The St. Louis Rams can pull to within one game of the idle Arizona Cardinals in the race for top spot in the NFC West when they visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday as early three-point betting underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Rams improved their straight-up record to 4-3 on the season with a decisive 27-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers last week, easily picking up a victory against the spread as strong 7 1/2-point chalk.
Once again, the Rams’ defense was in shutdown mode, holding the Niners to just 189 total yards, including just 38 yards on the ground.
The St. Louis defense has surrendered just 12 total points over its past two outings, moving it to fourth overall in the NFL, allowing just 17.9 points per game going into Sunday afternoon’s Rams vs. Vikings betting matchup at TCF Bank Stadium.
Adrian Peterson racked up 103 rushing yards while leading the 5-2 Vikings to a 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears as 1 1/2-point chalk last weekend, extending their current ATS win streak to six games.
The Vikings have won three of their last four against St. Louis, SU and ATS, but are just 1-5 SU in their last six following consecutive wins.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots will be aiming for a seventh straight SU home victory when they host the Washington Redskins as huge 13 1/2-point chalk this week.
The Patriots scored 30 or more points in their sixth straight outing, topping the Miami Dolphins by a 36-7 margin last week, and have just one ATS loss in their last nine games.
The Redskins enjoyed a bye last week following a 31-30 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are 5-2 SU in their last seven against New England, according to the OddsShark NFL Database, but just 1-9 SU in their last 10 following a win.
San Francisco will try to halt its current two-game SU losing skid when it hosts the Atlanta Falcons as a four-point underdog this week. The 49ers have scored just nine total points during their current slide and have failed to reach double digits on four occasions this season, but are a respectable 3-2 SU in their last five at home
The Falcons, meanwhile, have lost two of their past three in sloppy fashion, making seven total turnovers, while posting four straight ATS losses.
In other NFL Week 9 betting action, the New York Giants battle the Buccaneers as one-point chalk, while the Dolphins visit the Buffalo Bills as three-point underdogs, and the Cincinnati Bengals host the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night as early 10-point favorites.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
