Last year the St Louis Rams struggled again as they went just 6-10 on the year, finishing in last place in the NFC West. This year they are an improved team and Vegas agrees as their Win Total has been set at 8.5 with juice to the Under (-150). Vegas odds have the Rams listed at +900 to win the NFC West, +2500 to win the NFC Title and +5000 to win the Super Bowl. A season preview of the Rams along with their 2015 Schedule are below.
Last year the St Louis offense ranked 21st in scoring, at 20.2 ppg, while also ranking 28th in total yards (314.7 ypg), 23rd in passing (212.5 ypg) and 20th in rushing (102.2 ypg). The offense for the rams was not good last year, but they feel they have made the right moves to upgrade it this year. It starts at QB, where they traded for Nick Foles and dumped Sam Bradford. Foles looks like he was built to run this system, as he can run a ball control offense and he just doesn't make mistakes as 2013 showed when he threw 27 TDs to just 2 INTs. Last year a big issue for this offense was their line, but they have upgraded that unit by taking 4 linemen in their first 7 picks of the draft. Greg Robinson is back after being last year's first round pick and he will be playing along side Rodger Salford, who was the Rams best OL last year. The Center spot lacks depth, but the rest of the line is improved and does have depth with the drafting of 4 OL. This line will be opening holes for Tre Mason, but that's only until 1st round pick Todd Gurley is ready to go. Zac Stacy gives this group solid depth. The receiving corps is not great, but it does have some talent, including Tavon Austin, who is a legit deep threat and Kenny Britt who led the team in receiving yards with 748 last year. Jared Cook added 634 yards at TE and the Rams have added 6th round pick Bud Sasser for depth.
Defensively the Rams ranked 17th in points allowed (22.1 ppg), 17th in yards allowed (351.6 ypg), 19th vs the pass (241.3 ypg) and 14th vs the run (110.3 ypg). The offense is improved, but the Rams will win their games this year because of a defense that has the best front 7 in the league. The defensive line is loaded and when i say loaded, I meant it. ith the addition of Nick Fairley through free agency, this group now had 5 former first round picks. Aaron Donald had 9 sacks last year to ;lead all rookies and as the season progressed he became very good run stopper. Robert Quinn had 0 sacks in the first 5 games last year, but then he took off and finished with 10.5 for the season. Williams Hayes and Eugene Sims combined for 7 sacks as backups, while the Rams should be getting back a healthy Chris Long, who missed 10 games last year due to injury. The LB corps looks very solid as well and is led by former first pick Alec Ogletree, who has an endless motor and has led the team in tackles two years in a row. James Laurinaitis gets everyone in place on this defense and matched his career high in sacks last year with 3.5, while free agent pick up Robert Ayers (Patriots) will man the other LB spot. Ayers is a good pass rusher, which goes along with much of the rest of this defense. The secondary was not great last year, but it is improved this year as some young players have a year under their belts, but depth is an issue for this group.
This is a team that could be very dangerous this year. The offense is improved with the addition of Foles and Gurley, plus their OL has been upgraded. They have some talent at WR, but it is not a great unit overall. The Rams will look to ground and pound this year on offense and they have Foles, who can run the kind of ball control offense that they are looking for. The Rams may not have to score a ton to win games as they will have one of the best defenses in the league backing them up. The DL is scary good while the LB is not far behind. The weak spot is the secondary, especially with depth, but it is still a solid group. This is not a team that will win many shootouts this year. They will work the clock on offense and rely on their defense to do the rest. Still their offense is improved enough for them to win at least 9 games this year and break that streak on non-winning seasons that they are currently on. This is a team to watch this year.
Info Gathered From Pro Football Weekly & Athlon Sports
2015 St Louis Rams Schedule
Sept. 13 Seattle Seahawks, 1
Sept. 20 at Washington Redskins, 1
Sept. 27 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1
Oct. 4 at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25
Oct. 11 at Green Bay Packers, 1
Oct. 18 BYE
Oct. 25 Cleveland Browns, 1
Nov. 1 San Francisco 49ers, 1
Nov. 8 at Minnesota Vikings, 1
Nov. 15 Chicago Bears, 1
Nov. 22 at Baltimore Ravens, 1
Nov. 29 at Cincinnati Bengals, 1
Dec. 6 Arizona Cardinals, 1
Dec. 13 Detroit Lions, 1
Dec. 17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Thu), 8:25
Dec. 27 at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25
Jan. 3 at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25
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St. Louis Rams: 2015 NFL Free Picks & Betting Odds
They’ve lost 11 years running, so pro bettors Steve Fezzik and Teddy Covers are more than willing to predict another losing season is on the horizon for the St Louis Rams. A lackluster QB in Nick Foles, no real playmakers, and an out of touch coach in Jeff Fisher means this team is ready for more of the same in the 2015-2016 NFL season.