The Rams got their first road win of the year last weekend in Denver and they now find themselves tied for first place in the NFC West with the Seahawks.  The Rams did lose at home to the Cardinals 17-13 in the season opener but that was a long time ago.  The Cardinals have lost six games in a row as they have looked pretty awful as of late.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams will likely come out running the ball with Steven Jackson against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 146.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  Sam Bradford is then going to take aim at a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 249.3 yards passing per game.  If Bradford has time to throw the ball (and he should) look for him to spread the ball around to his WRs, TEs and RBs.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  Every week I say the Cardinals should come out running the ball and they never do despite having a decent back in Tim Hightower.  They prefer to air it out with the passing game despite having the worst set of QBs (outside of Carolina) in the NFL.  Even if Derek Anderson has time to throw the ball (which isn’t likely) he still has problems getting the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. 

PREDICTION:  RAMS 26, CARDINALS 13

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 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 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

The Rams are coming off a tough loss last Sunday but they are returning home which is where they like to play.  The Rams are 3-1 on the year at home and they have outscored the competition 83-53!  The Panthers broke the seal getting their first win of the year last weekend over the 49ers.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to come out running the ball with Steven Jackson against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 128.5 yards rushing but only 3.9 yards per carry.  The Rams are going to need someone in the receiving corps to step up to help give the team some balance this Sunday.  Sam Bradford will likely have time to throw the ball as the Panthers only have 9 sacks so far this year.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers will come out running the ball with Jonathan Stewart as DeAngelo Williams isn’t likely to play due to a foot injury.  The Rams are giving up 108.1 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry so far this season.  The Rams are going to have to get after Panthers’ QB Matt Moore because all of a sudden he has decent receivers to throw to.  Steve Smith and rookies Brandon LaFell & David Gettis could give the Rams some problems this weekend.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 16, RAMS 13

The Rams have been pretty terrible on the road as they are 0-2 having been outscored by the Lions & Raiders by a combined score of 60-20!  The Buccaneers are not much better at home as they are 1-2 having been outscored 83-36!  Something has to give this weekend and here’s a look at the matchups:

When the Rams have the ball:  This is a game that sets up well for the Rams’ offense.  Steven Jackson will take aim at a Bucs’ D that is allowing 157.0 yards rushing and 5.3 yards per carry.  I look for Jackson to have a monster game which will help Sam Bradford out quite a bit when throwing the ball.  The Bucs are allowing 210.6 yards passing per game and they have only 4 sacks this year so Bradford will have time to throw the ball.  He has to be careful of where he’s throwing the ball though as the Bucs already have 10 interceptions so far this year.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers have turned into a pass first team because they just can’t run the ball.  With that in mind look for the Rams to play the run on the way to the QB.  The Rams have 17 sacks already this year so look for them to be right in Josh Freeman’s face.  They need to get to Freeman because Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow are both having pretty good years.  The Rams are giving up 227.3 yards passing per game so the Bucs should be able to make some plays through the air.  The Bucs will probably give Cadillac Williams 15-20 carries in this game but he’s only averaging 2.5 yards per carry so he’s not much to worry about.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 23, BUCCANEERS 20

The Chargers are 0-3 on the road this year as they have been outscored 83-61 so far!  The Rams are 2-1 at home as they have outscored opponents 63-36!  Something has to give this weekend in St. Louis.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to try to keep the ball away from the high powered Chargers’ offense.  To achieve that goal they are going to have to run the ball and throw short passes.  That means that Steven Jackson is going to have a huge role against a Chargers’ D that is only allowing 86.4 yards rushing and 3.8 yards per carry.  The Rams are going to have to likely keep the passing game of the short variety because the Chargers have 18 sacks and 7 pickoffs already this year.  Sam Bradford will have to protect the ball and I see Danny Amendola and TE Daniel Fells being his top two targets in the passing game this Sunday.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are likely going to come out passing.  The Rams are going to have to get to Philip Rivers because if he has time to throw the ball the Rams are going to be in big trouble.  Malcolm Floyd (22 rec, 498 yards, 3 TD grabs) and Antonio Gates (29 rec, 478 yards, 7 TD grabs) have been absolutely incredible this year and they will put a lot of pressure on the Rams’ secondary.  Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews will also likely get their share of touches against a Rams’ D that is allowing 110.8 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 30, RAMS 13

Believe it or not the Rams are on a 2-game winning streak having beaten the Redskins & Seahawks by a combined scored of 50-19!  The Lions might be 0-4 but they have only been outscored by 24 points in those games as they are playing tough…just not good enough to win.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to give the ball to Steven Jackson a lot at the start of this game as the Lions are giving up 134.5 yards rushing and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Rams give Sam Bradford time to throw the ball he should have success as the Lions are giving up 241.0 yards passing per game.  The Lions do have 13 sacks this year and the Rams have allowed 10 of them so Bradford will have to be smart with the football.  Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and Mark Clayton could give the Lions’ secondary problems.

When the Lions have the football:  With Jahvid Best a little gimpy due to turf toe I see the Lions putting up a ton of passes in this game.  The Rams have nine sacks and 4 interceptions so far this year so Shaun Hill is going to have to be careful with the football.  Hill will likely keep the passing game short to TEs Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler and WR Calvin Johnson.  The Rams are giving up 230.8 yards passing per game so the Lions could have success through the air.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 30, LIONS 27

The Seahawks swept the Rams by a combined score of 55-17 last season.  But, the Seahawks were terrible in their first road game of the year as the Broncos punished them 31-14.  The Rams are 1-1 at home as they have outscored their opponents 43-33.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  With Steven Jackson sporting a sore groin and the Seahawks only allowing 67.7 yards rushing per game and 2.6 yards per carry….I see the Rams coming out throwing the ball Sunday.  The Seahawks are giving up 315.7 passing yards per game so if Sam Bradford has time to throw the ball he will likely be effective.  Mark Clayton and Danny Amendola will be Bradford’s top targets in the passing game but TE Daniel Fells will be his secret weapon.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks should come out running the ball against the Rams.  Justin Forsett carried the ball 25 times for 147 yards (5.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs against the Rams last season.  The Rams are giving up 133.7 yards rushing and 5.1 yards per carry so Forsett should find a lot of running room.  Matt Hasselbeck was also effective against the Rams last season as he completed 39 of 61 passes (63.9%) for 381 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 INTs.  If he has time to throw the ball (he has been sacked 5 times already this year) then he should have success against a Rams’ D allowing 243.3 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 20, SEAHAWKS 17

The Rams played hard last weekend before falling just a tad short.  The Redskins also lost a tough game and the Rams hope that they are looking past them because they will be playing the Eagles in Philly as McNabb will be returning to his old home.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  I know….the Redskins are giving up 372.5 passing yards per game so far this season.  That doesn’t mean that the Rams should want to get into a firefight with them.  The best player on the Rams is Steven Jackson and they need to give him the rock to try to control the clock and the pace of this game.  If Bradford has time to throw the ball though he will have success in this game.

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Rams have to go all out to try to stop Donovan McNabb, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss.  If the Rams can somehow control the Redskins passing game they can win this Sunday.  That will be easier said than done though as the Redskins are averaging 282.0 yards passing per game this year.  The Redskins will also likely feed the ball to Clinton Portis a lot after watching the Rams’ run defense the first two weeks of the year.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 24, RAMS 17