NFL Week 14: Monday Night Football and 5 Hot-to-Trot Tips

Monday Night Football can give us anything.

Sometimes it gives us exactly what we thought we would get—like Baltimore's game-winning drive in the final minutes against Pittsburgh.

Other times it's a much more one-sided affair, with the outcome already set in stone before a single snap has taken place.

And this week? It's probably something in the middle.

The hapless St. Louis Rams travel to the Seattle Seahawks for a game that has no playoff implications and no real significance around the league.

But that doesn't mean that it isn't important.

For Rams fans, this game presents itself as an opportunity to chalk up another win and not run last in the division.

For the Seahawks, it's a chance for their fans to witness their side achieve back-to-back wins and demonstrate some of the potential they've had all season.

Last week, the Seahawks dominated the Philadelphia Eagles, coming out 17-point winners, as Marshawn Lynch had a huge game against the No. 2-ranked run defense by carrying the ball for 148 yards.

St. Louis will want to quickly forget last week's performance—shut out on the road by the San Francisco 49ers, with only 156 passing yards and 32 rushing yards.

Yep, it was definitely a night to remember.

So, as these two NFC West teams face off in a bid for some divisional bragging rights, here's five hot-to-trot tips for the game come Monday night.

Whether the game is quality, or whether it makes us want to throw the TV across the room, follow the tips and you'll be sure to have a smile on your face come full time.

1. Head-to-Head—Seattle

Seattle has been very good at home this year, and with Marshawn Lynch playing so well last week, the offense of the Seahawks looks too much for the Rams' defense in this one.

The Rams won't offer much in terms of offense, and although the Seattle defense is not as good as the 49ers, it will be able to hold out any offensive threat the Rams may pose.

2. Margin and Spread—Seattle giving up start or 13-plus

Most spreads in this game are far too low, giving the Rams only a touchdown head-start on the Seahawks.

When Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley are both out though, you're not going to get a whole lot going offensively.

That's especially bad when your run defense, ranked last in the NFL, is trying to stop Marshawn Lynch. Take the easy money there.

3. Total Points—Under (take anything under 38)

The Rams are only putting up an average of 11.7 points per game, ranking them dead last.

The Seahawks aren't faring much better, still averaging less than 20 per game. And despite sitting 5-7, they've have only allowed 20.7 points per game.

Expect the Seahawks to score more than 20, but don't expect the Rams to score more than once. With the running focus too from Seattle, this should help the total staying under.

4. First Scoring Play—Seattle FG

Tarvaris Jackson has been disappointing this year, and the Seahawks cannot expect Lynch to be able to gain all their offensive yards.

Jackson is completing at less than 60 percent, and expect him to throw one or two poor efforts here. They are good enough to get into good field position; they're just not good enough to score a touchdown on the first time they get there.

5. First TD Scorer—Marshawn Lynch

It seems so obvious, and I did all I could to think of an alternative for who would score the first touchdown.

But short of Jackson throwing an interception, or a special teams touchdown, Lynch will be the go-to-guy on a short yards play to the goal line.

He's the favorite in this market, and deserves to be.

If you're looking for value, then Tarvaris Jackson himself may be forced to scramble from the pocket if they opt to throw it close to the goal line, but Jackson should be good enough against the Rams defense to get a touchdown. Or three for that matter.