The Rams played their best game of the season yesterday which is pretty odd when you consider that were out yarded 492-262!  But they made big plays when they needed them forcing this game into overtime before falling once again yesterday.  Marc Bulger was efficient in this game as he completed 22 of 34 passes for 213 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Steven Jackson was busy in this game as he carried the ball 16 times for 50 yards (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 78 yards (13.0 avg).  WR Donnie Avery only caught 1 pass in this game but he made it count as it went for a 17 yard TD.  The Rams finished up with 262 yards on offense in this game (55 rushing, 207 passing) despite only having the football for 24:48.

The Jaguars had possession of the football for an amazing 42:12 in this game but they still had to fight to the bitter end to beat the Rams because of the bend but don’t break defense they were playing.  Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe led the way for the Rams in this game with 10 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis was also very busy in this game as he had 5 tackles, defensed 1 pass, hit the opposing QB twice and he picked off a pass.  DE Leonard Little was living in the Jags’ backfield in this game as he finished with 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, had defensed 3 passes, hit the opposing QB twice and he intercepted a pass that he returned 36 yards for a TD.  The Jaguars finished up with 492 total yards of offense in this game (166 rushing, 326 passing).  The Rams are now 0-6 on the season but they at least showed some life yesterday.

This could be a interesting game as both teams are off to slow starts this season.  The best offensive players on each team are running backs (Steven Jackson, Maurice Jones-Drew) but both of these teams have pathetic pass defenses.  Does that mean this game could turn into a shootout?  Don’t bank on it as they combined to get outscored 79-10 last weekend!  The Rams will still likely try to get the ball into Steven Jackson’s hands as much as possible in this game.  The Jags allow 107.6 yards rushing per game but only 3.8 yards per carry so maybe the Rams should think about throwing the ball more than usual in this game.  Rams’ QBs have been sacked 12 times already this season but the Jaguars only have 4 sacks this year so Marc Bulger might actually have some time to throw the football this week.  The Jaguars are giving up 273.0 yards passing per game this season and opposing QBs have a Rating of 103.0 this year.  Look for the Rams to attack the Jags downfield with WRs Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton and Danny Amendola.  Bulger just must be aware of where Rashean Mathis of the Jags is because he is a solid cover corner who can make game altering plays.  TEs Randy McMichael and Daniel Fells could be trouble for the Jags underneath.

The Jaguars need to get back to getting the football in Maurice Jones-Drew’s hands and that could start this week against the Rams.  The Rams allow 125.8 yards rushing per game this season (4.0 ypc) so Jones-Drew could be in line for a big game.  After the running game is established look for David Garrard to attack the Rams deep with Mike Sims-Walker who is back in action after serving a 1-game ban last weeked in Seattle.  This should be the week that Torry Holt finally gets into the end zone for the Jags.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 24, RAMS 17

Rams’ QBs have been sacked 12 times this season and they have really been hit hard on some passes after they have gotten rid of the ball.  Kyle Boller who had been starting for Marc Bulger who was recovering from a bruised rotator cuff got knocked out of the game last week against the Vikings when a defender cracked him in the head.  Bulger relieved him and he completed all 7 of his pass attempts in garbage time.  He will get the call against the Jaguars as the starting QB this week.  He has completed 42 of 75 passes (56%) for 427 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (81.4 QB Rating).  With the way the O-Line is blocking Kyle Boller will need to get healthy soon as he will likely get another chance to start at some point this season.  He has completed 49 of 86 passes (57%) for 481 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (66.1 QB Rating).  Bulger has a better upside but Boller has the stronger arm.  With the WRs the Rams have though it might not matter who is playing QB for them.

The Rams have lost 27-year old DT Gary Gibson for the rest of the season due to a broken bone in his ankle that will require surgery.  He had 11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 1 pass this season for the Rams.  This is literally a bad break for Gibson who was finally getting to start in the NFL.  The Rams should be able to find someone at least as good as Gibson to replace him.

The Rams got punished in this game by the Vikings until garbage time when they showed some fight.  Kyle Boller started this game and he completed 20 of 31 passes for 209 yards with 1 INT.  He also lost a fumble that was returned 52 yards for a TD by Vikings’ DE Jared Allen.  Marc Bulger shined in garbage time completing all 7 of his pass attempts for 88 yards with a TD pass.  Steven Jackson was busy for the Rams in this game rushing for 84 yards on 21 carries (4.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 25 yards (12.5 avg).  WR Donnie Avery had a solid game for the Rams finishing with 5 catches for 87 yards (17.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Rams finished up with 400 total yards in this game (122 rushing, 278 passing).

