The St. Louis Rams have lost their starting quarterback for the season, so they have taken a different road to respectability. They hope to continue traveling on that road on Sunday as they face off against the Chicago Bears in NFL betting action that kicks off at 1 PM ET at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
The Rams are among a group of team that still have some wild card hopes. They are 4-6 straight-up and against the football pointspread and are coming off their best effort of the season as they destroyed Indianapolis 38-8. The Bears are 6-4 straight-up and share the NFC North lead with the Detroit Lions. Chicago has not been a strong performer against the NFL odds, as they are just 2-6-2 in that respect.
In the pro football betting lines that have been posted on this game at BetAnySports, the Rams are the slight favorites:
Pro Football Wagering Lines courtesy of BetAnySports USA Internet Sportsbook
St. Louis Rams -2
Chicago Bears +2
Over 45.5 Points -110
Under 45.5 Points -110
Chicago, like Detroit, has taken advantage of the fact that the Green Bay Packers lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but the Bears have had to navigate their way around QB injuries of their own. However, they were probably more prepared than Green Bay. when jay Cutler went down, coach Marc Trestman went with a guy he really trusted in the offense. It was Josh McCown, who may not be the most physically gifted backup quarterback, but is very intelligent on the field. McCown has impressed many NFL bettors with his poise, and he has done one thing coaches always ask of quarterbacks, in that he has kept the football out of enemy hands. In fact, he has had 101 attempts without an interception, and you can’t get much better than that. The fact that his average yards per attempt of 7.5 is higher than Cutler’s doesn’t hurt either.
The Rams are forced to go with their backup quarterback too, and he is also a veteran. Kellen Clemens may not be passing his test with such flying colors as McCown, but he managed to connect with Tavon Austin for three touchdowns against Indianapolis, and that was something Sam Bradford somehow had trouble doing. But the thing about St. Louis that has probably grabbed BetAnySports customers the most is the play of running back Zac Stacy, who has become a rookie of the year candidate with the way he has literally created a ground attack for the Rams. Stacy has 537 yards on the season, which was somewhat unexpected form someone who was drafted in the fifth round out of Vanderbilt.
Stacy’s presence has to be a concern for the Bears, because they haven’t been able to slow down too many people on the ground. Ray Rice of Baltimore had 131 yards against them last week, after rushing for 126 yards in the previous four game combined. On the season, Chicago has surrendered 4.5 yards per carry. And there are injuries to deal with on defense. No one should take Jeff Fisher’s team for granted.
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