Kansas City Chiefs at St. Louis Rams, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO
Sunday, December 19, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Rams -2
Current Line: Rams -3
Opening Total: 43.5
Current Total: 42.5
Money Line: Rams -145 / Chiefs +125
The Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) and St. Louis Rams (6-7) are both fighting for playoff berths and need to keep winning down the stretch if they are going to make it into the postseason. That makes Sunday’s tilt even more important for the Rams (-2.5), who have no chance to get into the playoffs without winning the division and play divisional opponents in the last two weeks.
At least St. Louis knows starting quarterback Sam Bradford will be under center, which is more than the Chiefs can say about their situation. Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel is still recovering from an appendectomy and could miss his second straight game at the worst possible time. AFC West rival San Diego has won two straight and would tie the Chiefs atop the division with a win by the Rams.
Cassel’s replacement Brodie Croyle fell to 0-10 as an NFL starter last week when the Chargers beat Kansas City 31-0. Croyle completed just 7 of 17 passes for 40 yards and the team’s total offense (67 yards) was the lowest since 1963. If he does in fact start, running backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones must find a way to get back on track. Charles and Jones lead the league’s top running game at 165.4 yards per game but were held to a combined 41 yards last week.
The Rams have surrendered an average of 123.5 yards per game on the ground in the last four games but could stack the line because they know Croyle’s limitations. Last week in a 31-13 loss at New Orleans, St. Louis held the three-headed monster of Chris Ivory, Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas to 125 yards on 28 carries combined while Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw for 221 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bradford has struggled the last couple weeks after totaling more touchdowns than interceptions in six consecutive games. The rookie has thrown three picks with no touchdowns in splitting road games at Arizona and New Orleans and will be playing back at home for the first time since Week 11. He has a passer rating of 80.5 with nine touchdowns and six interceptions in six games at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams are 4-2 straight-up and against the spread at home this year.
The Chiefs have won the last four meetings with St. Louis both SU and ATS with the OVER going 3-0-1 in those games.
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