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The Rams have lost linebacker David Vobora for the next four games as the NFL has suspended him for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. Vobora has 15 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he has defensed 1 pass. With the Rams’ defense in a horrible state this suspension will make them even worse on that side of the ball.
The Rams have released 35-year old DT Hollis Thomas. Thomas had 2 tackles this season for the Rams. With the Rams allowing 148.0 yards rushing per game this season they just didn’t think that Thomas had enough gas in the tank to help them improve in that area.
Starting QB Marc Bugler has a bruised rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder but he still hasn’t been ruled out for this week’s game against the Niners. Bulger has played in all three games for the Rams this season and he has completed 35 of 68 passes (51.5%) for 339 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs (70.7 QB Rating). The Rams have only scored 7 points this season with Bulger under center so maybe they would be better off if he didn’t play until he was close to 100% healthy. Kyle Boller led the Rams to 17 points against the Packers last Sunday so maybe the team will play better with him. It’s at least worth a shot to find out. Boller completed 16 of 31 passes (51.6%) for 164 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (75.2 QB Rating) last Sunday against the Packers.
The Rams have lost their top wideout, Laurent Robinson, for the year with a fractured fibula and a high right ankle sprain. This hurts the Rams’ offense big time. Robinson had 13 catches for 167 yards (12.8 avg) with a TD grab in the three games he played in for the Rams this season. Keenan Burton will be elevated into the starting lineup and he has caught 6 passes for 80 yards (13.3 avg) this year. Burton doesn’t have the speed or hands of Robinson so the Rams’ offense will likely suffer big time because of this injury.
The Rams will be without starting strong safety James Butler for at least a couple of weeks due to a knee sprain. He has 12 tackles, has defensed 1 pass and he has 1 interception this season. Butler will likely be replaced by Anthony Smith who is most remembered for calling out Tom Brady and the Patriots while he was with the Steelers. He was burnt to a crisp in that game. The Rams better hope that Butler gets healthy soon.
The Rams finally showed some life in this game trailing only 23-17 after three quarters. But then the Packers came alive and put them away in the 4th quarter. Marc Bulger started the game at QB but he had to leave because of injury early. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 23 yards while he was still in one piece. Kyle Boller replaced him in the game and the team seemed to come to life. He completed 16 of 31 passes for 164 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception. He also carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards (7.8 ypc). The Rams finally got smart in this game and got the ball to their best player often. He carried the ball 27 times for 117 yards (4.3 ypc) yesterday and he also caught 5 passes for 46 yards (9.2 avg). Boller’s favorite target when the Rams got close to the end zone was little used TE Daniel Fells who caught 2 passes for 35 yards (17.5 avg) and they both went for TDs. The Rams finished up with 336 total yards on offense (149 rushing, 187 passing) in this game.
The defense was led by safety Craig Dahl with 7 tackles yesterday. But, the Rams overall effort on defense was terrible as usual in this game. The Packers finished up with 402 total yards in this game (152 rushing, 250 passing). The Rams are now 0-3 on the season.
The Packers are licking their wounds after getting beat at home 31-24 by the Bengals. So they will likely be in a nasty frame of mind on Sunday. The Packers would love to get a early lead in the passing game and then grind a win out on the ground with Ryan Grant. That seems entirely possible as the Rams are allowing 258 yards passing per game this season. The Packers need to protect Aaron Rodgers to give him a chance at a big day as he has been sacked 10 times already this season. The bad news for the Rams is that pass rushing is one of their biggest weaknesses as they only have 1 sack this year. If Rodgers has time to throw the ball he will likely shred the Rams’ D. The Rams can’t stop the run either as they have allowed 146.0 yards rushing per game this season so this week could belong to Ryan Grant (107 yards rushing, 3.6 ypc).
The Rams have a couple things going for them on offense this week. The Packers have allowed 118.5 yards rushing per game this season so Steven Jackson could have a huge game (171 yards rushing, 5.2 ypc). The Rams need to stick with the running game as long as they don’t fall behind by more than 10 points. That’s because Jackson is without a doubt the best player on this football team. If Marc Bulger gets time to throw the football (a big if) then he could attempt to exploit the Packers’ deep down the middle of the field due to the injuries they have at safety.
PREDICTION: PACKERS 30, RAMS 13
The Rams have cut Derek Stanley. Stanley returned 3 punts for 37 yards (12.3 avg) for the Rams this season and he didn’t catch any passes. In three years with the Rams Stanley caught 6 passes for 119 yards (19.8 avg) with a TD grab. He also returned 14 punts for 138 yards (9.9 avg) and 45 kickoffs for 1,129 yards (25.1 avg) in his career with the Rams. The Rams have signed WR Danny Amendola to return both punts and kickoffs for the Rams starting this weekend against the Packers. He should really improve the kickoff return unit of the Rams who only have 97 yards on six returns (16.2 avg) and that is awful.
The Rams have lost starting tackle Jason Smith for at least 1-2 weeks due to a sprained MCL. This is a huge blow to the offensive line as Smith was being counted on big time. Adam Goldberg will start in his place and he has a lot of experience to the Rams are hopeful that he will do a decent job while Smith is out.
The Rams are taking baby steps this season as they scored a TD yesterday. Marc Bulger had another sub par game completing 15 of 28 passes for 125 yards with 1 TD pass. The Rams need to find a way to get the ball to Steven Jackson as much as possible as he is by far the best player the offense has to offer. He carried the ball 17 times for 104 yards (6.1 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 15 yards (3.8 avg). WR Laurent Robinson had another solid game in leading the Rams with 6 catches for 54 yards (9.0 avg) with a TD. The Rams finished up with 245 total yards yesterday (126 rushing, 119 passing).
The defense was in a bend but don’t break mode and it allowed them to stay in this football game. LBs Will Witherspoon (10 tackles) and James Laurinaitis (8 tackles) both led the way for the Rams on D yesterday. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe also had a solid game pitching in with 8 tackles. The Redskins finished up with 362 total yards on offense (125 rushing, 237 passing) in this game. The Rams fall to 0-2 on the season with yesterday’s loss but it’s hard to win when you average 3.5 points per game.