Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5) at St. Louis Rams, Total 44 |
The Philadelphia Eagles had their 2010 season end at the hands of eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and will not begin a highly-anticipated 2011 campaign with plenty of fresh faces.
“Our expectations are to win a championship and I’d be lying if I told you anything else,” commented Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. “It’s all about the team and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
The former Atlanta Falcons star appeared in 12 games last season in Philadelphia, setting career highs for passing yards and touchdowns. He was also explosive on the ground, rushing for 389 yards and nine scores.
Philadelphia captured a 38-3 blowout win over the St. Louis Rams at Lincoln Financial Field in the last meeting in the series on Sept. 7, 2008, covering the 9.5-point spread with ease while falling under the 43.5-point total.
The Eagles finished that contest with a 522-166 yardage advantage, but will be playing an entirely different team this go around.
football betting players will be interested in knowing that Philadelphia is 28-12 ATS against NFC West division opponents, while the ‘over’ is 23-19 in such games.
St. Louis begins its second year with quarterback Sam Bradford, as he was named the 2010 NFL Rookie of the Year, throwing for 3,512 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was the No. 1 pick of the 2010 draft out of Oklahoma.
He became one of only three rookies in league history to go over the 3,000-yard mark, and has a workhorse in the backfield behind him in running back Stephen Jackson.
Jackson is coming off his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season, which is the longest active streak in the league.
“We have potential to be a very good offense,” Bradford stated during the preseason. “I think it could turn into a special year.”
It’s still important to note that the offense ranked 31st in the league in 2010 by averaging just 3.68 yards per rush.
The offensive line will be busy trying to create holes in the running game, while also holding off the Eagles’ pass rush. Philadelphia led all teams during the preseason with 19 sacks, after finishing 10th a season ago.
It’s hard to ignore the Eagles’ 7-1-1 ATS mark in the last nine meetings, while the Rams are 1-9-1 ATS in Week 1.