Safety Craig Dahl led the way for the Rams’ D in this game with 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits.  The Vikings finished up with 377 total yards on offense in this game (89 rushing, 288 passing).  The Rams are now 0-5 on the season.

This game could wind up being a brutal beat down for the Rams unless the Vikings have a let down due to the big win that they got over the Packers on Monday Night Football.  But, that is unlikely to happen.  The Vikings will likely get back to running the football with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor against a Rams’ D that is allowing 135.0 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  Brett Favre will likely be a game manager early in the game before taking a lot of chances downfield against a shoody Rams’ pass defense which is allowing opposing QBs to have a 100.2 QB Rating. 

Honestly, the best chance for the Rams to score a TD in this game likely lies with KR/PR Danny Amendola and that’s a awful thing to say about a football team but it’s likely accurate.  After all, the Rams have only scored 24 points this season and they have already been shut out twice.  Any hope they have lies in getting the ball into Steven Jackson’s hands (367 yards rushing, 67 yards receiving) and he will find it hard to get a lot of yards against a Vikings’ D that is only allowing 89.5 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry.  The Vikings will likely have 8 or 9 defensive players in the box at all times as the Rams are having serious issues throwing the ball.  They have allowed 10 sacks this season and the receivers don’t have much experience which has made it hard for either Marc Bulger or Kyle Boller to get anything done through the air.  DE Jared Allen of the Vikings already has 6.5 sacks this season and he will not doubt be getting into the Rams’ backfield often.

PREDICTION:  VIKINGS 30, RAMS 6

The St. Louis Rams (0-4) offense looked terrible again and were crushed by the San Francisco 49ers (3-1) on the road Sunday.  The Rams had three turnovers and all of them turned into points for the 49ers.  The first came in the second quarter when the Rams screwed up a punt return and the 49er’s Scott McKillop recovered it in the end-zone for the only score of the first half.  The 49ers’ defense scored again in the third quarter when Patrick Wilson had a 23-yard interception return and again in the fourth quarter when Ray McDonald recovered a Kyle Boller fumble and ran 11 yards for a touchdown.

The Rams defense played well enough to win this game, but got nothing from their offense.  Kyle Boller did not do a good job filling in for the injured Marc Bulger as he finished the game with only 108 yards on 13/24 attempts and had two turnovers.  Steven Jackson was effective on the ground and had 79 yards on 23 carries (3.4 avg).  The Rams were way too sloppy today and the turnovers were way too costly.  The Rams will be looking for their first win next week against the Minnesota Vikings at home.

The St. Louis Rams (0-4) continued their pathetic play and were crushed by the San Francisco 49ers (3-1) Sunday.

The St. Louis Rams (0-3) are still looking for their first win of the year as they head west to take on the San Francisco 49ers.  The Rams will be without their starting quarterback Marc Bulger, who bruised the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder in the first quarter last week.  Kyle Bulger will be starting in place of Bulger and it will be his first start since December of 2007.  The Rams also lost receiver Laurent Robinson for the year with an ankle fracture.  The 49ers are also missing one of their best players, as running back Frank Gore is out with an ankle injury.

The Rams are going to rely heavily on Steven Jackson, as he has had a great year so far for the Rams.  Whether it’s on the ground or through the air, Jackson is the biggest threat on offense for the Rams.  Although Jackson is without a touchdown, he has rushed for 288 yards on 60 carries (4.8 avg) and in the past two games he has caught nine passes for 61 yards.  Kyle Boller hooked up with tight end Daniel Fells for two touchdowns last week, but he also threw an interception and really struggled to keep a rhythm in the second half.

The Rams have one of the worst run-defenses in the league and are lucky Frank Gore will be sitting this one out.  Rookie Glen Coffee will start for the injured Gore and has not been very good thus far.  He will be better than his 1.8 yard per carry average though and 49ers coach Mike Singeltary said he is not going to change the game-plan and is confident in Coffee’s abilities.  If the rookie settles in, the Rams will be in trouble.  The Rams have a good opportunity to win this game with Gore out and if Boller can play more consistent and complete a better percentage of his passes (51% last week).  The 49ers are the better football team though and should win this game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Rams 17, 49ers 27

23-year old WR Danny Amendola was one of the mighty mites at Texas Tech in college at 5’11″, 186 pounds.  Because he played at Tech he was pretty much overlooked at draft time.  The Rams signed him last week with the idea that he would return all of the kicks.  He did a good job for them last week against the Packers.  He returned 8 kickoffs for 187 yards (23.4 avg) and 2 punts for 23 yards (11.5 avg) last week.  The Rams were so impressed with him that they are considering using him some on offense soon.