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Editor’s update 4:08 p.m.: The Seahawks and Rams kick off in a little over three hours, and the betting public is siding with LA on the point spread. The Rams opened as a two-point favorite at a lot of sportsbooks, but are a 1.5-point underdog. As kickoff approaches, 61 percent of the handle and 55 percent of tickets bet at DraftKings Sportsbook is on the Rams.
If you’re looking to bet on first touchdown scorer, 21 percent of the handle and 17 percent of tickets bet is on Todd Gurley to lead the way. For anytime touchdown scorer, Gurley is dominating with 43 percent of the handle and 20 percent of tickets bet.
Thursdays are better than Mondays, and not only because Mondays are the start of the work week. Watching three weeks in a row of painfully uneventful Monday Night Football matchups has left a sour taste in my mouth. Fortunately, another sweet (maybe the wrong word to use) Thursday night game this week will offset it. The Los Angeles Rams make the trip up to the northwest corner of the country to take on the Seattle Seahawks in what should be an intense battle for NFC West leadership.
These two have only met once on Thursday night, which happened to be Jared Goff’s primetime debut in 2016, and also took place in Seattle. The Seahawks stifled the Rams, winning 24-3. Keep in mind, this was before Sean McVay took over, and Goff (DraftKings Showdown salary $10,200) didn’t have Cooper Kupp ($9,600,) Brandin Cooks ($7,800) or Robert Woods ($8,000.) Three years later, this matchup looks a bit different. Los Angeles has taken three of four games since then, scoring at least 33 points in each win. Last season, Seattle, while coming up short, kept pace with LA’s offense by scoring 31 points in both appearances. The over/under is set at 49.5 points, and with both teams averaging over 25.8 points scored per game, we could be in for a quarterback duel.
Losing 55-40 to the Buccaneers should certainly act as a wake-up call for the Rams. After going down 21-0, McVay let Goff loose. The fourth-year QB threw 68 times, tying the third-most passing attempts in a single game. I would expect the emphasis to be a bit more on containing the Seahawks’ offense this week, though. Russell Wilson ($10,600) is the type to win by efficiency, throwing for 240 yards and one touchdown in last week’s win against the Cardinals, which furthers the idea that this won’t be even remotely close to a 95-point game. All things considered, I’m going to take the over and the favored Seahawks to cover the 1.5-point spread at home.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
Rams at Seahawks
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Rams +1.5
Total Points: 49.5
Money Line: Rams +106; Seahawks -121
Records
Overall: Rams 3-1; Seahawks 3-1
ATS: Rams 3-1; Seahawks 2-2
O/U: Rams 2-2; Seahawks 2-2
Notable Prop Bets
Rams:
- Todd Gurley under 12.5 rushing attempts: +100
- Jared Goff over 277.5 passing yards: -112
Seahawks:
- Chris Carson to score a TD and team to win: +210
- D.K. Metcalf to score a TD and team to win: +275
Betting Trends
- The Seahawks have won each of their last seven Thursday night games.
- The Seahawks have covered the spread in 18 of their last 22 night games at CenturyLink Field.
- Five of the Seahawks’ last six home games against NFC opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
- Chris Carson has scored the first touchdown in each of the Seahawks’ last two night games at CenturyLink Field.
- Tyler Lockett has scored a touchdown in each of the Seahawks’ last three home games.
- Todd Gurley II has scored three or more touchdowns in each of the Rams’ last two road games against the Seahawks.
Odds and lines subject to change. See website for actual odds.
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