The Rams have lost 22-year old TE Mike Hoomanawanui for the next 4-6 weeks due to a high ankle sprain.  He has played in 7 games so far this year for the Rams and he has caught 13 passes for 146 yards (11.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Rams will need 27-year old Daniel Fells and 28-year old Billy Bajema to step up with Hoomanawanui out of action.  Fells has played in 11 games for the Rams so far this year and he has 25 catches for 233 yards (9.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Bajema has played in 8 games for the Rams this year and he has 11 catches for 106 yards (9.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  I think that Fells & Bajema are going to step up for the Rams the next few weeks.

The Rams played outstanding offensively in this game and that’s the reason for the first round win of the season.  Sam Bradford was outstanding as he completed 22 of 37 passes for 308 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Steven Jackson pitched in with 72 yards rushing on 29 carries (2.5 ypc) in this game.  Kenneth Darby had 2 carries for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) with a TD run.  WRs Danario Alexander (4 rec, 95 yards), Laurent Robinson (4 rec, 58 yards) and WR Danny Amendola (4 receptions for 41 yards and 3 carries for 48 yards) were all effective for the Rams in this game.  TEs Michael Hoomanawanui (1 rec, 36 yards, TD) and Billy Bajema (3 rec, 32 yards, 2 TDs) made some huge catches for the Rams in this game.  The Rams finished up with 123 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 37 passes for 308 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:17.

Safeties Craig Dahl (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and O.J. Atogwe (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Rams’ D in this game.  Rookie safety Jerome Murphy and linebacker Na’il Diggs both recovered fumbles for the Rams yesterday.  The Broncos finished up with 119 yards rushing on 18 carries (6.6 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 41 passes for 330 yards.  The Rams are now 5-6 on the season and they have tied the Seahawks for first place in the NFC West.

The Rams are 0-4 on the road but they have lost 3 of those games by a combined six points so they are getting closer.  The Broncos are 2-3 at home this season but Ivesco Field can be tough on road teams because of the altitude.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  I think this is the game where the Rams should take the shackles off the offense and let them play.  Steven Jackson will likely get his fair share of yards against a  Broncos’ D that is allowing 143.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  The Broncos are also allowing 232.1 yards passing per game and they have almost no pass rush.  So with Sam Bradford having time to throw the ball he could have a big game this Sunday.

When the Broncos have the ball:  The Broncos will likely try to air it out this Sunday against the Rams who are allowing 230.5 yards passing per game this year.   The Rams have 28 sacks so far this year so Orton will likely have to get rid of the ball fast.  He has three nice targets in Brandon Lloyd, Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal for the Rams’ CBs to deal with.  Knowshon Moreno will likely get in on the action running the ball but he’s not having a good year.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 26, BRONCOS 23

The Rams had a 17-16 lead with 11:56 left in the 3rd quarter last Sunday before the roof caved in.  Sam Bradford had another solid game as he completed 27 of 42 passes for 233 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  Bradford also carried the ball 1 time for 17 yards in this game.  Steven Jackson carried the ball 11 times for 54 yards (4.9 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 7 yards (2.3 avg) last week.  Danny Amendola (8 rec, 63 yards), Brandon Gibson (5 rec, 42 yards, TD), Mike Hoomanawanui (4 rec, 46 yards, TD) and Laurent Robinson (5 rec, 55 yards) all pitched in for the Rams in the passing game against the Falcons.  The Rams finished up with 71 yards rushing on 12 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 42 passes for 233 yards in this game.

LB James Laurinaitis led the way for the Rams in this game with 11 tackles.  The Rams got pushed around in this game though as the Falcons rushed for 138 yards on 31 carries (4.5 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 39 passes for 253 yards.  The Rams are now 4-6 on the season.

