The Rams just played basic football and that was enough to beat the Oakland Raiders.  Marc Bulger didn’t really do much, but he didn’t have to.  Bulger completed 11 of 22 passes for 137 yards.  Stephen Jackson had a monster game with 31 carries for 127 yards (4.1 ypc) and 2 TDs.  Torry Holt (4 rec, 59 yards) and Isaac Bruce (3 rec, 58 yards) both helped out when the Rams needed them to.

The defense played pretty well as they picked off three passes and kept the Raiders off the scoreboard.  Corey Chavous led the way with 9 tackles.  Dexter Coakley had 6 tackles and picked off a pass.  Leonard Little had a monster game with 4 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.  The Rams held the Raiders to 57 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.2 ypc).  The Raiders did completed 25 of 39 passes for 203 net yards passing, but it didn’t really get them anywhere.

The Rams improved to 6-8 on the season with this win.

Leonard Little is one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, but goes un-noticed alot around the league.  He has 47 tackles, 10 sacks, 2 passed defensed and has forced 5 fumbles.  He’s been the best defensive player on the Rams this season, but they’ve had a rough year as a unit.

The Rams have lost their last two games and 7 of their last 8.  The Raiders have lost 6 games in a row.

The Rams will probably come out running the football at the start of this game.  Steven Jackson (1,109 yards rushing) should be able to have success against a Raiders defense that is allowing 133.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so far this season.  If the Rams get the running game going (likely) and the line gives Marc Bulger time to throw (iffy), the Rams should be able to throw against the Raiders.  Look for the Rams to go after Fabian Washington quite a bit as he was repeatedly scorched by the Bengals last week.  That could mean Isaac Bruce and Kevin Curtis could have big games.  The Rams will also get the ball to their best WR, Torry Holt (76 rec, 985 yards) who will likely be matched up with Nnamdi Asomugha who has 7 interceptions this season.

The Raiders would be smart to run the ball alot with Justin Fargas and RaShard Lee against the Rams defense that is allowing 161.2 yards rushing per game on the road.  The Raiders probably will try to limit their passing as they will be without Randy Moss who’s injured.  Ronald Curry has been stepping up so he would probably be the main guy again on Sunday.

The Rams have better talent on offense and the Raiders have better talent on defense.  I’m picking the Rams because the Raiders have big problems scoring points.

Pisa Tinoisamoa had been playing with a broken left hand and broke his right hand Sunday against the Cardinals.  Pisa is as tough as they come, but he’ll probably be placed on IR.  Tinoisamoa wound up playing in 11 games and had 36 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery.

If the Rams didn’t kick the ball to Devin Hester they might have had a chance to win this football game.  Hester returned two kick-offs for TDs, one was a 94-yarder and the other was a 96-yarder. 

Marc Bulger had a good game as he completed 34 of 55 passes for 356 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT.  Steven Jackson was really busy as he carried the ball 18 times for 81 yards (4.5 ypc) and a TD.  He also caught 10 passes for 58 yards and a TD.  Stephen Davis carried the ball 3 times for 29 yards (9.7 ypc) and he caught 4 passes for 37 yards.  Kevin Curtis caught 4 passes for 77 yards.  Torry Holt added 6 catches for 75 yards and 2 TDs.  Isaac Bruce caught 4 passes for 62 yards.  Rookie TE Joe Klopfenstein chipped in with 4 receptions for 31 yards.

The Rams had big problems on defense.  The Bears carried the ball 34 times for 172 yards (5.1 ypc).  The Bears completed 13 of 23 passes for 200 net yards passing.

The Rams fell to 5-8 on the season with this loss.