St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Sunday, December 5, 2010, 4:15 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Rams -3
Current Line: Rams -3.5
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 43.5
Money Line: Rams -185 / Cardinals -165
The St. Louis Rams (5-6) will try to win consecutive road games for the first time in over three years on Sunday when they visit the Arizona Cardinals (3-8) in a key NFC West matchup. The Rams (-3.5) find themselves in a tie for first place in the division with Seattle following an impressive 36-33 victory at Denver last week and hope to avenge a season-opening loss to the Cardinals.
Arizona won the first meeting 17-13 on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Anderson to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald with 6:13 remaining. Anderson completed 22 of 41 passes for 297 yards and that one touchdown with no interceptions, and it has been downhill for him for most of the season since then. He blew up at a reporter following Monday night’s 27-6 home loss to San Francisco after getting caught laughing on the sidelines toward the end of the game. He completed 16 of 35 passes for 196 yards against the 49ers with one interception.
The Cardinals have lost six straight games overall but have won the last eight meetings with the Rams, going 6-2 against the spread. The total has gone UNDER in the last five meetings. The last victory for St. Louis in the series came back in 2006, which is also the last time Arizona lost this many games in a row, dropping eight straight. Anderson is one of the primary reasons the team has struggled offensively, completing better than 57.7 percent of his passes and notching a passer rating of better than 85.1 only once all season.
Meanwhile, St. Louis rookie quarterback Sam Bradford has gradually improved since making his first NFL start against the Cardinals in Week 1. Bradford threw three picks in the first meeting but has just one in his last six games combined. He is coming off his best performance of the season and his young career against the Broncos, passing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating has been 84.7 or higher in the last six games, and he has completed 59.5 percent of his passes in four straight.
The Rams are 5-1 ATS in their last six games despite going 3-3 straight-up during that stretch with the OVER cashing in their past three. Two of those three losses have come on the road, where they are 4-1 ATS this season. They are 1-4 SU away from home this year, but three of the four losses have been decided by three points or less, enabling them to cover.
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