Last Updated on September 14, 2014 5:00 pm by atswins
Rams vs. Bucs Free Pick
TAMPA, FL (The Spread) – Down to their third-string quarterback, the Rams may struggle to cover today versus the Buccaneers when the two NFC teams square off at 4:05PM ET.
It’s not official as of this writing but it would appear as though third-string quarterback Austin Davis will make his first career start for the Rams today in Tampa. Shaun Hill was the starter when Sam Bradford went down with a season-ending knee injury in preseason, but Hill suffered a leg injury last week in the Rams’ 34-6 loss to the Vikings. St. Louis will also be without defensive end Chris Long, who suffered an ankle injury in last Sunday’s loss and will miss the next 8-10 weeks.
As for the Bucs, they’re coming off a horrendous effort in a 20-14 loss to the Panthers last week. The final score didn’t indicate how poorly Tampa Bay played on offense, although the Bucs made it interesting with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Had Bobby Rainey not fumble deep in Tampa territory late in the fourth quarter, then Bucs would have had a chance to at least tie the game. That said, Josh McCown was constantly harassed throughout the game by Carolina’s offense line and he made a few dreadful mistakes in the first three quarters before staging a rally.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Bucs are 5.5-point favorites over the Rams for today’s game, while the total is currently sitting at 37.5 points. Tampa Bay opened as a 2.5-point favorite but the line has jumped since it become evident that Hill might not play. As for the total, it opened at 38 before being bet down slightly to 37.5.
NFL FREE PICK: Take Tampa Bay. According to latest NFL trends, the Bucs are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games in Week 2 while the rams are just 1-4 against the number in their last five road games dating back to last year. St. Louis is also 4-9-1 ATS in its last 14 games in Week 2, 4-0 ATS in its last 13 games versus NFC opponents and 2-5 ATS in its last seven after scoring less than 15 points in its previous game. Davis isn’t ready to start a regular season game and his inexperience will likely shine through today. The Rams won’t be able to run the ball against Tampa’s tough front so look for the Bucs to win this game pretty handily despite struggling last week against the Cam Newton-less Panthers.
2014 NFL WEEK 2 FREE PICK: TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS -5.5
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