NFL Football
2009-09-20 - St Louis Rams at Washington Redskins
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Preview
Washington had a tough loss at the New York Giants last weekend in a NFC East Divisional matchup and cannot afford to drop into a 0-2 hole seeing as the other 3 sides all began 1-0. Washington showed some good defense last week with the differences between themselves and the Giants being turnovers.
The Redskins were 4-4 last season at home, but they do take part in a tough division which creates such records, especially seeing as this team finished 4th in the NFC East. The 'Skins were 7-5 against teams in the NFC.
Washington do not have a good record in matches against teams with losing records recently. They have gone 3-12-3 against the spread in their last 18 games against teams with losing records.
St Louis has a lot of things to do on their road to recovery, losing Torry Holt in the off season and being shut out in their 28-0 defeat in Seattle last week. That was also a Divisonal matchup for the Rams and 2 road games in a row is always tough.
The Rams finished with a 2-14 record last season which left them rooted to the bottom of the NFC West. They were also 1-7 on the road and 2-10 against their fellow NFC teams. However, it must be noted that their sole win came in Washington last season.
St Louis do not have a good time in recent history during week 2 of the season. They have a 1-7-1 record over the last 9 seasons against the spread during this week of the regular season. St Louis are also 2-6 against the spread in their last 8 matches against NFC teams.
Head to Head
As I mentioned earlier, St Louis met Washington here last season and came out a 19-17 winner.
St Louis have a good record against Washington, winning 3 of the last 4 meetings between the sides.
Prediction
Washington have home field advantage, but they will need to improve on the offensive side of things if they are to win games this season and become a real threat in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. This has to be considered a must win game if their ambitions go beyond week 17 of the season.
St Louis have a tough time in having to go across to the East coast in their 2nd road game in a row. After their blowout last weekend, I expect a much more committed performance from them, although it is traditionally tough playing back to back road games.
I am going to play Washington to win this match with a little bit of ease in the end. It took some time thinking about it as I believe the 'Skins are better than they looked last week, but they will need to improve on offence if they are to cover.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Washington Redskins 27-16 St Louis Rams
Gooner’s Statistical Value Bet
Take Washington Redskins -9.5 points
