The Rams rose up from the ashes yesterday and they dominated the Saints!  A visit from the Cardinals seemed to energize the Rams in this game.  A.J. Feeley was solid yesterday as he completed 20 of 37 passes for 175 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He did lose a fumble that was recovered for a Saints’ TD but it was his only mistake.  Steven Jackson had a monster game for the Rams yesterday.  He carried the ball 25 times for 159 yards (6.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 4 passes for 32 yards (8.0 avg).  WRs Brandon Lloyd (6 rec, 53 yards, TD) and Greg Salas (5 rec, 47 yards) led the way for the Rams in the passing game.  The Rams finished up with 183 yards rushing on 31 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 37 passes (54.1%) for 140 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:23.

The Rams’ D was outstanding yesterday.  LB James Laurinaitis led the way for the Rams yesterday with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 2 passes defensed and 2 QB hits.  CB/S Josh Gordy (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and safety Darian Stewart (7 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a interception that he returned 27 yards for a TD) also had big games for the Rams yesterday.  DE Chris Long (3 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 3 QB hits) was also outstanding for the Rams, who sacked Drew Brees six  times yesterday.  The Saints finished up with 56 yards rushing on 20 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 44 passes (68.2%) for 227 yards in this game.  The Rams are now 1-6 on the season.

The Rams are in really bad shape this year and it just seems to be getting worse.  A.J. Feeley will be making his second start of the year for the Rams and the first one didn’t wasn’t too good as they lost 31-7 at Dallas last Sunday.  The Saints rolled last Sunday Night, 62-7 over the Colts in New Orleans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams would be smart to tighten up the chinstraps and run the ball right at the Saints’ D with Steven Jackson.  The Saints are giving up 115.7 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry so far this year, so that gameplan would make perfect sense.  If the Rams’ O-Line can give A.J. Feeley time to throw the ball, he might be able to make some plays down the field to WR Brandon Lloyd as the Saints are giving up 233.6 yards passing per game so far this year.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are likely going to try to pass to get the lead before grinding out the game on the ground.  That means that the Saints are going to have to get pressure on Drew Brees.  If he has time to throw the ball, he’s likely going to shred the Rams’ secondary, by spreading the ball around to his very deep bunch of solid WRs, RBs and TEs.  Mark Ingram isn’t playing in this game due to a heel injury.  So the Rams’ front seven better be ready to deal with Pierre Thomas and Darren Sproles.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 31, RAMS 10

The Rams recently traded for Brandon Lloyd to help improve the Rams’ play at WR.  He stepped right in last weekend and caught 6 passes for 74 yards (12.3 avg).  He is likely to be the Rams’ #1 WR going forward.  Danario Alexander can really play when he’s healthy, but that doesn’t happen much.  He has caught 16 passes for 296 yards (18.5 avg) with 1 TD grab as he has a knack for getting down the field.  Brandon Gibson has caught 17 passes for 214 yards (12.6 avg) with 1 TD grab, but the Rams always expected much more out of him than he has produced.  Rookies Greg Salas (15 rec, 158 yards, 10.5 avg) and Austin Pettis (6 rec, 40 yards, 6.7 avg) as they have not produced the way the Rams thought they would when they drafted them last April.  The Rams’ WRs need to step up, plain and simple.

The St. Louis Rams have waived 22-year old rookie LB Jabara Williams.  Williams played in 2 games for the Rams this year and he didn’t have any tackles.  Williams was a 7th round pick out of Stephen F. Austin, so the expectations weren’t that high for him.  The Rams won’t miss him at all as he didn’t do anything in the two games he did play in.

The Rams have signed 29-year old OT Mark LeVoir.  LeVoir played in 3 games (1 start) with the Ravens earlier this year.  He has now played in 35 games (3 starts) in his first six years in the NFL.  The Rams needed help along the offensive line, so I like this pickup for them.

