Redskins Rams Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams are set to collide for a fourth straight season when they meet up Sunday in Week 4. The Rams have opened the season 0-3 and are drawing a lot of criticism for their poor start, while the Redskins are 2-1 and tied atop the NFC East standings. St. Louis got the best of Washington last year, winning 30-16 at home. In fact, they have won three of the past four meetings, with the Redskins’ lone win coming at home in 2009 by a final of 9-7.

Odds makers give the road team a slight edge in this one, listing Washington as a 2-point favorite with a total set of 43.5 points.

Washington

The Redskins opened their 2011 campaign with a convincing 28-14 home victory over the depleted New York Giants. They would stay at home in Week 2 for a showdown with the Arizona Cardinals, prevailing 22-21 while erasing an 8-point deficit over the final six minutes. Washington had plenty of chances to beat Dallas last week, but fell 18-16 after blowing a 16-9 second-half lead. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was criticized for his all-out blitz on third-and-21 that left Dez Bryant open for a 30-yard reception, setting up the Cowboys’ game-winning field goal.

Cornerback DeAngelo Hall was among his biggest critics. “Sooner or later, someone’s going to (expletive) figure it out,” Hall said. “You don’t have to be a (expletive) rocket scientist to figure it out after a while.” Hall has met with Haslett and head coach Mike Shanahan to hash out their differences, and they are now moving on to the Rams. Haslett was the Rams’ interim coach for the final 12 games in 2008, so he knows this team very well.

Rex Grossman has played pretty well thus far for Washington, completing 59.6 percent of his passes for 846 yards and five touchdowns to three interceptions. Tim Hightower has carried the load on the ground, rushing for 209 yards and a touchdown. Santana Moss has a team-high 16 receptions for 207 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Fred Davis has emerged with 12 grabs for 214 yards and a score. Washington has been steady on both sides of the ball, ranking 15th in total offense (361.7 yards/game) and 16th in total defense (337.7 yards/game).

St. Louis

Many predicted that the Rams would win the NFC West this season after emerging on the scene with a 7-9 record a year ago. This is a young team with a lot of promise, but they have been bitten hard by injuries through the first three weeks and they just can’t seem to get on track. It hasn’t helped that they have opened with a brutal schedule, losing 13-31 to the Philadelphia Eagles, 16-28 to the New York Giants, and 7-37 to the Baltimore Ravens. The Rams have the second-worst point differential in the league, getting outscored by 60 points through three games.

Sam Bradford won NFC offensive rookie of the year last season, but he has not had nearly the kind of success most people expected in his sophomore campaign. Bradford has already been sacked 11 times, and he’s completing just 50.9 percent of his passes for 685 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. He could get some help this week as Danny Amendola may return after missing the last two games with a dislocated left elbow. Also, Steven Jackson returned from a right quadriceps injury last week, but he clearly wasn’t 100 percent. He’ll come into this game much healthier and the Rams will look to get their running game going.

Brandon Gibson leads all receivers with 12 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown. Denario Alexander has been a big-play threat, catching five balls for 150 yards (30.0/reception) and a score. The Rams’ offense ranks 21st in total offense (315.3 yards/game) and really needs to get on track this week. Their defense has been even worse, ranking 31st in the NFL and last in the NFC in total defense (426.3 yards/game). Hightower has a chance for a big day on the ground as St. Louis is 32nd against the run (174.3 yards/game).

Betting Trends

The underdog is 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings, and the road team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings as well. Washington is 0-4 ATS in their last 4 meetings with St. Louis.

The Redskins have gone 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games dating back to last season with Grossman at the helm. Washington tends to let down against bottom-tier teams, going 6-19-3 ATS in their last 28 vs. a team with a losing record. The Redskins are 1-8-1 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite as well.

The Rams are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog of 0.5-3.0, but that’s about the only trend they have working in their favor. St. Louis is 9-20 ATS in their last 29 vs. a team with a winning record, and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a home underdog of 3.0 or less.

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