It's a non-conference clash today in London as the New England Patriots take on the St. Louis Rams. The game is scheduled for a 1:00 pm start time and it will be televised live on CBS. Currently the odds for the game have the Patriots favored by a touchdown.
New England has been up and down so far this season, not really grasping just how good they probably could be. Both teams are traveling to London to play in this game as the NFL is shamelessly trying to get a franchise started up in London. New England is just 4-3 on the season and has the same record against the spread as well. St. Louis has struggled a bit, falling to a 3-4 record overall but cashing in five of their seven games for bettors, holding a 5-2 mark against the spread.
New England does just about everything right offensively. They score points, the run the ball well and they eat up clock. The Patriots average 31 points per game this season, while rolling up more than 435 yards of offense per game. They've been balanced lately as well, ranking fifth in the NFL in passing at 287 yards per came and running for nearly 150. The Rams have been pretty vanilla so far on offense this season, scoring only 19 points per game and not really moving the ball vertically down field. They might be able to get that chance today as the Patriots sport one of the worst secondaries in football, allowing almost 300 yards passing per game. If you want to look at why the Patriots aren't the same team they were when they were winning Super Bowls, it's right there in the secondary.
The Patriots, do, however, sport a +11 mark in the turnover department, which is very impressive. This is a very strange game for bettors as the Patriots are laying a field goal on a neutral site, even though the Rams are considered the de facto home team in this one. It's the second trip for New England to London. They beat up on Tampa Bay 35-7 way back in 2009. New England has looked very pedestrian this season, falling to Seattle and having to go into overtime to beat the Jets last week.
St. Louis' defense is a whole lot better than it's been in the past. The Rams give up right around 294 yards of offense per game in their last five games overall and only around 324 for the entire season. They get after the quarterback and cause some problems up front with opposing teams. That defense is going to have to play superior in this game today.
New England had thrown for 400 yards in three straight games prior to being held to just 381 last week. They might not get to that number again this week, but they should be able to be efficient through the air. We're expecting a big game from the Patriots, who need a quality win on the road (albeit a neutral site) to begin to show some of that swagger they've inhibited over the years. The Pats have a bye next week, so a smashing over St. Louis might be in order and the right thing the Patriots are looking for. With that offense, we think they get it done.
Free Pick: New England 31, St. Louis 20
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