Rams vs. 49ers: St. Louis opens as 11-point underdogs on the road

Needless to say, the St. Louis Rams are not favored heading into a Week 10 matchup against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers, the hated 49ers I should add. Opening lines for Week 10 came out this morning via OddsShark, and the Rams are 11-point underdogs in a tough road game following the team's bye week.

St. Louis has lost three in a row, the last one a particularly ugly affair in England against the Patriots. While the Patriots broke out for 45 points, the real story with the Rams is the continued struggles of the offense, averaging just 17.1 points per game through eight games this season. Little wonder that the over/under is set at 38.5 right now.

The Rams' 3-5 record is flipped for gaming purposes, and at 5-3 against the spread Jeff Fisher's team has been kind to bettors. However, the Rams have failed to cover the spread in their last two games.

Working the Rams favor this week is the return of Danny Amendola and left tackle Rodger Saffold. Quarterback Sam Bradford, who I am assured is completely and totally above reproach in the Rams offensive struggles, will need both those players on the field against a tough Niners defense.

Recent history might be on the Rams' side this week. In the closing week of last season, a battered Rams team engaged the Niners in a fourth quarter dogfight, behind backup Kellen Clemens, scoring 17 points and narrowly losing by a score of 34-27.

Take away the last two games, and Fisher's Rams have been a tough matchup for any opponent, including the mighty Chicago Bears. An 11-point spread looks like a big one, but these Rams are capable of surprising anyone on any given Sunday.

Will they?