The Rams will be without 22-year old rookie WR Danario Alexander for the next 2-4 weeks due to knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in one of his knees.  Alexander has played in 2 games for the Rams this year and he has caught 5 passes for 78 yards (15.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This is going to hurt the Rams a little bit as Alexander has really played well the last couple of weeks for them.

The Rams are coming off a tough loss last Sunday but they are returning home which is where they like to play.  The Rams are 3-1 on the year at home and they have outscored the competition 83-53!  The Panthers broke the seal getting their first win of the year last weekend over the 49ers.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to come out running the ball with Steven Jackson against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 128.5 yards rushing but only 3.9 yards per carry.  The Rams are going to need someone in the receiving corps to step up to help give the team some balance this Sunday.  Sam Bradford will likely have time to throw the ball as the Panthers only have 9 sacks so far this year.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers will come out running the ball with Jonathan Stewart as DeAngelo Williams isn’t likely to play due to a foot injury.  The Rams are giving up 108.1 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry so far this season.  The Rams are going to have to get after Panthers’ QB Matt Moore because all of a sudden he has decent receivers to throw to.  Steve Smith and rookies Brandon LaFell & David Gettis could give the Rams some problems this weekend.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 16, RAMS 13

The Rams have signed 30-year old safety Michael Lewis.  Lewis played in 3 games earlier this year for the Niners and he had 10 tackles.  Lewis has now played in 126 games in his NFL career and he has 678 tackles, 53 passes defensed, 10.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and he has 12 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  I really like this signing for the Rams for a couple reasons.  1) He still is a solid football player and 2) the Rams have two games left with his old team (the 49ers).

The Rams have placed 26-year old DT Clifton Ryan on the Injured Reserve List with recurring migraines.  Ryan played in 1 game for the Rams this year and he didn’t register any tackles.  Ryan has now played in 49 games in his four years with the Rams and he has 103 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.  This will hurt the interior depth of the D-Line.

The Rams have claimed 26-year old cornerback Quincy Butler off waivers from the Saints.  Butler has not gotten into any games for the Saints in his time there this year.  Butler played in 14 games as a rookie for the Rams last season and he had 28 tackles and 5 passes defensed.  This was a smart move for the Rams as Butler might be ready to play this weekend due to him being familiar with the defensive playbook.

The Rams looked like they had this game as they were up 17-6 at the half.  But the Buccaneers drove down at the end of the game and Josh Freeman hit Cadillac Williams with a 1-yard TD pass with 10 seconds left to beat the Rams.  Sam Bradford was solid in a game manager role as he completed 13 of 26 passes for 126 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Steven Jackson was a workhorse for the Rams today as he carried the ball 22 times for 110 yards (5.5 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for another 35 yards (17.5 avg).  Kenneth Darby pitched in with 19 yards rushing on 4 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 19 yards today.  Danny Amendola (3 receptions for 21 yards with a TD grab and 1 carry for 21 yards) and rookie TE Michael Hoomanawanui (2 rec, 12 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Rams today.  The Rams finished up with 161 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 26 passes for 124 yards.

The defense was pretty solid until the last drive for the Rams.  LBs James Laurinaitis (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed) and Bryan Kehl (7 tackles) led the way for the Rams on D in this game.  The Bucs finished up with 124 yards rushing on 21 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 40 passes for 189 yards in this game.  The Rams are now 3-4 after this disappointing loss.

