Football is, depending on how you count, just days away. So what better time to start digging into some juicy NFL team previews? Check out our preview of the St. Louis Rams below and then our analyses of divisionals giants the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
The St. Louis Rams are in tough position, playing in a division with three teams that put up double-digit wins last year, and don’t look inclined to miss that mark this season. The Rams don’t like playing point-feeders, so they made some noise with their offseason moves. Read on for everything you need to know about the Rams as they head toward the 2014 season.
[sc:”Football Articles” ]St. Louis Rams Team Preview for the 2014/2015 NFL Season
Offseason Updates (8/22/2014)
Almost a year since suffering a season-killing ACL injury, quarterback Sam Bradford looked in prime condition when he played two series in the Rams’ Week 2 contest against the Green Bay Packers.
However, the backfield took a blow when running back Isaiah Pead suffered a torn ACL, forcing him to miss the entire 2014 season. With this development, Pead has now been replaced by Chase Reynolds in the Rams’ backfield depth chart, which is currently composed of Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham, and Tre Mason.
Overview
2013 Regular Season Record: 7-9 SU/7-9 ATS
The St. Louis Rams put up their second-straight seven-win season as they failed to make the playoffs for the ninth-straight time. However, they had notable wins against AFC South’s top team Indianapolis Colts and their divisional stablemates the Arizona Cardinals.
[sc:NFL240banner ]It was hard to imagine the Rams having much success in the NFC West in 2013, arguably the NFL’s toughest division, and the same is true in 2014. San Francisco was the Super Bowl runner-up in 2012 and the NFC Championship runner-up to Seattle in 2013. Seattle, then, used their 2013 NFC Championship win to capture the Super Bowl title in 2014.
Throw in a surprisingly-competitive Arizona Cardinals, and it’s tough to conceive of St. Louis winning more than a single game in their division, no matter how good they are. And being spotted a 1-5 or 0-6 record before starting inter-divisional play is tough for the best of teams.
The St. Louis Rams are +6,000 to win the Super Bowl.
Offseason Highlights
After being exposed last season, St. Louis needed to bolster their offensive line and secondary in 2014.
The Rams used their second overall draft pick on offensive tackle Greg Robinson from the Auburn Tigers. Robinson has the ability to become a franchise left tackle and should immediately help Sam Bradford stay on his feet in the critical year for the QB.
Joining him from the draft are his college teammate Tre Mason and center Demetrius Rhaney from Tennessee State. Mason is coming off a 1,816 yard performance for Auburn, and should alleviate pressure on Sam Bradford in his own way.
Aside from rookie draftees, St. Louis also looked to free agency to sign two-time Pro Bowler David Joseph. An eight-year veteran guard, Joseph will add more depth to the offensive line as well as share his experience and help develop Robinson.
On to defense, the Rams strengthened their defensive line with the most notable moves the signing of veteran defensive end Alex Carrington in free agency and drafting of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald had a career-high 43 unassisted tackles playing in his final year of college for Pittsburgh.
St. Louis focused the draft heavily on secondary adding eight names to the roster. Of the eight, the two that stand out are defensive back Lamarcus Joyner from Florida State and Maurice Alexander from Utah State. Both players played their best in their collegiate careers last year for a combined 143 total tackles.
All told, the Rams added a great deal of talent to their roster in this offseason and will need to work on their team chemistry coming into opening weekend.
Key Betting Matchups of 2014 NFL Season
The St. Louis Rams need to buckle up because they’re in for a tough ride going against 13 teams that combined for a .564 winning percentage last year. They also have the reigning Super Bowl champions to play against in their division. Nevertheless, two of the most important games for them will come from NFC West against old rivals San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals.
St. Louis is +775 to win NFC West.
October 13 – vs. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco-St. Louis rivalry dates back to 1950 when the two teams regularly faced each other for the NFC West Division title. A win against San Francisco can revive the heated rivalry between these two teams, as well as send a fair warning to other teams that St. Louis has finally ended their slump.
November 9 – at Arizona Cardinals
If San Francisco and Seattle continue their domination over NFC West, then Rams will almost certainly need at least one win against the Cards, who we’ve previewed here. If there’s a game that the Rams’ coaching staff will be circling on the calendar, it’s this one.
Prediction
The Rams take a step forward and improve to .500 record in 2014, pushing their win total over 7.5 while still finishing last in their insane division.
Create a betting account now to capitalize on all the NFL futures odds and get set for another big season of grid iron action.
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