and New York Giants. Fortunately, these players will have an extra day to recover as the Rams and Giants square off on ESPN’s Monday Night Football this week. Each team will be looking for their first victory after bad losses in their openers. Kick off is set for 8:30 EST at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

After peeking at the Week 2 NFL spreads, I find New York listed as a 6-point home favorite with a total set of 44 points.

New York

Despite missing several key players on defense, the Giants hung tough for the first half against the Washington Redskins last week. They were tied 14-14 at the break, but would get outscored 14-0 in the second half as the offense faltered. New York lost 28-14 to their NFC East rivals, and now head coach Tom Coughlin is already on the hot seat. Eli Manning was not sharp, completing just 18 of 32 passes for 268 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. New York got little from their ground game as Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for just 73 rushing yards on 19 carries. Hakeem Nicks was the one bright spot on offense, catching seven balls for 122 yards to pick up right where he left off last season.

Key defensive linemen Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck sat out last week. Five other key defensive players were lost for the year before the season even started, including cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Goff. Tuck has stated that he will likely return Monday, but Umenyiora will probably sit out again with a knee injury. Nicks could also be out after suffering a knee injury in the opener. He led the team with 79 catches for 1,052 yards last season, so they will be in a world of hurt if he can’t go. Starting tight end Travis Beckum did not play in the opener due to a hamstring injury, and he is questionable to return this week.

St. Louis

The Rams came into the season very healthy, but they enter this game far from it. In Sunday’s 31-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, anything that could go wrong did. QB Sam Bradford suffered a bruised right index finger that knocked him out in the fourth quarter, but he has been cleared to play this week. Stephen Jackson was injured without even making contact with an Eagles’ defender on a 47-yard touchdown run. He is likely to miss this one with a strained quadriceps. Danny Amendola led the team with 85 catches last year, but could be lost for the season after suffering a dislocated left elbow. The injuries did not stop there.

Cornerback Ron Bartell has been pronounced out for the season after suffering two breaks in his neck. Opposite him, Bradley Fletcher is dealing with a sprained toe that could keep him out. Offensive tackle Jason Smith has a sprained left ankle and is questionable to go Monday. Head coach Steve Spagnuolo made his name as New York’s defensive coordinator, and he certainly will have his work cut out for him as he faces his former team this week. A bright spot for the Rams last week was newly-acquired RB Carnell Williams, who rushed for 91 yards on 19 carries in place of the injured Jackson. He will need to produce again if St. Louis is going to have any chance of pulling off this upset.

Betting Trends

The Giants have won four straight in this series since losing to the Rams 15-14 back in 2001. Their last meeting was in 2008, with the Giants prevailing 41-13 in St. Louis as a 9-point favorite. New York is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 meetings with the Rams.

The Rams have bounced back well recently, going 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS loss. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a road underdog of 3.5-10.0.

The Giants have gone 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Monday night games. However, they are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a loss, and 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite of 3.5-10.0.

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