Back Falcons, Rams and Vikings all to win in terrific NFL treble

Coral offer odds of 9/2 on free-scoring Freeman to get the first touchdown this weekend.

Cleveland Browns at St Louis Rams

St Louis could exploit a favourable matchup to secure victory, when they welcome opponents Cleveland to Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

The hosts, who have shown flashes of brilliance in triumphing against top-class opposition this season (Seattle and Arizona), will be well rested after they did not play last weekend due to a bye.

Their star performer is rookie running back Todd Gurley, who has been outstanding in his first three NFL appearances.

St Louis appear to have unearthed a gem in Gurley – he has rushed for over 150 yards in each of the last two games, averaging nearly 6 yards per carry to date.

This is significant because visitors Cleveland have the NFL’s worst rushing defense, ranked dead last in the league largely due to serious issues with their defensive line.

Gurley is the kind of head-down runner who can punish mercilessly any gaps that might appear in Cleveland’s defensive line, and he could be set to make some really big gains on Sunday.

Another strong performance from Gurley could therefore be the key to a Rams’ victory, and he is available at an odds-on price of 4/7 to score anytime here against the Browns.

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Minnesota can heap more misery on their struggling hosts Detroit at Ford Field this weekend.

The Lions are vying for the wooden spoon as one of the worst teams in football. They were the last winless side in the NFL this season, after losing all of their opening five games.

Detroit did eventually get their first win last week – a narrow overtime victory over Chicago – but the triumph owed much to some questionable refereeing decisions. Such as Golden Tate’s controversial touchdown catch which was given after a TV replay review, and a timely roughing-the-passer penalty which afforded the Lions the chance to score late in the game.

The Lions, however, will not be able to rely on such good fortune every week.

Detroit’s defense has struggled to contain opponents all season, but of particular note this week is that the Lions are ranked only 26th out of 32 for rushing defense.

Their opponents Minnesota have the sixth-best rushing attack in the league, and have scored two-thirds of their touchdowns this season on the ground.

The Vikings therefore look well-placed to turn the screw on the Lions by exploiting this mismatch. Punters can back Minnesota’s star running back Adrian Peterson to score first here at odds of 5/1.

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