One team will get its first win of the preseason when the St. Louis Rams play their first home game, hosting the Colts on Saturday. The Rams first-team offense has been outscored by their opponent’s defense while on the field and will look for some consistency against the Colts, who have surrendered 59 points in two games.
ODDS
St. Louis plays its first home game of the preseason and opened as a 2-point favorite. Both teams have struggled to score but with starters expected to play, the total of 42.5 should be within reach.
QUARTERBACK ROTATION
Andrew Luck and the Colts’ first-team offense has been good in its brief appearances this preseason. Luck will get first half action before turning the game over to backup Matt Hasselbeck, who’s been inconsistent and could use some extra work. If all goes according to plan, Hasselbeck won’t be needed in crunch time during the regular season, so snaps now are important. Third-stringer Bryan Bennett could see some action depending on Hasselbeck’s performance, but he’s the likely candidate to get a heavy workload in Week 4.
The Rams starting offense has plenty to figure after two uninspiring preseason games. The group has managed just three points, 113 yards and five first downs on six possessions. Nick Foles is likely to get a longer look against the Colts as the group looks for anything positive to take away from a game. Foles has completed just 6 of 12 attempts this preseason while things have been kept fairly simple for the group. Backup Case Keenum will get some second half reps with Austin Davis and Sean Mannion waiting to split time next week.
COACHES' MOTIVATION
Coming off a preseason opening loss at Philadelphia, Colts coach Chuck Pagano knew that there were several areas in which he wanted to learn more about his team. He learned more and he wasn’t happy with what he saw against the Bears last week. Shoring up the tackling was a big emphasis in practice this week after several failed attempts in the second half against Chicago. “It’s not because of a lack of effort,” Pagano said. Kick coverage has been another concern this preseason. Indy gave up a punt return for a touchdown against the Eagles and was inconsistent against the Bears as well. The Colts are looking for some special teams aces to fill the void of a few players who didn’t return. “We’ll continue to try and develop some roles, find guys that can play those spots for us,” Pagano said.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“If you go back a year from now, or two years from now, or three years from now, you guys all asked me the same questions, ‘What’s up with your offense?’ We keep it basic. Our philosophy is to just play and work on fundamentals during the preseason.” – Rams coach Jeff Fisher
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
The three-way battle for the Rams center spot is ongoing, and this will be an opportunity for one of Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Demetrius Rhaney to emerge as a front runner. Jones, a fourth-round pick in 2013, is finally recovered from injuries that limited his playing time the last two seasons. Barnes is the veteran of the group and started the preseason opener before sitting last week with a leg injury. Rhaney got the start last week and is coming back from a knee injury that wiped out his 2014 season. “It’s going to be a good race,” Fisher said. Close race, yes. Good race? We’ll have to see about that.
INJURIES
Colts first-round pick receiver Phillip Dorsett left last week’s game with a bruised knee and was limited in practice. His availability is unknown. Cornerbacks Greg Toler, with a neck injury, and Eric Patterson, with a concussion, are also questionable.
Though they lost the game, the Rams came away winners from last week’s game on the injury front. No player in the trainer’s room postgame was a welcome sight for coach Fisher. The Rams are still without running back Todd Gurley, who continues to mend from ACL surgery and won’t play during the preseason.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
If anything this should be a close game. Both teams are better than what they’ve shown and one of them will come away with their first win of the preseason. The Rams defensive front could make life miserable for Indy’s quarterbacks going against an offensive line that has plenty of holes. The Rams have shown the ability to do absolutely nothing on offense, and no matter how good your D is, if you can’t score you’re not going to win. The Rams will move the ball and feel better about themselves, but Indy has the depth to get the win.
Indianapolis 23, St. Louis 20
The NFL odds for this Saturday game were first available at BookMaker sportsbook. The Rams were pegged as 2-point chalk while the total opened at 42.5. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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