The Rams have been pretty terrible on the road as they are 0-2 having been outscored by the Lions & Raiders by a combined score of 60-20!  The Buccaneers are not much better at home as they are 1-2 having been outscored 83-36!  Something has to give this weekend and here’s a look at the matchups:

When the Rams have the ball:  This is a game that sets up well for the Rams’ offense.  Steven Jackson will take aim at a Bucs’ D that is allowing 157.0 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry.  I look for Jackson to have a monster game which will help Sam Bradford out quite a bit when throwing the ball.  The Bucs are allowing 210.6 yards passing per game and they have only 4 sacks this year so Bradford will have time to throw the ball.  He has to be careful of where he’s throwing the ball though as the Bucs already have 10 interceptions so far this year.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers have turned into a pass first team because they just can’t run the ball.  With that in mind look for the Rams to play the run on the way to the QB.  The Rams have 17 sacks already this year so look for them to be right in Josh Freeman’s face.  They need to get to Freeman because Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow are both having pretty good years.  The Rams are giving up 227.3 yards passing per game so the Bucs should be able to make some plays through the air.  The Bucs will probably give Cadillac Williams 15-20 carries in this game but he’s only averaging 2.5 yards per carry so he’s not much to worry about.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 23, BUCCANEERS 20

24-year old 2nd year WR Danny Amendola is playing at a high level for the Rams once again in 2010.  He burst onto the scene last season when he played in 14 games in which he caught 43 passes for 326 yards (7.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Amendola also returned 66 kickoffs for 1,618 yards (24.5 avg) and 31 punts for 360 yards (11.6 avg) last season.  He touched the ball 143 times for 2,302 total yards (164.4 total yards per game) for an average of 16.1 yards per touch.  This year Amendola is being used a lot more offensively so the Rams don’t have him returning kickoffs all of the time.  He has played in 6 games so far this year and he has caught 36 passes for 322 yards (8.9 avg).  He has also returned 3 kickoffs for 68 yards (22.7 avg) and 16 punts for 177 yards (11.1 avg) so far this year.  Amendola has touched the ball 55 times for 567 yards (94.5 total yards per game) as he’s averaging 10.3 yards per touch.  Look for Amendola to continue being busy as Sam Bradford likes throwing the ball to him.

The Rams took out the Chargers today at home where the Rams have played pretty solid football.  Sam Bradford was solid once again in this game as he completed 18 of 31 passes for 198 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Steven Jackson had a heavy workload today as he carried the ball 29 times for 109 yards (3.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  WR Danario Alexander came off the practice squad to lead the way in the passing game for the Rams with 4 grabs for 72 yards (18.0 avg) with a 38-yard TD reception in his NFL debut.  TE Billy Bajema pitched in with 3 receptions for 34 yards (11.3 avg) today.  The Rams finished up with 117 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes for 183 yards.

The Rams’ D was very aggressive in this game as they had 7 sacks today!  CB Brady Fletcher (8 tackles), safety O.J. Atogwe (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 INT) and LB Larry Grant (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Rams’ D in this game.  DEs James Hall and Chris Long each had 2 sacks apiece for the Rams today.  The Chargers finished up with 79 yards rushing on 17 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 37 passes for 208 yards.  The Rams are now 3-3 on the season.

The Chargers are 0-3 on the road this year as they have been outscored 83-61 so far!  The Rams are 2-1 at home as they have outscored opponents 63-36!  Something has to give this weekend in St. Louis.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to try to keep the ball away from the high powered Chargers’ offense.  To achieve that goal they are going to have to run the ball and throw short passes.  That means that Steven Jackson is going to have a huge role against a Chargers’ D that is only allowing 86.4 yards rushing and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Rams are going to have to likely keep the passing game of the short variety because the Chargers have 18 sacks and 7 pickoffs already this year.  Sam Bradford will have to protect the ball and I see Danny Amendola and TE Daniel Fells being his top two targets in the passing game this Sunday.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely going to come out passing.  The Rams are going to have to get to Philip Rivers because if he has time to throw the ball the Rams are going to be in big trouble.  Malcolm Floyd (22 rec, 498 yards, 3 TD grabs) and Antonio Gates (29 rec, 478 yards, 7 TD grabs) have been absolutely incredible this year and they will put a lot of pressure on the Rams’ secondary.  Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will also likely get their share of touches against a Rams’ D that is allowing 110.8 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, RAMS 13