The Rams defense played a horrible game against a good offensive team and the results weren’t pretty.  It seemed as if LB Will Witherspoon was the only defender that came to play, as he led the team with 12 tackles.  The Chargers carried the ball 35 times for 216 yards (6.2 ypc), which is pathetic defense.  The Chargers also completed 15 of 23 passes for 203 net yards thru the air.

The Rams played pretty well on offense, but Steven Davis fumbled a ball that the Chargers returned for a TD!  Marc Bulger was his usual outstanding self, completing 27 of 40 passes for 327 yards and 2 TDs.  Steven Jackson carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards (4.7 ypc) and a TD.  Jackson also caught 3 passes for 55 yards.  Steven Davis carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards.  Isaac Bruce had a great game catching 5 passes for 105 yards.  Kevin Curtis caught 7 passes for 79 yards and a TD.  Torry Holt pitched in 5 catches for 48 yards.  RB Tony Fisher caught 5 passes for 30 yards.  Shaun McDonald caught one pass, and it was a 7 yard TD.

The Rams are playing well on offense and are averaging 23.2 points per game.  The Rams are making a concerted effort to be more balanced of offense this season, but they’re still only averaging 98.2 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  The passing game has been sharp, as usual, and the Rams are averaging 247.0 net yards passing per game and completing 61.5% of their throws.

The Rams defense is coming up soft and allowing 21.3 points per game.  The Rams are letting teams run all over them, allowing 121.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Rams have also been very giving on pass defense allowing 218.0 net yards passing and 58.9% completions.

Both of these football teams are 4-2 and coming off of devastating last-second losses.  At least the Rams had a week off to get it out of their system.

The Rams will look to run a balanced offense against the Chargers.  RB Steven Jackson could have a good game running the ball against a Charger defense that only allows 82.0 yards rushing per game, but 4.0 yards per carry.  The big issue with the Rams offense will be pass protection, because if Bulger gets time to throw he could have a big game.  The Rams O-Line has already allowed 19 sacks and the Chargers defense already has 23 sacks!  The Chargers will be without starting OLB Shaun Phillips, who already had six sacks this season, with a calf injury.  Torry Holt (37 rec, 526 yards, 7 TDs) and Isaac Bruce (27 rec, 388 yards) could cause huge problems for the secondary of the Chargers.

The Rams defense has been soft against the run allowing 121.3 yards rushing and 4.5 yards per carry, which is bad news when facing the Chargers.  LaDainian Tomlinson has 473 yards rushing and 7 TDs so far this season, but he hasn’t had a huge game yet……but that could change this week.  QB Philip Rivers has been fantastic this season and he should have a little fun throwing against the Rams defense which allows 218.0 yards passing per game.  Look for Antonio Gates to have a huge game against the Rams safeties.

This should be a great football game, but I have to angle towards the Chargers winning this game because of their defense.  I wouldn’t be shocked if the Rams pulled an upset though.

The Rams need a little time to recover from their last-second loss to the Seahawks.  The Rams need to work on their defense which hasn’t played well this season.  The Rams allow 121.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry, and that won’t get it done!  The Rams are allowing opponents to complete 58.9% of their passes for 218.0 net yards passing per game….and that needs to improve also.

The Rams offense has been clicking this season.  The Rams are averaging 23.2 points per game.  The Rams passing game is rolling along like it always does.  They are averaging 247.0 net yards passing per game and are completing 61.5% of their passes.  The running game needs a little work as the Rams are only averaging 98.2 yards per game rushing and 3.6 yards per carry.

MLB Will Witherspoon has been unstoppable for the Rams defense.  Witherspoon already has 46 tackles and a fumble recovery.  DE Leonard Little has been really disruptive for the Rams defense.  Little has 20 tackles and 5 sacks so far this season.

The Rams played their heart out, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat the Seahawks.  Marc Bulger had another excellent game, completing 26 of 39 passes for 360 yards with 3 TDs and his first interception of the season.  Steven Jackson didn’t find much running room as he carried the ball 20 times for 56 yards and a TD.  Jackson also caught 7 passes for 40 yards.  WR Torry Holt caught 8 passes for 154 yards and 3 TDs!  Kevin Curtis caught 2 passes for 52 yards.  Isaac Bruce has caught 5 passes for 45 yards.

Linebacker Will Witherspoon came to play making 11 tackles, but he should have told his friends on the D to help him out.  The Seahawks ran the ball 28 times for 125 yards (4.5 ypc).  The Seahawks moved the ball well through the air too, completing 19 of 34 passes for 239 net yards passing.

This game will hurt for awhile, but the Rams have to act like it never happened.

The Rams special teams have done pretty well so far this season.  The Rams have been solid on punt coverage allowing only 6.6 yards per return.  The Rams need to do a better job on kick-off returns as teams are averaging 25.7 yards per return.

Jeff Wilkins has hit 18 of 21 FGs and all 7 XPTs.  Punter Matt Turk is doing a good job, as usual.  Turk is averaging 43.8 yards per punt for a net gain of 39.2 yards.  Turk also has placed 35% of his punts inside the 20 yard line.

Shaun McDonald is averaging 11.0 yards per punt return which is outstanding.  JR Reed is averaging 20.2 yards per kick-off return which is a tad below average.

The Rams won a tough battle with a late defensive stop in the 4th quarter.  Brett Favre drove the Packers all the way to the 10 yard-line and fumbled as he was getting sacked, to end the game.  Marc Bulger continued his fine play this year, completing 18 of 28 passes for 220 yards and 2 TDs.  Steven Jackson helped keep the offense balanced by running the ball 23 times for 98 yards (4.3 ypc).  Torry Holt caught 3 passes for 40 yards and a TD.  Kevin Curtis caught 3 passes for 21 yards and a TD, and running back Tony Fisher caught 2 passes for 51 yards.

The defense had some trouble stopping Brett Favre and his buddies on offense.  The Packers ran the ball 26 times for 121 yards (4.7 ypc).  The Rams allowed the Packers to complete 22 of 39 passes for 220 yards and a TD.

It was a nice win for the Rams, but when are they gonna blow someone out?  My hair is turning gray watching these guys. 

 

Starting fullback Paul Smith is out for at least this week with a concussion.  This shouldn’t hurt the offense too bad, as Steven Jackson is big enough to not need a fullback in front of him.