The Rams have lost 25-year old G/C Mark Setterstrom for the rest of the year with torn triceps.  He has played in 9 games (3 starts) for the Rams this season.  In his three years with the Rams, Setterstrom has played in 19 games (12 starts).  The Rams will miss him as he was starting at RG at the time of his injury.

The Rams looked lost without Steven Jackson who missed this game due to injury.  Keith Null got another start for the Rams at QB and he completed 20 of 31 passes for 171 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs.  Chris Ogbonnaya led the way for the Rams in the running game with 9 carries for 45 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 19 yards.  Kenneth Darby pitched in with 11 carries for 40 yards (3.6 ypc) yesterday.  Brandon Gibson led the way in the passing game for the Rams yesterday with 5 grabs for 51 yards (10.2 avg) with a TD.  Danny Amendola pitched in with 6 catches for 38 yards (6.3 avg) in this game.  The Rams finished up with only 238 yards of total offense (88 rushing, 150 passing) in this game.

The defense did not play well but it was led by safeties James Butler (11 tackles) and Craig Dahl (10 tackles).  The Cardinals finished up with 407 total yards on offense (110 rushing, 297 passing) in this game.  The Rams are now 1-14 on the year.

The Rams will be without 26-year old TE Daniel Fells for the rest of the year due to a sprained knee ligament and a fractured thigh bone right above his right knee.  Fells played in 14 games for the Rams this season and he caught 21 passes for 273 yards (13.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Fells really played well this season to solidify his position with the Rams for the future and they will miss him the last couple of weeks.

The Rams played the Texans tough today before falling just a little short in the end.  Keith Null looked a lot better than last week as he completed 18 of 27 passes for 173 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Steven Jackson was solid despite being banged up and under the weather as he carried the ball 20 times for 82 yards (4.1 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 41 yards (10.3 avg).  Donnie Avery led the way in the passing game for the Rams with 4 grabs for 42 yards (10.5 avg).  The Rams only finished up with 237 total yards on offense (88 rushing, 149 passing) in this game. 

The defense might have bent a lot but it didn’t break much today.  CB Ronald Bartell led the way for the Rams today with 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Safety Craig Dahl was also solid with 6 tackles and a fumble recovery.  DT Darell Scott pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery.  The Texans finished up with 419 total yards in this game (52 rushing, 367 passing).  The Rams are now 1-13 on the year.

The Texans still have a chance to make the playoffs if they can run the table so they will likely be bringing their A-Game tomorrow against the Rams.  The Rams better hope that Steven Jackson is healthy enough to carry the load tomorrow as he is one of the many players suffering from the flu.  The Texans allow 114.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this season so Jackson should be able to find some running room.  The Rams will probably start rookie QB Keith Null again this week and that’s bad news for the Rams as he threw five pickoffs in his NFL debut last weekend against the Titans.  The Texans are allowing 214.8 yards passing per game so there are plays that could be made downfield as long as Null relaxes in the pocket.

The Rams will have to blitz more than usual because if Matt Schaub has time to throw the ball they are in big, big trouble.  The Rams will be doubling Andre Johnson all day long but it might not matter as he is just that good.  The Texans are going with undrafted rookie Arian Foster as the starting RB so the Rams will likely have to focus on stopping the pass.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 38, RAMS 3

35-year old DE Leonard Little is starting to slow down for the Rams and his career could be near to coming to a close.  Little has played in all 13 games for the Rams this season and he has 23 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 5 passes defensed and 1 interception (he returned it 36 yards for a TD).  He has now played in 147 games in his 12 years with the Rams and he has made 366 tackles, defensed 14 passes, forced 33 fumbles, picked off two passes and he has 87.5 sacks.  Little might still have a little bit left in the tank but the Rams are a rebuilding team which means they might let him go after the year.

23-year old inside linebacker James Laurinaitis is quite simply the best defensive player on the Rams.  The 2nd round pick out of Ohio State has played in 13 games for the Rams this season and he has 104 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 sack, defensed 3 passes and he has 2 interceptions.  Despite the awful season the Rams have had on defense they now have a building block in Laurinaitis. 

The Rams have released starting right guard Richie Incognito.  He played in 9 games (all starts) for the Rams this season.  He played 5 year for the Rams playing in 44 games (all starts).  The Rams felt the need to part ways with Incognito because of the fact that he often plays out of control drawing penalties.  That didn’t stop the Bills from claiming him off waivers today.  25-year old Mark Setterstrom will replace Incognito in the starting line-up.  He has played in 7 games (1 start) this year and he has played in 17 games (10 starts) in his 3 years with the Rams.

Kyle Boller could not go due to a thigh injury so rookie quarterback Keith Null was forced to start for the St. Louis Rams (1-12) against the Tennessee Titans (6-7) on Sunday, and he was obviously not ready to be a starting quarterback yet.  It was Null’s NFL debut, and he threw 5 interceptions that the Titans turned into 20 points.  Steven Jackson played through a sore back and wasn’t much help to Null.  He rushed for a season-low 47 yards on 19 carries.  Kenneth Darby did have a 51-yard run on a fake punt, one of the few good plays of the day for the Rams.

The Rams defense could not do anything against the Titans, and with the offense turning the ball over so much they were worn down early.  Even though Titans’ starting quarterback Vince Young left the game with a hamstring injury, the Rams couldn’t stop the Titans.  Young passed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 6/8 passes before leaving.  Kerry Collins came in for Young and picked up right where he left off, passing for 154 yards and a touchdown on 11/19 passes.  Chris Johnson did the most damage though, rushing 28 times for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns and catching 3 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown.  This was another ugly loss for the Rams.

The St. Louis Rams (1-11) are going up against a very good running team in Tennessee Titans (5-7), which is bad news for the Rams.  They are giving up 146 rushing yards per contest, and the Titans have this year’s best running back Chris Johnson.  Johnson has already rushed for over 1,500 yards this season and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.  They also have to worry about the Titans’ quarterback Vince Young in both the passing and running game.  This game does not bode well for the Rams’ defense.

Kyle Boller will need to provide a lot more than what he has if the Rams want to come out victorious.  Steven Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for the Rams this year, so if Boller can get anything going in the passing game it will relieve the pressure off Jackson.  The Titans do not have a very good pass-defense, giving up 267 passing yards per game, so it is a possibility for Boller to have a good game.  It is not likely though, and with the Rams having such a weak run-defense the Titans will run away with this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Tennessee Titans 31, St. Louis Rams 14