St. Louis Rams (0-3) 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U at San Francisco 49ers (2-1) 3-0 ATS, 1-2 O/U Sunday October 4, 2009 4:15 p.m. EST Monster Park, San Francisco, California
By Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: St. Louis +9.5/ San Francisco -9.5
Over/Under: 37.5
The San Francisco 49ers were just a play or two away from being 3-0 last week as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24. Brett Favre capped off his 40th come-from-behind win as he hit Greg Lewis in the back of the end zone with just 2 seconds left on the clock.
The 49ers played without running back Frank Gore who exited the game after one carry as he injured his right ankle. Glenn Coffee will replace Gore for the next two weeks. Coffee came in to the game and carried the ball 25 times for 54 yards; not the greatest numbers but hey, hes not used to seeing that much action.
San Fran QB Shaun Hill was 15 of 25 for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hill also had one interception. Wide receiver Vernon Davis had 7 catches for 96 yards and 2 TDs in the loss.
Niners head coach Mike Singletary was having no part in his team feeling sorry for themselves as he told his team they would get better, and not to hang their heads, but hold them up. They will look forward to hosting the winless Rams at Monster Park. Singletary knows old school toughness and he will have his guys vowing to redeem their loss by taking it out on the Rams.
The Rams are searching for their first win on the season but that could prove to be a difficult task at San Francisco. St. Louis starting QB Marc Bulger left last weeks game versusu Green Bay in the first quarter with an injured right shoulder. Bulger was sacked by Aaron Kampman and never returned to the field. The Packers beat the Rams 36-17 in St. Louis.
Kyle Boller replaced Bulger and threw for 164 yards on 16 of 31 passing and 2 touchdowns. Boler did have one interception but for the most part he performed well considering the situation. Running back Steven Jackson carried the pigskin 27 times for 117 yards, and he also had 5 catches for 46 yards receving.
The Rams offensive line is struggling to protect everybody at the moment. Even with the poor play and injuries the Rams got within 6 points in the third quarter but they couldnt get over the hump. The Rams retired the jersey No. 75 of the old Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Deacon Jones before the game. They could used Mr. Jones right about now. St. Louis is in dire need of a win or their chances of making a run at anything will slip farther away.
Betting odds opened at San Francisco -9.5 with the total at 38. Most offshore casinos are holding steady with the opening line but you will find -10 and -10.5 as well. The total has settled at 37.5 and some at 37.
San Fran is 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games in October, and they are 6-2 ATS overall in their last 8 at San Francisco. The under is 6-2-1 in St. Louiss last 9 games as the dog.
Head to head, the Rams are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 meetings. The under is 7-2 in their last 9 get togethers.
The QB matchup is in favor of the 49ers Shaun Hill as he has 63.41 percent completion rate compared to Bulger and Bollers 51 percent. Hill has a current QB rating of 89.9 to Bulgers 70 and Bollers 75.
The 49ers have won the last two meetings. San Fran beat the Rams last year 17-16 in St. Louis.
Steven Jackson would like to get more touches as he is coming off his first 100-yard game on the season but he understands the process of balance. St. Louis is definitely in the rebuilding stages but they could do without the injuries especially within the O-line. Another issue for the Rams as they try to knock off the Niners on the road is their inability to keep the other teams offense off of the field. The Rams are averaging 71 plays (39 runs) per game to the opponents 115 (67 runs), and youre talking a huge difference when the other team basically has 46 more shots on goal!
Wilsons Pick: Rams are getting better but they will wear down by the fourth quarter. San Francisco 24, St. Louis 13. Luck to ya.
