Eagles Need to Fly Against Land-Loving Rams
By Charles Jay
In the NFL betting lines that have been established in this game at Vietbet, Philadelphia is laying almost a touchdown:
Philadelphia Eagles -6.5, St. Louis Rams +6.5
Over 47.5 Points -110, Under 47.5 Points -110
Talk about having your wings clipped – the Philadelphia Eagles and their fast-paced offense were brought to a virtual crawl last week as they visited San Francisco. Now they have to answer some questions, particularly on the offensive line, as they play host to the St. Louis Rams in NFL betting action that is scheduled to get underway at 1 PM ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was difficult all the way for Chip Kelly and his patented no-huddle offense last week, as they were held to just 213 yards by the 49ers. Unbelievably, Philadelphia held a 21-10 lead at one point, on the strength of a blocked punt for a touchdown, a punt return that was brought back all the way, and a pick-six. But there were no points on offense, and when this team was able to put together a drive in the waning moments, they failed on a couple of tries from the one-yard line. The result was a 26-21 defeat. Up until that last-ditch effort, Philadelphia only had FIVE first downs in the game. That is completely out of character for this team.
The Rams had last week off, and emotionally speaking, they probably needed it, after they went through a collapse against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. They had a 21-0 lead and blew it, letting the Cowboys come all the way back and snare a 34-31 victory.
Injury problems on the offensive line are so critical, and Philadelphia simply has not had an OL that has been healthy thus far. Against the 49ers they only had one offensive lineman who was starting at his natural position. This week they have three, so that is something encouraging. Left tackle Jason Peters has been hurting, but he has been in the lineup, and he is critical to protecting Nick Foles. It has been a different story for Foles this year, as he has completed only 58% of his passes. And he has thrown four interceptions already, a far cry from last year’s performance where he had 27 touchdown passes and only two picks.
Vietbet customers know that the Rams have only one quarterback sack this season, but they are always going to be a threat as long as they have defensive end Robert Quinn in the lineup. It does indeed hurt that Chris Long will be out for at least another month after having surgery on his foot, but one must imagine that Quinn, who was second in the NFL last year with 19 sacks, and has gone without one to date, is due.
NFL bettors have been somewhat impressed by the way the Rams have improvised at the quarterback position. Of course, Sam Bradford was lost for the remainder of the year when he suffered a knee injury in the pre-season. Then Shaun Hill, the veteran backup, got banged up in the opening game against Minnesota. Third-string quarterback Austin Davis has filled in nicely, completing 72% of his passes and averaging a robust eight yards per attempt. Still, coach Jeff Fisher set out at the beginning of the season to let the running game carry more of a load, and that is what the Rams have to accomplish. Zac Stacy only has 181 yards, but he and his backfield mates have to improve upon that in order to control the football and keep the Eagles off the field.
Meanwhile, Vietbet customers have noticed that the offensive line problems in Philadelphia have contributed to an incredibly disappointing start for LaSean McCoy, who led the NFL in rushing last season but is averaging only 2.7 yards and attempt this year. Maybe with the interior line getting solidified just a little, will see more life out of McCoy. Certainly you can’t write off the Eagles, who came back from double-digit deficits in their first three games of the season to win (a first in the NFL since the merger).
Reduced juice is the way to go if you want more value in your NFL betting, and that’s what you’ll get at Vietbet!
