Titans vs Rams Picks: 8 of 13 ESPN Analysts Favor St. Louis to Win

Oct 28, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Chris Givens (13) runs the gal against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. The Seahawks defeat the Rams 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams entered Week 9 as a three-point underdog to the Tennessee Titans. Coming off their near Monday Night Football upset, the Rams are facing a well-rested Titans team whose players have had two weeks to prepare and get their minds right following a three-game losing streak, two of which came against the NFC West powerhouses. Then there’s the fact that the Rams are down to their No. 2 quarterback (Kellen Clemens) and a few key components in their running game aren’t at 100 percent (Zac Stacy, Daryl Richardson, Harvey Dahl).

None of that was enough to keep eight of 13 ESPN analysts from taking the Rams in their weekly pick’em contest. It’s interesting because the ESPN NFL pick’em community sides with Tennessee. The experts appear to have a different view on how the Rams’ injuries will affect St. Louis.

For an out-of-conference battle with two sub-.500 teams, this matchup features a lot more than a storyline of a must-win game. These teams have a lot of player and coach connections that date back to Jeff Fisher‘s staff throughout the 2000s. Fisher has played down what it would mean to beat his former employer. Mike Munchak prefers to look at this game as a way to win for recently deceased owner Bud Adams.

Expect Jake Locker and Derrick Morgan at full strength. If the Rams can get anything going on offense, this game has the makings of the type of slug fest that Titans fans were accustomed to seeing during Fisher’s 17-season reign (16 full). Can the Titans keep Robert Quinn (ten sacks) and Chris Long (5.5 sacks) off of Locker? Will the ground game improve with Shonn Greene and Chris Johnson splitting more of the carries?

What do our readers think? Will the Rams have another surprising performance just like they did on Monday Night Football or was that largely due to the competitive nature of divisional rivalries? Discuss in the comments, Twitter or Facebook.

SOURCES: ESPN