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posted October 5, 2007 at 18:50 in NFL Articles

If you have been betting on the St. Louis Rams, you have no doubt been taking a bath in this NFL season. On Sunday the Rams will line up again in hopes of chalking up their first win of the season - both straight-up and against the point spread - when they take on their NFC Western Division rivals, the Arizona Cardinals on the carpet at the Edward Jones Dome. Game time is scheduled for 1 PM (Eastern time). In the NFL betting odds at BetUS, the Cards are listed at -4 on the road (laying -120), with the over/under posted at 41 points.

Arizona has shown signs of life under first-year head coach Ken Whisenhunt. The Cardinals have a record of 2-2 SU (straight-up) and 3-0-1 ATS (against the spread). Last Sunday they defeated Pittsburgh 21-14 as a 5.5-point underdog. Arizona's other SU win was against the Seattle Seahawks.

St. Louis is 0-4, both SU and ATS, in a season that was supposed to see this team contend for a division title in coach Scott Linehan's second year. But the Rams, who were ravaged by offensive line injuries last season, have met the same fate this time around, and Marc Bulger, who had a Pro Bowl-level season in 2006, has suffered through a number of hurts, including rib injuries. On top of that, running back Steven Jackson, second in the league in yardage from scrimmage in '06, had been injured.

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD football betting trends:

* The underdog has covered the last seven meetings

* St. Louis has won seven of the last 10 meetings SU

* Arizona has covered five of the last seven meetings

* Four of the last six meetings have gone under the total

* Arizona has covered five of its last six trips to St. Louis

* Four of the last five meetings in St. Louis have gone over the total

Arizona has recently found some success dealing with a two-headed quarterback arrangement. Kurt Warner has entered the game in place of Matt Leinart the last two weeks; against Baltimore, he almost led the team back from a 17-point deficit. Against Pittsburgh, he completed 14 of 21 for 132 yards and a touchdown in relief, then Leinart went back in the game and led the winning TD drive. Arizona has scored 21 points a game for the season, and has averaged 110 yards on the ground, one thing Whisenhunt has emphasized. Edgerrin James has rushed for 354 yards thus far for the Cards. Also:

* Arizona is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games

* Arizona is also 5-0-1 ATS in its last six road games

* Arizona is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games

* Arizona has won just two of its last 12 road games SU

* Arizona has gone over the total in eight of its last ten games

* Arizona has played over the total in five of its last six road games

St. Louis is averaging a shade under 10 points game (last in the league) while giving up almost 26. The Rams are giving up 157 yards a game on the ground, while the secondary, which has also been beset by injury, has just one interception. How bad is the offense struggling? Well, the Rams are gaining 27.2 yards per point, which is horrible. And they haven't scored an offensive TD since the first quarter of their second game. Bulger has only 765 passing yards on 133 attempts. Clearly St. Louis is losing the battle at the line of scrimmage, giving up 4.8 yards a carry while gaining only 3.4. Also:

* St. Louis has covered just one of its last seven games at home

* St. Louis has lost four of its last five games at home SU

* St. Louis is 4-19 ATS as a division home dog

Arizona, the four-point favorite in the betting line at BetUS, would appear to have a technical edge going into this matchup, though it is somewhat mitigated by the 7-0 ATS underdog run in the series.

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS.com today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!

The 2007 NFL betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The BetUS sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join BetUS today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLII and beyond!

(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a member of the NFL too - which means "not for long" if you don't get results. He is now a regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room)