The Rams have lost 19 of their last 21 games and they looked pathetic last week against the Seahawks.  The Redskins are likely going to be ready to pound someone after losing a tough one to the Giants last week.  The Rams would love to run the ball against the Redskins in a attempt to control the clock.  The Redskins gave up 103 yards rushing to the Giants last week but only 3.3 yards per carry.  That means that Steven Jackson will have to be on his “A” game in order to deal with DT Albert Haynesworth, ILB London Fletcher and the rest of the Redskins’ D.  If the Redskins stop Jackson and force the Rams to throw the ball, this game could get ugly quick just like last week’s game.  WRs Laurent Robinson and Donnie Avery must be able to make some plays in this game if the Rams are to keep up with the Redskins.

The Redskins want to get back to their kind of football and they should be able to do that this week against the Rams.  Rookie LB James Laurinaitis will have his hands full in trying to deal with Clinton Portis who is primed to have a huge game this weekend.  The Rams allowed 167 yards (4.9 ypc) against the Seahawks and Julius Jones is not in Portis’ league as a RB.  The Rams didn’t have any sacks last week so Jason Campbell should be able to relax in the pocket.  The Rams did pick off two passes last week but Campbell is usually good in his decisions with the football.  WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El should be able to make some plays downfield against the Rams’ D.  TE Chris Cooley caught 7 passes last week and he will likely put up similar numbers this week.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 24, RAMS 3

24-year old WR Laurent Robinson is off to a good start for the Rams as he caught 5 passes for 87 yards (17.4 avg) in the season opener against the Seahawks.  Robinson has now played in 22 games in his three year NFL career in which he has caught 47 passes for 576 yards (12.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Robinson and Donnie Avery could wind up being a solid 1-2 punch in the passing game for the Rams this season and beyond.

The Rams have signed 27-year old WR Ruvell Martin.  Martin played in 13 games for the Packers last season and he caught 15 passes for 149 yards (9.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has played 3 years in the NFL appearing in 41 games in which he has caught 52 passes for 749 yards (14.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Rams’ QB Marc Bulger needs all the help he can get so Martin could get a lot of playing time soon.

The Rams have signed 31-year old linebacker Paris Lenon.  Lenon played in 16 losses for the Lions last season but he made 121 tackles, defensed 3 passes, had 1.5 sacks and he forced 2 fumbles.  Lenon has now played in 112 games in his 7-year NFL career and he has made 446 tackles, defensed 17 passes, has 5 sacks, has forced 5 fumbles and he has 2 interceptions (1 he returned for a TD).  With the way the Rams got pushed around last week by the Saints they had to add some talent on the defensive end of the field and they got that with Lenon.

The Rams looked pathetic yesterday, period!  Marc Bulger did not look good completing 17 of 36 passes for 191 yards.  Steven Jackson only carried the ball 16 times for 67 yards (4.2 ypc) as the Rams were too far behind to run the ball.  Laurent Robinson (5 rec, 87 yards) and Donnie Avery (6 rec, 46 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Rams.  The Rams finished up with a whopping 247 total yards on offense (77 rushing, 170 passing) in this game.

Linebacker James Laurinaitis led a poor Rams’ effort on defense with 14 tackles.  Safeties Oshiomoghu Atogwe (8 tackles, INT) and James Butler (5 tackles, INT) both had their moments in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 446 total yards (167 rushing, 279 passing) in this game.

The Rams have lost 10 consecutive games against the NFC West Division.  They will look to start turning things around this Sunday in Seattle but it doesn’t look too good for them.  The Rams hope that Marc Bulger will be ready to start this game as he has a chip fracture in his right pinkie.  If he can’t go Kyle Boller will and that’s not a good thing for the Rams.  Steven Jackson will be the Rams’ main man both on the ground and in the air tomorrow so the Seahawks’ linebackers better be ready. 

The Seahawks have issues along the offensive line for this game and that could be bad news for Matt Hasselbeck who is finally close to 100% again.  Look for the passing to be short to WRs Nate Burleson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Deion Branch.  Julius Jones and Edgerrin James will likely split carries in this game which shouldn’t scare Rams’ linebackers too much.

PREDICTION:  SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 20, ST. LOUIS RAMS 16

The Rams played keep away from the Chiefs and it paid of with a win.  Kyle Boller made a brief appearance completing 3 of 4 passes for 24 yards.  Brock Berlin was so-so in this game completing 9 of 17 passes for 97 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Keith Null finished up the game by completing 9 of 17 passes for 78 yards.  Chris Ogbonnaya led the way for the Rams on the ground with 41 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.4 ypc).  Ronald Curry led the way for the Rams in the air with 3 grabs for 40 yards (13.3 avg).  The Rams finished up with 328 yards in this game (76 rushing, 252 passing).

Safety David Roach led the way for the Rams’ D with 6 tackles.  CB Quincy Butler only had 2 tackles in this game but he returned a interception 28 yards for a TD.  The Chiefs finished up with 376 total yards on offense (170 rushing, 206 passing) in this game.  The Rams finished the pre-season with a 3-1 record.

The Rams have traded 27-year old CB Tye Hill to the Falcons for a 7th round pick.  Hill played in only 4 games for the Rams last season and he made 20 tackles, defensed 2 passes and he forced a fumble.  In three years for the Rams, Hill played in 28 games in which he made 105 tackles, defensed 16 passes, forced 1 fumble and he had 4 interceptions.  Hill got burned really often in his time with the Rams so this will likely be addition by subtraction.

The Rams have released 25-year old TE Joe Klopfenstein.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he caught 11 passes for 123 yards (11.2 avg).  In three years with the Rams, Klopfenstein played in 48 games catching 33 passes for 386 yards (11.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Klopfenstein was a bust for the Rams who decided to cut their losses and move on at TE.