NFL Wembley: Rams Betting Tips

Will there be another dispiriting night for Sam Bradford?

The St Louis Rams come to Wembley for what is now the only time, to take on the mighty New England Patriots

If you are a St Louis Rams fan then this is a bit of a case of 'catch them while you can'. The original deal was for the Rams to play three of their home games in London, one per season until 2014. However, this caused such a kerfuffle back in St Louis that owner Stan Kroenke first threatened to spend more time watching Arsenal, then sold the rights to the Jacksonville Jaguars - which is why next season we could all be forced to endure a side helmed by Blaine Gabbert instead of the star-in-the-making that is Sam Bradford.

It is fair to say that Bradford's career hasn't exactly had the stellar start that many expected of him, but to some extent that has been less his fault and more the fault of an offensive line that for a couple of years couldn't stop a toddler in a playpen, let alone an NFL defense. Whilst things seem a little different this season (even a strong defense like Green Bay's only managed three sacks on the weekend) the Rams are still saddled with a losing record going into this game.

Part of this is down to sheer bad luck. In the first couple of games Bradford seemed to be developing a superb relationship with wide receiver Danny Amendola. Then Amendola suffered a broken collarbone so bad that he was less than an inch from death as a result (the details were so gruesome that they caused the Rams' general manager to faint when he was given them). Since that time, the Rams' passing attack has relied upon a mixture of the very inexperienced such as rookie Brian Quick and veterans with their best years already behind them. As a result, their passing game ranks a meagre 24th in the NFL and Amendola is still their leading receiver!

In fact, you could justifiably make a case for them having only two offensive weapons beside Bradford himself. One is running back Steven Jackson, he of the enormous dreadlocks and silky footwork. Yet Jackson has only scored one touchdown all season, has himself suffered injury problems. This means that the Rams have relied heavily instead on rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein to score their points for them.

Already dubbed 'Legatron' by some, Zuerlein's is the boot that simply cannot miss - from anywhere. Seven games into his NFL career he has already equalled the record for the longest field goal and averages over one goal of 50+ yards per game. It is almost possible to argue that he is the whole key to the Rams' sloppy offense this season, because why bother paying too much attention to how you move the ball when you have a guy who will slot it between the uprights once you are over the halfway line. Zuerlein has been a revelation (even overshadowing the Ravens' own rookie kicker, Justin Tucker) and if the Wembley roof is closed don't bet against him beating the NFL record with a kick of over 65 yards.

The Rams are bottom of the very competitive NFC West for another reason, though. Their defense simply gives up too many points - an average of almost 20 per game. Only once - when they surprisingly ended Arizona's unbeaten run - have they conceded fewer than ten points in a game. Even in that match the Cardinals put up over 300 yards of passing offense alone. Playing with a defense that cannot shut down sides against a team like the New England Patriots could prove just too high a hurdle to overcome.

Recommended Bet:

Back the first scoring play as a St Louis field goal at odds of around 2.111/10