NFL picks: Improvement on defense is a must for the Green Bay Packers as they have not had a decent unit to compliment the Aaron Rodgers powered offense since their 2010 Super Bowl championship. The St. Louis Rams need improvement on offense as their unit has been anemic and has suffered from a lack of depth which came to light due to key injuries, especially last year when QB Sam Bradford went down. Bradford and Rams head coach Jeff Fisher are facing a fan base that is out of patience and demanding results. The St. Louis Rams will host the Green Bay Packers on Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome with coverage on NFL Network starting at 4 PM ET. The Rams opened at BetDSI as a 3 point favorite with a total of 41.
Penalty Prone Pack
The Packers are coming off a 20-16 loss at the Tennessee Titans last week as 2.5 point dogs as the game snuck under the total of 37.5. It was a sloppy preseason opener for the Packers as they committed six penalties for 62 yards. Rodgers sat out the game as Scott Tolzien and Matt Flynn saw the majority of action. Tolzien was 8/12 passing good for 124 yards while Flynn went 5/10 for 49 yards. Green Bay worked heavily on its rushing attack as they totaled 35 rushed good for 146 yards. The defense was not dominant as the Packers allowed 162 yards passing and were unable to stop the Titans in three red zone opportunities.
Shootout in St. Louis
The Rams are coming off a preseason opening shootout last week as they lost a 26-24 decision at home against the New Orleans Saints as two point dogs with the game soaring over the total of 37.5. Bradford took the game off as Austin Davis was 10/16 for 134 yards at a TD. The Rams ran for 32 carries and 150 yards. The St. Louis defense allowed 252 yards passing.
Our Pick
The Packers are 22-11 over the total in preseason games under head coach Mike McCarthy. Both the Rams and the Packers continue to struggle on defense and we expect a good amount of points in this one and will call for the game to go over the total!
