St. Louis Rams (0-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
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
