Ravens Rams Spread

Written by Jack Jones - Google +

The Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams are each looking to bounce back from disappointing road losses last week. These two will meet up in St. Louis Sunday for an AFC vs. NFC showdown set to kick off at 4:15 EST. These franchises rarely play each other, as this will only be their eighth meeting since 1987. Baltimore took down the last meeting in 2007, winning 22-3 at home.

The week 3 NFL lines show that the Ravens are expected to win. Odds makers have listed a spread of Baltimore -4 over St. Louis and a total set of 42.5 points.

Baltimore

The Ravens looked like a clear-cut Super Bowl contender after throttling the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-7 in their opener, forcing seven turnovers in the process. They looked like anything but a contender last week, suffering an emotional letdown and falling 26-13 at Tennessee. The Ravens defense yielded 432 total yards in the loss, including 358 passing yards from Titans’ QB Matt Hasselbeck. They did limit Chris Johnson to just 53 yards on 24 carries, but stacking eight in the box allowed Tennessee to move the ball at will through the air. The offense wasn’t much better, compiling just 229 yards while committing three turnovers.

Through two weeks, the Ravens sit near the bottom in both key offensive and defensive categories. Baltimore ranks 25th in total offense (307.0 yards/game), with 199.5 through the air and 107.5 on the ground. The Ravens feature the 21st-ranked unit in total defense (372.0 yards/game). They are No. 28 in passing defense (302.0 yards/game), which at times, was their Achilles heel a year ago. Baltimore remains stingy against the run at No. 4 in rushing defense (70.0 yards/game).

Joe Flacco is completing just 52.5 percent of his passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns to two interceptions. Ray Rice has been solid on the ground, rushing 32 times for 150 yards and a score. He also has nine receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns, carrying the load offensively for this team. Anquan Boldin has a team-high seven receptions for 120 yards and a score.

St. Louis

The Rams were a preseason favorite to win the NFC West, but they’ve been dealt a brutal schedule in the early going. St. Louis has started 0-2 for a fifth straight season, and it’ll be looking to avoid three straight losses to open a season for the fourth time in five years. The Rams fell 13-31 to the Eagles in their opener, while suffering a slew of injuries in the process. Mental mistakes and key turnovers cost St. Louis last week in a 16-28 loss to the New York Giants. They had a muffed punt and a fumble that directly resulted in 14 points for the Giants.

St. Louis had no problem moving the ball against the Giants, finishing with 367 total yards, including a career-high 331 passing from Sam Bradford. They could not convert that ball movement into points, though, as three times they were stalled inside the Giants’ 10-yard line. They would settle for short field goals on all three possessions. The Rams rank 18th in total offense (351.0 yards/game) and 19th in total defense (363.0 yards/game).

Steven Jackson sat out last week against the Giants with a quad injury, and his status for Sunday’s game is uncertain. Cadillac Williams was held to 36 yards on 13 carries in his place. If they can’t run the ball, they will trust in Bradford to move the ball through the air. That could be a lot easier considering cornerbacks Chris Carr and Jimmy Smith missed last week’s game for Baltimore. Carr is questionable for this game, while Smith is almost certainly out again. Bradford is completing 51.3 percent of his passes for 519 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Denario Alexander has three catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Brandon Gibson has seven grabs for 102 yards.

Betting Trends

The Ravens are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games as a road favorite of 3.5-10.0. Baltimore is 14-6 ATS in their last 20 games vs. a team with a losing record, and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss.

The Rams have been a profitable 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss. They remain slow starters, though, going 15-35-3 ATS in their last 53 games during the month of September. The Rams are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog of 3.5-10.0.

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