The Falcons have won three games in a row but they are only 2-2 on the road this year.  The Rams are a sterling 4-1 at home this year where they have outscored their opponents 103-63!  This is a big game for both teams as the Falcons are 1 game up on the Bucs & Saints in the NFC South while the Rams are 1 game behind the Seahawks in the NFC West.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to come out trying to run the ball on Sunday.  Steven Jackson will have to fight for every yard in this game against a Falcons’ D that is allowing 98.1 yards rushing (4.2 ypc).  If Sam Bradford has time to throw the ball Sunday he’s going to have a good day throwing the ball as the Falcons are allowing 245.3 yards passing per game this year.  Brandon Gibson, Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson are likely going to get most of the looks in the passing game from Bradford.

When the Falcons have the ball:  The Falcons are going to have a similar gameplan as they are going to come out giving the rock to Michael Turner.  The Rams have 28 sacks so far this year so they are going to be bringing the heat on Matt Ryan.  The problem with blitzing Ryan a lot is that he likes throwing short passes to Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Snelling.

PREDICTION:  FALCONS 23, RAMS 20

The Rams went 1-15 in 51-year old head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s first year on the job.  They look like a completely different team this year as they are 4-5 right now.  The Rams have improved on both sides of the ball and they believe that they can win any time they suit up.  The Rams are also playing outstanding at home this year where they are 4-1 and they have outscored teams 103-63 at the Edward Jones Dome.  The Rams are now 5-20 (20%) in two years under Steve Spagnuolo. 

The Rams have placed 24-year old rookie TE Fendi Onobun on the Injured Reserve List as his season is now over due to a bulging disc in his lower back.  Onobun played in 3 games for the Rams this year and he caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg).  The Rams hope that he’ll be ready to go in 2011.

Sam Bradford led the Rams on a 11-play, 70 yard drive in the final 2:10 seconds of this game to set up Josh Brown for a 23-yard field goal which he made to send this game into O.T.  But, the Niners won this game in O.T. mostly due to a pass interference call on safety O.J. Atogwe which pretty much set up Joe Nedney for a 29-yard game winning FG. 

Sam Bradford stepped up in this game as he completed 30 of 42 passes for 251 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc) in this game.  Steven Jackson was a busy boy yesterday with 20 carries for 81 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 8 passes for 67 yards (8.4 avg) in this game.  WRs Brandon Gibson (8 rec, 72 yards) and Danny Amendola (7 rec, 51 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Rams yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 104 yards on 24 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 42 passes for 228 yards.

Safety Craig Dahl (13 tackles, 2 passes defensed) and LB James Laurinaitis (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Rams’ D in this game.  The 49ers finished up with 98 yards rushing on 26 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 28 passes for 323 yards.  The Rams are now 4-5 on the year.

The Rams and 49ers are both coming off byes after winning two weeks ago.  This is a huge game as the Rams & Seahawks are tied for first place in the NFC West.  A win by the 49ers would get them right back into the division mix.  The Rams are 0-3 on the road where they have been outscored 78-37.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams will probably play this game close to the vest with Steven Jackson carrying most of the load in the running game and catching a few passes out of the backfield.  Sam Bradford needs one of his WRs to step up in this game as the Niners are allowing 231.0 yards passing per game so there are plays to be made.  Brandon Gibson, Laurent Robinson, Daniel Fells or Danny Amendola needs to step up.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to probably also be conservative with Frank Gore being the focal point of the offense.  With Troy Smith likely to start at QB the Rams have to contain him in the pocket because he’s a good runner.  I look for most of Smith’s success passing to come off of playaction this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, RAMS 16

You can see why a lot of teams were calling the Rams about Sam Bradford on Draft Day 2010.  The Rams were smart to reject every offer that came their way for him.  Bradford has started all 8 games for the Rams this year and he has completed 171 of 292 passes (58.6%) for 1,674 yards with 11 TD passes and 8 INTs (75.9 QB Rating).  Bradford has also carried the ball 16 times for 22 yards (1.4 ypc) so far this year.  The most amazing thing to me about Bradford is that he doesn’t have much talent in the WR corps and he is still getting production out of the passing game.  Look for the Rams to sign some veteran WRs or use high picks on WRs next April.