The St. Louis Rams are probably already packed up for vacations as they can’t wait for this Sunday’s game to be over.  The Rams have lost six games in a row now.  They have been especially awful in their last four games in which they were outscored by a combined score of 103-26!  The Rams have been shutout two times in the last four weeks, including a 26-0 loss to the Niners in San Francisco.  The 49ers need this game to secure the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs and a bye in the first round, so they are going to come out with all guns blazing.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to feed the ball to Steven Jackson in this game.  He is going to have to fight for every yard as the Niners are only giving up 75.1 yards rushing per game and 3.4 yards per carry so far this year.  The Niners have 38 sacks and 21 interceptions so far this year, so Kellen Clemens is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  The Rams need someone to step up besides WR Brandon Lloyd and RB Steven Jackson in the passing game this Sunday.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to be a handful for the Rams in this game.  They are likely going to keep the ball on the ground with Frank Gore & Kendall Hunter pounding away at a Rams’ D that is giving up 154.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry so far this year.  Alex Smith is likely going to use play action passes in an attempt to get the ball down the field to WRs Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.  The Rams must also be ready for TEs Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker as the Niners might try to get them more involved in the passing game with the playoffs right around the corner.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 27, RAMS 3

25-year old inside linebacker James Laurinaitis has been a force for the Rams on D once again this year.  He has played in 15 games for the Rams so far this year and he has 133 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 7 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  Laurinaitis has now played in played in 47 games in his first three years with the Rams and he has 367 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 8 sacks, 17 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries and 5 interceptions.  He has been a bright spot in another lost season for the Rams.

The Rams were completely dominated by the Steelers last Saturday.  Kellen Clemens didn’t look too good in this game.  He completed 9 of 24 passes for 91 yards without a TD pass or INT.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 10 yards (5.0 ypc) in this game.  Steven Jackson led the way on the ground for the Rams with 103 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 24 yards (12.0 avg).  Cadillac Williams pitched in with 42 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.7 ypc).  WRs Brandon Lloyd (3 rec, 29 yards) and Danario Alexander (2 rec, 25 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Rams.  The Rams finished up with 164 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 24 passes (37.5%) for 68 yards as they had possession of the ball for 30:45.

The defense didn’t play too well in this game for the Rams.  LBs James Laurinaitis (13 tackles) and Chris Chamberlain (8 tackles) led the way for the Rams’ D in this game.  CB Roderick Hood (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed) and DB Josh Gordy (3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also pitched in for the Rams on D in this game.  The Steelers finished up with 169 yards rushing on 28 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 22 passes (68.2%) for 208 yards in this game.  The Rams are now 2-13 on the season.

The Rams have lost five games in a row but they showed signs of life last weekend against the Bengals.  The Steelers got thumped hard by the 49ers last Monday Night, 20-3 in San Francisco.  The Steelers really need this game but they will be starting Charlie Batch at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to try to slug it out with the Steelers’ D with RB Steven Jackson getting a lot of work tomorrow.  The Steelers are giving up 97.2 yards rushing per game and only 3.9 yards per carry so far this year.  The Rams need to get a good running game going to have a chance of throwing the ball against the Steelers.  Rams’ QBs have been sacked 49 times already this year, so the Steelers are going to be blitzing QB Kellen Clemens quite a big tomorrow.  The Steelers will likely give special attention to WR Brandon Lloyd, but Clemens is going to throw him the ball a lot anyway.

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are starting Charlie Batch at QB tomorrow, so look for them to be run heavy offensively.  Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore will likely all be in on the action against a Rams’ D that is allowing 153.4 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  The Rams will need to get a good pass rush on Charlie Batch, because he has excellent weapons in the passing game in WR Mike Wallace, WR Antonio Brown and TE Heath Miller.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, RAMS 7

The NFL has suspended rookie WR Austin Pettis for the next four games for testing positive for a performance enhancing drug.  Pettis played in 12 games (3 starts) for the Rams this year and he caught 27 passes for 256 yards (9.5 avg).  He also returned 15 punts for 139 yards (9.3 avg) and he returned 3 kickoffs for 62 yards (20.7 avg) this year.  This is a disappointing end to a disappointing year for Austin Pettis as the Rams had high hopes for him after picking him in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft last April.

The Rams have signed 23-year old TE Mike McNeill.  McNeill played in 4 games for the Colts this year but he didn’t catch any passes.  The Rams need all the help they can get, so McNeill will likely get a shot to show what he can do the next two weeks.

The Rams have placed 24-year old linebacker Josh Hull on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a high ankle sprain.  Hull played in 11 games for the Rams this year and he had 2 tackles.  He has now played in 12 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 3 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Rams, and that really says something about Josh Hull.

The Rams put up a fight earlier today before falling short against the visiting Bengals.  QB Kellen Clemens got the start today and he completed 25 of 36 passes for 229 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Steven Jackson was very busy with 18 carries for 71 yards (3.9 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 72 yards (8.0 avg).  Cadillac Williams pitched in with 16 yards rushing on 3 carries (5.3 ypc) in this game.  WRs Danario Alexander (3 rec, 52 yards, TD) and Brandon Lloyd (5 rec, 42 yards) also helped out in the passing game for the Rams today.  The Rams finished up with 95 yards rushing on 24 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 36 passes (69.4%) for 210 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:57.

The defense was pretty solid for the Rams today.  Safeties Quintin Mikell (10 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and Darian Stewart (7 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Rams on D in this game.  LB James Laurinaitis (6 tackles) and DB Josh Gordy (2 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) also made some solid plays today.  The Bengals finished up with 110 yards rushing on 34 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 26 passes (57.7%) for 173 yards in this game.  The Rams are now 2-12 on the year.

The Rams have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 103-40.  The Bengals have lost four of their last five games, but this is a big game for them as far as making the playoffs are concerned.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are starting Kellen Clemens at QB in this game, so look for them to lean on RB Steven Jackson to try to carry them home both running and catching the ball out of the backfield.  The problem with that philosophy is that the Bengals are only giving up 100.0 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry so far this year.  Jackson will have to fight for every yard he gets tomorrow.  Rams’ QBs have been sacked 46 times already this year, so Clemens is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly tomorrow.  The Rams are going to need a WR or TE to step up as the Bengals will likely be double covering WR Brandon Lloyd.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Rams are going to have to deal with power RB Cedric Benson in this game.  That could be bad news for the Rams as they are giving up 156.8 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Rams can’t really gang up to stop Benson, as rookie QB Andy Dalton is having a solid year throwing the ball for the Bengals.  WR A.J. Green is a true gamebreaker in the passing game, so the Rams might consider doubling him tomorrow.  WR Jerome Simpson, WR Andre Caldwell and TE Jermaine Gresham give Dalton more solid options in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 23, RAMS 10

The Rams have placed 25-year old fullback Brit Miller on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a knee injury.  Miller played in 12 games for the Rams this year and it was the first time in his career that he actually got to touch the football.  Miller carried the ball 5 times for 14 yards (2.8 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 41 yards (13.7 avg) this year.  Miller also had 7 tackles.  He has now played in 26 games in his NFL career and he has 20 tackles.  The Rams are going to miss Miller’s blocking in the running game and they are also going to miss him on special teams.