The Rams played hard today but they didn’t deserve to win.  They gave up another TD return on a punt to Patrick Peterson (80 yarder) which they also did in the first meeting.  Nick Miller did rip off a 88-yard punt return for a TD for the Rams early in the game today.  The offense did not play well for the Rams though and it helped doom them in this game.  Sam Bradford completed 17 of 31 passes for 203 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs today.  Steven Jackson led the way for the Rams on the ground today with 64 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.8 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 14 yards (4.7 avg).  Jerious Norwood pitched in with 22 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.4 ypc) in this game.  WR Brandon Lloyd led the way for the Rams in the passing game today with 74 yards on 5 grabs (14.8 avg) with 1 TD catch.  WR Austin Pettis (3 rec, 45 yards) and TE Lance Kendricks (3 rec, 37 yards) also pitched in for the Rams today.  The Rams finished up with 86 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 32 passes (53.1%) for 186 yards as they had possession of  the ball for 26:01.

The defense was pretty awful today against the running game as Beanie Wells rolled up 228 yards rushing (8.4 ypc) with 1 TD run against the Rams.  LB Chris Chamberlain (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), safety Darian Stewart (7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit and 1 sack), CB Justin King (7 tackles) and LB James Laurinaitis (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Rams’ D today.  CB Rod Hood (interception) and LB Brady Poppinga (fumble recovery) also pitched in with big plays today for the Rams.  The Cardinals finished up with 268 yards rushing on 38 carries (7.1 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 23 passes (52.2%) for 106 yards today.  The Rams are now 2-9 on the season.

The Rams are playing their best football of the season right now as they have won two of their last four games.  The Cardinals have won two of their last three games, so they are playing well lately too.  The Cardinals beat the Rams in Arizona, 19-13 in O.T. just three weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are likely going to come out running the ball this Sunday.  Steven Jackson should have success running against a Cardinals’ D that is giving up 127.2 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Rams hope that establishing a running game will slow the Cardinals’ pass rush a little bit.  If Sam Bradford has time to throw the ball, he should have some success in getting the ball to Brandon Lloyd.  After all, the Cardinals are giving up 256.6 yards passing per game so far this year.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 148.1 yards rushing per game this year and 4.8 yards per carry, so don’t be surprised to see the Cardinals hand the ball off to Beanie Wells 20-25 times this Sunday.  The Rams must get a good pass rush on QB John Skelton, as he will make mistakes when under pressure.  The Rams will likely double cover Larry Fitzgerald, but that won’t stop Skelton from throwing to him.  He will also target Early Doucet and Andre Roberts a little more than usual.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 20, RAMS 13

The Rams have signed 27-year old G/C Kevin Mattison off the Ravens’ practice squad.  Mattison played in 8 games (0 starts) for the Ravens this year.  He has now played in 10 games (0 starts) in his first two years in the NFL.  The Rams will likely throw Mattison right into the fire somewhere along the line this weekend against the Cardinals.

The St. Louis Rams have placed 25-year old OT Jason Smith on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a nasty concussion.  Smith played in 6 games (all starts) for the Rams this year.  He has now played in 29 games (26 starts) in his first three years with the Rams. This is another blow to the Rams’ O-Line as they are losing players left and right.

The Rams have lost 29-year old WR Mark Clayton for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.  Clayton played in 2 games (1 start) for the Rams this year and he caught 3 passes for 26 yards (8.7 avg).  He has now played in 7 games (6 starts) in his first two years with the Rams and he has caught 26 passes for 332 yards (12.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Clayton didn’t play much this year but the Rams are going to miss him as they don’t have much depth at WR.

24-year old QB Sam Bradford is having a rough second season in the NFL.  He has played in 8 games for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 162 of 297 passes (54.5%) for 1,768 yards with 5 TD passes and 5 INTs (70.9 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 16 times for 27 yards (1.7 ypc) so far this year.  Bradford has been under duress this year as he has been sacked 31 times already.  It isn’t going to get any better as the Rams have suffered a lot of injuries this year along the offensive line.  With that in mind, 34-year old backup QB A.J. Feeley better be ready to go.  Feeley has played in 4 games for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 41 of 75 passes (54.7%) for 392 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT (68.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 3 times for 4 yards (1.3 ypc) so far this year.  He has already been sacked six times this year.

The Rams have lost 23-year old CB Marquis Johnson for the rest of the year as he has been placed on the Injured Reserve List with a lacerated spleen.  Johnson played in 3 games for the Rams this year and he had 5 tackles and 3 passes defensed.  He has now played in 5 games in his first two years with the Rams and he has 7 tackles and 3 passes defensed.  This will hurt the depth of the secondary a little bit.

The Rams will be without 29-year old OT Mark LeVoir for the next 2-4 weeks due to a strained pectoral muscle.  LeVoir has played in 4 games (1 start) for the Rams this year.  He was replacing starting LT Rodger Saffold who is done for the year due to injury.  23-year old undrafted rookie Kevin Hughes out of Southeastern Louisiana is likely to get his first NFL start this weekend against the Cardinals.  He has only played in 1 game (0 starts) so far this year for the Rams.  The Rams might want to bring in a veteran tackle with some experience so that Sam Bradford doesn’t get killed in the pocket.

The Rams flat out stunk up the joint yesterday, mostly on offense.  Sam Bradford had a so-so game as he completed 20 of 40 passes for 181 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Steven Jackson had a rough go of it in this game with 15 carries for 42 yards (2.8 ypc) and 3 grabs for 19 yards (6.3 avg).  WR Brandon Lloyd led the way in the air for the Rams in this game with 67 yards on 5 grabs (13.4 avg) with 1 TD catch.  WR Brandon Gibson (4 rec, 37 yards) and Mark Clayton (3 rec, 26 yards) pitched in for the Rams yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 42 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 40 passes (50%) for 143 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 25:00.

The defense was pretty solid for the Rams yesterday.  LB James Laurinaitis led the way for the Rams yesterday with 13 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  Safeties Darian Stewart (8 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and Quintin Mikell (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 interception) also had very solid games for the Rams.  LB Chris Chamberlain pitched in with 4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  The Seahawks finished up with 126 yards rushing on 39 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 163 yards in this game.  The Rams are now 2-8 on the season.

The Rams have placed 23-year old starting LT Rodger Saffold on the Injured Reserve List ending his season due to a torn pectoral muscle.  He was injured in practice this week.  Saffold played in 9 games (all starts) for the Rams this year.  He has now played in 25 games (all starts) in his first two years in the NFL.  29-year old Mark LeVoir will take over as the starting LT for the Rams going forward.  He has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Rams so far this year.  LeVoir has now played in 38 games (3 starts) in his first six years in the NFL.  Sam Bradford is likely going to get hit pretty hard in the back a few more times a game without Saffold on the blind side.