NFL Picks: Chiefs vs. Rams in Preseason Battle

Friday and Saturday have twelve NFL preseason games lining the schedule, and one of them will be an AFC West vs. NFC West game between the inner state rivals, the Chiefs and Rams. Which side should bettors be on with their NFL picks?

The current NFL odds boards are favoring the road Chiefs by -1, and it’s one of the few times a road team has been favored over the home team.

The Chiefs are currently 1-0 ATS this preseason, while the Rams are 0-1 ATS. Kansas City gave Arizona their second loss both SU and ATS last week, while the Rams got demolished by the Colts in their first game. While neither of these teams are expected to do anything in the regular season, they both would like to get a win against their rivals from across Missouri.

Ram bam thank you ma’am

After the lockout was over, and even though they missed the Hall of Fame game because of its’ cancelation, the Rams were a perfect 4-0 in the preseason last year. That worked out real well for them, as they won a total of two games the entire regular season. The Rams were 3-1 ATS in last season’s preseason but they have started out this season with a dud.

The Colts blasted St. Louis, 38-3 last week. While he was in the game, Sam Bradford did play well, completing 7/9 passes for 57 yards. However, much like it was a problem for them last season, the defensive issues that new head coach Jeff Fisher was supposed to fix were still very evident. The Rams gave up nearly 440 yards of total offense. Obviously it’s the preseason, but for a team that gave up an average of 151 rushing yards per game last season, it’s worrisome to say the least.

Return of the Chiefs 

Kansas City got shafted like no other team last season. They were hurt before the season even got going, and it didn’t stop there. They were just removed from a ten-win season and a playoff spot. Can they return there this season, even with playing Peyton Manning twice a year?

I think the answer is yes, because they may be the second best team in the AFC West. I don’t put much faith in the Chargers, and they are kind of in the same boat. They could be good, or pretty much crap.

Kansas City rushed for 166 yards against the Cardinals last week, and against the Rams, I expect the Chiefs to be using the ground game a lot. The Rams were ranked 31^st against the run last season.

The Sharp Pick

I know taking the Chiefs here looks appetizing. They looked good against the Cardinals, and now it’s the Rams’ turn. Not so fast though, because with Jeff Fisher now on board, we really can’t take into account these two teams past preseasons. Considering that the Chiefs are 4-17 SU in the preseason since 2007, and the Rams are 10-2 SU in the preseason since 2009. 

Both teams have new head coaches, so we cannot rely on last year's NFL preseason trends for the Rams. What I have come up with to handicap this impossible game is Jeff Fisher’s preseason record. Fisher started with the Titans in 1995, but since 2000, Fisher had a preseason record of 28-17 SU with Tennessee.

This game is really to close to call, and I would advise you to lay off if you can. However, if i was going to add this game to my NFL picks, I would side with the Rams. They have a lot more to get taken care of this preseason, while the Chiefs just want to avoid drastic injuries like last season. Take the Rams to win.