Indianapolis Colts (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Rams (0-0 SU, 0-0 ATS)
NFL Week 1
Date/Time: Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 4:05 PM EST
Where: Los Angeles Coliseum
TV: CBS
by Jerbeek, Expert Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: Ind +4/LAR -4
Over/Under Total: 41
The Los Angeles Rams will kick off the Sean McVay era on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. McVay was hired after the Rams stumbled to a 4-12 season in 2016. The Colts are led by head coach Chuck Pagano who is in is 6th year of leading the Colts. The Colts will try to get back on track after to back to back 8-8 seasons.
Indianapolis will be short handed for this game as they will be without their star QB Andrew Luck who has not recovered from an offseason shoulder issue. The Colts will start Scott Tolzien at QB who has limited experience filling in for Luck. The Colts will also be without starting C Ryan Kelly and CB Vontae Davis.
Los Angeles will begin the 2017 with Jared Goff at QB who is in his 2nd year after being drafted with the 1st pick in the 2016 draft. Goff started 7 games last season and the Rams were 0-7 straight up and 0-7 against the spread. The Rams added Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills in the preseason to beef up the receiving corps. The running game is led by Todd Gurley who had a good rookie year in 2015 but struggled last year like the rest of the team.
The Rams are in unfamiliar territory being listed as the favorite. They have only been favored 11 times in the past 3 seasons and they are 4-7 ATS in those games. The Colts have fared well as small dog in the past 3 years going 5-1 ATS in games where they are an underdog of 3-7 points.
The Colts have been truly a coin flip team in the past 2 years as their record is 16-16 straight up and 16-16 ATS. The Rams are 11-21 straight up the past 2 years and they are 11-18 ATS with 3 pushes.
The Rams have had 13 consecutive seasons so to say that they are not used to winning is an understatement. The biggest issue for the Rams has been their offense which is why they brought in an offensive minded head coach. The problem is that their number pick with Goff has not looked promising and reports are not looking good for his future progression. While they have added some pieces on offense I still project them to be a struggling team that has a hard time scoring.
The Colts have had a strong winning tradition that has been side tracked the past few years with injuries to Andrew Luck. They will try to stay the course until he gets back but his return is still in question so they will need to rely on everyone to pick up the slack. The Colts have some talented offensive players with Hilton and Gore and a great kicker with Vinateri.
Jerbeeks Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I will take the 4 points in this game as I just cant lay points with a team that is not used to winning and a QB that has not proven to be a NFL caliber QB. I think the Colts will win the game 21-17 so I will happily accepted the points and play on the underdog. Bet your Colts/Rams pick using your credit card at an online bookie where it WILL work for deposits and where you’ll receive a generous 100% signup bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $250! (Example: Deposit $250 and they’ll give you an extra $250 FREE!) Find this great offer at Bovada Sportsbook.