The St. Louis Rams really sucked yesterday in Dallas.  There is no way to sugarcoat it.  A.J. Feeley got the start at QB and he completed 20 of 33 passes for 196 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Steven Jackson led the way on the ground for the Rams in this game with 70 yards rushing on 18 carries (3.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 4 passes for 3 yards (0.8 avg) in this game.  WR Brandon Lloyd (6 rec, 74 yards) and TE Michael Hoomanawanui (3 rec, 44 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Rams yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 70 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.3 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 33 passes (60.6%) for 195 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 26:04.

The Rams’ defense was utterly pathetic yesterday.  Safety Quintin Mikell (10 tackles, 1 forced fumble), LB James Laurinaitis (8 tackles), CB Josh Gordy (6 tackles) and CB Al Harris (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery) led the way for the “D” yesterday.  The Cowboys finished up with 294 yards rushing on 34 carries (8.6 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 151 yards.  The Rams are now 0-6 on the year.

The Rams have been awful this year and they will be without starting QB Sam Bradford in this game as A.J. Feeley will draw the start (his first since 2007).  The Cowboys are likely going to be in a nasty frame of mind after blowing last weekend’s game in New England right at the end.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  This is quite honestly, a very bad matchup for the Rams this weekend.  They are going to try to run the ball a lot with Steven Jackson.  That sounds like a good plan, but the Cowboys are only giving up 69.6 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry so far this year, so it won’t be easy.  A.J. Feeley is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly, because the Cowboys are going to be blitzing like hell.  Rams’ QBs have been sacked 22 times already this year and OLB DeMarcus Ware of the Cowboys already has seven himself.  Still, Feeley will no doubt be looking for Rams’ new WR Brandon Lloyd down the field in this game.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Rams are going to have to get after Tony Romo, because if he has time to throw the ball, he’s going to shred the Rams’ secondary.  The Cowboys are averaging 324.8 yards passing per game so far this year and they Rams are giving up 240.4 yards per game, so it’s likely going to be a long, long day for the Rams’ D.  Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant are all going to cause huge matchup problems for the Rams.  The Cowboys are giving rookie RB DeMarco Murray his first NFL start tomorrow, and the Rams hope they can contain him using just the front seven.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 31, RAMS 7

The Rams need to stick with the running game a little more.  They are averaging 99.0 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  Steven Jackson is back healthy and the Rams need to feed him the ball.  Jackson has played in 4 games for the Rams so far this year and he has carried the ball 41 times for 220 yards (5.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 8 passes for 48 yards (6.0 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  He is by far the best offensive player on the Rams, so they need to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.  Cadillac Williams is also having a solid year for the Rams.  Williams has played in 4 games for the Rams so far this year and he has carried the ball 53 times for 219 yards (4.1 ypc).  He has also caught 12 passes for 74 yards (6.2 ypc) so far this year.  Jerious Norwood has just been getting a few scraps from the table this year.  Norwood has played in 3 games for the Rams this year and he has 6 carries for 18 yards (3.0 ypc).

The Rams have released 26-year old WR Mike Sims-Walker.  Sims-Walker played in 4 games for the Rams this year and he caught 11 passes for 139 yards (12.6 avg) without a TD grab.  Rams’ QBs only completed 11 of 26 passes (42.3%) thrown in Sims-Walker’s direction, so things just weren’t working out with him.  The Rams won’t miss him at all with Brandon Lloyd coming aboard.

23-year old QB Sam Bradford has a high ankle sprain.  He is likely to miss this Sunday’s game against the Cowboys and maybe more.  He has played in all 5 games for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 103 of 195 passes (52.8%) for 1,170 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs (72.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 22 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  34-year old A.J. Feeley is going to get all of the reps with the first team this week with the thought that he’s going to be the starting QB for at least a couple of weeks.  Feeley has played in 1 game for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 1 of 5 passes (20%) for 21 yards without a TD pass or interception (44.6 QB Rating).  Feeley is usually much better as a reliever in game, than a starting QB, so the Rams better hope Bradford gets healthy soon.