St. Louis Rams Week 12 Predictions Roundup: San Diego Chargers

Nov 16, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (52) reacts after intercepting a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (not pictured) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 22-7. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It’s funny how one definitive performance can change the overall nation perception of a team. Prior to last week, the St. Louis Rams were “unknowns,” picked by many as the “lock of the week” in their predictions, with some projected 25 point blowouts. Now, one week after holding the Broncos to their lowest point total in the Peyton Manning era, analysts have jumped on the St. Louis defense’s wagon. In fact, some pundits have talked about the Rams having the potential to “win out” this season and fight for a Wild Card slot in the NFC. Crazy.

With this new-found national respect, will anyone take the bold move and pick the “vaunted” Rams over the recently-struggling San Diego Changers?

CBS Sports: 21-14, Chargers

"The Rams have taken big steps forward on defense, impressing last week in shutting down Peyton Manning and the Broncos. The Chargers looked so-so against Oakland last week, coming off a bye, but get it going here. Philip Rivers gets back on track."

Pro Football Talk: 21-17, Chargers; 24-17, Chargers

"MDS’s take: The Rams showed last week that they can beat good teams, and although they’re in last place in the NFC West, they’d probably win the NFC South. I’m tempted to pick them to win a second straight upset over a good AFC West team, but I just can’t see them winning in San Diego, even though they’ll make it close.Florio’s take:  The Rams keep finding ways to play well against teams that qualified for the playoffs in 2013.  But they haven’t established true consistency.  The Chargers have been consistently mediocre since starting 5-1.  On this one, trust the team that’s playing at home with the better quarterback."

Ramblin’ Fan: 24-17, Rams

"The choice to go with Shaun Hill at quarterback may have been met with some question marks, but his steady presence helped stabilize an offense lacking an identity. The veteran completed 69 percent of his passes, which allowed Tre Mason to rush for more than 100 yards which was the first time a Rams back accomplished that feat this season. Defensively, there cannot be enough praise for St. Louis. The team showed what they were meant to be when the season started, a penetrative front four with physical corner play. New addition Mark Barron certainly helped, especially when he was shifted into a linebacker role.The Chargers are a team in disarray. Over the past four games, San Diego is 1-3 and has been outscored 101-54 and their secondary has been next to worthless without Jason Verret. As long as the Rams continue their play from last week, they should actually role over the struggling Chargers like the Broncos."

Some sites prefer to merely throw out their picks, instead of outlining boldly predicted scores. In a nearly 50/50 split vote, three of the seven experts in USA Today went with the Rams to pull out the victory on Sunday. In the Week 12 “expert picks” for ESPN, a surprising large amount of pundits picked the St. Louis Rams to win, including Chris Mortensen and Mike Ditka. In CBS Sports’ “Against the Spread” predictions, only seven of eight went with the “underdog” Rams, which is understandable given the Chargers being +6.5 point favorites. However, with their “Straight Up” picks, the votes went back in favor of San Diego, with all six of the eight experts picking Phillip Rivers and Co. to win.