When the St. Louis Rams make the trip to East Rutherford, New Jersey to play the New York Giants in the second week of Monday Night Football, it will be head coach Steve Spagnuolo looking for his first sports betting win of the season against the team with which he proved his merit as a defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo helped build the Giants’ defenses that led them to win Super Bowl XLII, and now he is hoping his Rams’ defense can do enough to slow down New York’s attack

St. Louis Rams @ New York Giants
Monday September 19, 2011 – 8:20 PM ET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
NFL Betting Lines: New York Giants –7

The Giants opened the season with a tough loss against the division rival Washington Redskins, and will have a tough time clawing back to .500 with so many injuries affecting their roster. St. Louis is also dealing with several key injuries, and the outcome of this game could come down to which team is healthier.

NFL Betting Preview: St. Louis Rams

Quarterback Sam Bradford left the fourth quarter of the Rams’ week one loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after bruising his right index finger, but according to reports he should be ready to play on Monday night. The extra day to heal will likely be an important factor, as will be the case with running back Stephen Jackson and wide receiver Danny Amendola, both of whom could be held out of this game. The St. Louis defense did a good job of slowing down the Eagles early on but just couldn’t keep up throughout the course of the game. The Rams will need more from their offense if they are going to keep this one close on the road, and it will come down to Bradford and Jackson.

NFL Betting Preview: New York Giants

The Giants have been decimated by injuries this year, especially on defense where they are missing their two best pass rushers in Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora. The losses of cornerback Terrell Thomas and linebacker Jonathan Goff for the season also hurt, and it will be up to New York’s offense to make up for those losses. Eli Manning struggling in the opener against the Redskins’ defense and will need to make his decisions quicker. It didn’t help that Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw never really got going, and if the Giants could get the ball moving on the ground that should open things up for the passing game.

NFL Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick

The Giants have enough healthy bodies that they should be able to close the deal at home this week, and the spotlight will be as bright as ever on Manning and company after his comments this past preseason. St. Louis projects as a team on the rise in the long run, but right now injuries have hurt too many core players for them to seal a sports betting bonus upset on the road.

NFL Betting Pick:

(BetOnline) New York Giants – 7

(Sportsbook Advisor) Rams +7