NFL Preseason Week 3 Predictions: St. Louis Rams vs. Denver Broncos

St. Louis Rams vs. Denver Broncos
Saturday, 8/24/13, 8:00 PM EST, TV: CBS
Opening Point Spread: Denver -7
Current Betting Line: Denver -7
Opening Total: 43
Current Total: 43
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Denver Broncos will likely play their first-team players into the second half Saturday

St. Louis is 0-2 straight up and against the spread during the 2013 NFL preseason, which includes a 19-7 defeat to the Green Bay Packers as four-point home favorites a week ago, while going UNDER the betting total of 41. The Rams starters are expected to see their most action to date in this affair, with the spotlight being placed on four-year quarterback Sam Bradford, who has completed 65 percent of his passes and ranked up 258 yards on just 20 attempts. St. Louis is 5-0 ATS in its last five opportunities in Week 3 of its exhibition schedule, which is important to consider when making your pro football picks Saturday night.

The Rams have yet to decided on their No. 2 signal-caller behind Bradford, with Kellen Clemens and Austin Davis battling it out. Clemens completed just 2-of-11 passes for 27 yards against the Packers, while Davis was 7-of-19 for 114 yards and a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, St. Louis will try to get after Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, as the unit tallied 52 sacks a season ago.

Denver expects to have its first team play into the second half, which is something head coach John Fox will monitor closely. “This is the preseason,” commented Fox. “We’re trying to get ready for our regular season and yet still hone our skills to get ready for that.” The Broncos are expecting to continue platooning running backs Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball, which can’t be ignored when looking over the pro football odds page. If neither player emerges as a top option—Knowshon Moreno could enter back into the mix atop the depth chart.

The Broncos will continue preparing for life without linebacker Von Miller when the regular season starts, as he’ll miss the first six games due to a suspension over the league’s substance abuse policy. Denver will start the year without 29.5 of its 52 sacks from a season ago, with former linebacker Elvis Dumervil landing with the Baltimore Ravens.