The St. Louis Rams pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season last week when they beat the Arizona Cardinals. Clearly though, they are still looking upon as second-class citizens in the NFC, knowing that they are double-digit favorites against the Green Bay Packers. There's no better way to declare themselves as legitimate title contenders than going on the road to the Frozen Tundra and taking care of business against the unbeaten Packers, a chance they'll have on Sunday afternoon.
WHEN THE GREEN BAY PACKERS HAVE THE BALL
Aaron Rodgers is impossible to rattle. The argument could be made that he has been the league's MVP through four games, throwing for 995 yards with 11 TDs and no interceptions. He's doing this without Jordy Nelson and with Randall Cobb still clearly banged up with an arm issue.
Eddie Lacy has been providing excellent balance to this attack on the ground, and when he isn't out there, James Starks has been a suitable replacement.
The one weakness we see out of this unit is along the offensive line. Rodgers doesn't get sacked all that often, but he gets himself out of trouble quite a bit with his legs. The Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the league, one which gave tremendous fits to the Cardinals last week.
We're not suggesting that this is going to be a bad game for Rodgers, but we have a hunch that his streak of throws without a pick at home might be at least tested on Sunday. St. Louis' secondary is stout with Janoris Jenkins leading the way, and Aaron Donald and that defensive line get home and put pressure on Rodgers, there could be some issues. Live bettors noticed last week that Rodgers wasn't particularly sharp against the 49ers on the road. This is an even bigger challenge even though it is coming at home.
WHEN THE ST. LOUIS RAMS HAVE THE BALL
Welcome to the NFL, Todd Gurley. Gurley was bottled up for three quarters against Arizona last week, but he rumbled for over 100 yards in the fourth quarter alone and is now one of the hottest commodities in fantasy football after that performance.
He's a great commodity for live bettors, too. Jeff Fisher made it known by the moves the Rams made in the NFL Draft and in the offseason that they were going to become a more physical ball club, and Gurley was a big part of all of that.
Now all of a sudden, there's a little less pressure on Nick Foles to work the ball down the field, and guys like Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin are starting to make big time plays.
The Packers played an awesome defensive game last week against San Francisco, but let's be realistic here. Every defense has looked good against Colin Kaepernick.
Live bettors should be a little worried about laying points in this game. The Rams have proven to have explosive capabilities in them, and we would definitely be terrified if we had the hosts if Gurley got going, even just a little bit. A couple seams, and he could be off to the races.
TREND TO TRACK
Last week's win over Arizona marked the third time in its last 12 games which the Rams have pulled off an SU upset as a seven-point underdog or greater. St. Louis is 4-2 ATS in its last six games as a double-digit underdog.
Of course, beating the Packers here at home is virtually impossible to do. Rodgers and the gang are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall, including running off 11 straight wins on this field overall.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Sunday game at -10.5 in favor of the Green Bay Packers. The NFL odds total surfaced at 47.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams is scheduled for Sunday, October 11, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field. The game will be broadcast on FOX.
