NFL Preseason Betting Odds Rams vs. Patriots Football Lines
It would be harder to find a bigger gulf, in terms of success, between two franchises over the past decade than the St Louis Rams and the New England Patriots and when these two teams square off in their third betting NFL preseason matchup on Thursday it doesn’t take a sports betting genius to know which team will be favored.
If this were a real game and the teams starters played all four quarters fans would expect the Pats to clobber the nearly hapless Rams into embarrassing submission. But that’s the beauty of the preseason, the starters only play a series or two and then the free agents and draft picks beat each other’s brains in, trying to impress coaches and earn a spot on the opening day roster.
But since this is the third game of the NFL betting lines preseason we can probably expect the starters to play at least a quarter, probably more in the case of the Rams. With a roster full of young players and the final starting rotation far from set this team needs to take a good long look at its top players.
The Pats starters on the other hand, at least the aging veterans on the offensive side of the ball (Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Fred Taylor, etc) may in fact, see only a few snaps, a series or two, or no time at all. These players have all proven themselves and its unlikely Bill Bilichek, the sweat shirted genius would risk injury. And you never really know what he’s going to do.
One thing that has been determined however is that the Rams’ #1 overall draft pick, QB Sam Bradford, looks like he’ll be the starter for this game and probably the season opener as veteran AJ Feeley is injured and unlikely to be ready by opening day.
Bradford is hardly ready to start in the NFL football based on the very limited action he’s seen so far in the preseason but everybody’s got to learn sometime, and with a lack of viable QB options it appears Bradford’s time has come sooner rather than later. He’s fortunate that he has a workhorse running back in Steven Jackson; unlucky in the fact that his O-line is horrible at pass blocking.
Regardless of whether the first or second unit plays the majority of the game for the Pats they are still likely to win this matchup.
Kickoff for this Thursday matchup is set for 7:35 Eastern Time and sbg global opened with the Pats as a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under total at 37.5.
