Rams Eager for Fresh Start in Los Angeles. Come Monday the NFL betting world will be giving a warm welcome to the return of Monday Night Football. The matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins will start us off, and fans looking to enjoy as much football action as possible can then tune in for the contest between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams will be looking to start the 216 season on a high note considering they’ve just finished relocating into Los Angeles.
The Rams franchise has existed for 79 years and 2016 will mark the 50th year the franchise has been located in Los Angeles. The Rams had originally left Los Angeles for Anaheim at the start of 1980 due to the NFL’s blackout policies. However, the Rams tenure in Anaheim proved to be ill-suited and the franchise sunk into a former shadow of itself. Eventually they decided to relocate to St. Louis before the 1995 season began.
However, earlier this year the Rams filed for relocation, citing that St. Louis’ lack of fan base was crippling the franchise and that the Edward Jones Stadium was not suitable for an NFL team. The notion was approved and the Rams didn’t hesitate to flock back to their former home. They won’t be coming in as NFL betting favorites in the NFC West, but they’ll be coming in eager to put their St. Louis days behind them.
Case Keenum will be leading the Rams on offense Monday night. Keenum finished the season with an 87.7 quarterback rating last season but the most notable aspect of Keenum’s 2015 performance was the hit he suffered late in the season. Keenum suffered a concussion that raised questions amidst ongoing rhetoric against the NFL for its lack of determination when dealing with head injuries.
As clearly seen here Keenum’s head suffered a nasty blow when the Baltimore defender wrestled him to the ground. The hit was clean but all the momentum landed on Keenum’s head and it’s obvious the quarterback was severely affected by the sack.
However neither the Rams nor the NFL – who have an official in a booth whose sole duty is to be vigilant of concussions – took action and Keenum stayed in the game. It was only for a couple of plays but the fact that Keenum was diagnosed with a concussion after the game only highlights the need for increased intervention. This need was further highlighted in this year’s opener when the Broncos delivered several nasty blows to Cam Newton’s head.
Keenum has fully recovered from his head injury and will be looking forward to proving himself as the leader of this now relocated franchise. Let’s check the odds across the best sports betting sites to see what kind of chances Keenum has in the Rams debut.
September 12th
Rams -2 ½ (-110) 43 (-110) -135
49ers +2 ½ 43 (-110) +115
This will be the official start of the Chip Kelly era for the 49ers. Kelly is coming over from the Eagles and despite leaving Philadelphia worse off than they were when he joined them, he was still able to find a coaching job in San Fran. Blaine Gabbert will be the Niners starter for their Monday night debut and he’ll do his best to overcome both the NFL betting odds and a hungry Rams team in the 49ers effort to prove they are the best team in California.