NFL Week 8 Picks: New Orleans Saints vs. St. Louis Rams

New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Sunday, 10/30/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: New Orleans -13
Current Betting Line: New Orleans -13.5
Opening Total: 47.5
Current Total: 48
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Cowboys Saints NFL Preview — The New Orleans Saints scored more points last week than the St. Louis Rams have scored this season

New Orleans is coming off a 62-7 blowout victory over the Indianapolis Colts as 14-point home favorites last week and will now look to improve its record to 6-2. The Saints went out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back, rolling up 557 yards of total offense and setting a club record with 36 first downs. “We played with a lot of confidence,” commented quarterback Drew Brees. “We needed a win like this, especially after the past week and everything we’ve gone through.” He connected on 31-of-35 passes for 325 yards with five touchdowns. New Orleans is 3-6 ATS as a favorite of 10 or more points and the ‘over’ is 6-3 in those contests.

The Saints have captured the last two meetings in this series, coming away with a 31-13 win as 9.5-point home favorites last year. New Orleans is gaining confidence in its ground attack to compliment its aerial assault, rushing for 236 yards versus Indianapolis, which was the most in a game for the franchise since 2006. Rookie Mark Ingram led all rushers with 91 yards on 14 carries.

St. Louis is 0-6 on the year and the offense is averaging just 9.3 points per game, while allowing 28.5 a contest. The Rams are now going against a team that scored more points last week than they’ve scored all season. In the team’s defense, the schedule has been incredibly daunting, facing opponents that have a combined 28-16 record thus far in 2011. After this game, the Rams will be dropping in class a bit and facing teams that are currently 14-22 through seven weeks of action. St. Louis is 0-6 ATS on the season and 2-5 ATS as underdogs of 10 or more points the last two-plus seasons.

The Rams will once again have backup A.J. Feeley directing the offense due to second-year starting quarterback Sam Bradford still dealing with a high ankle sprain. St. Louis will likely rely on running back Steven Jackson to move the chains, rushing for 400 yards and four touchdowns in four career games versus the Saints. On the defensive end, the team just allowed Dallas rookie DeMarco Murray to run wild in his first career start, setting a Cowboys franchise-record with 253 yards. It’s certainly a mismatch on paper.