The Rams and Raiders both come into this game with 0-1 records.  This amounts to being the ditch L.A. bowl as both the Rams and Raiders once called Los Angeles home.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams can’t afford to let Sam Bradford throw the ball 55 times again this week.  Look for them to turn to Steven Jackson a lot more in this game against a Raiders’ D that gave up 205 yards rushing on 39 carries (5.3 ypc) last week against the Titans.  The Raiders will be likely blitzing a lot to try to force Bradford into making mistakes with the ball as he did throw 3 pickoffs last week.  The Raiders have a solid secondary so the Rams will have to be careful when challenging the CBs.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders ran the ball pretty well last week and I look for Darren McFadden to get the ball in his hands either through the air or on the ground 20-25 times in this game.  The O-Line of the Raiders is not that good at pass protection so the Rams should get after Jason Campbell.  Campbell likes to throw to his TE Zach Miller so the safeties better be ready to deal with him.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 23, RAMS 17

The Rams have a new look in 2010 and they can’t wait to see how it plays out on the field.  The Rams were swept by a combined score of 52-23 by the Cardinals last season but they don’t have Kurt Warner or Anquan Boldin anymore.  Here is a look at how the teams match-up this Sunday:

When the Rams have the ball:  It would be easy for the Rams to try to ride Steven Jackson in this game but I think they are going to let rookie QB Sam Bradford wing it a few times.  They’ll need to protect him because if he gets hit a few times early in the game it might rattle him.  With that in mind the Rams will need to know where OLB Joey Porter and SS Adrian Wilson are at all times as they are the best the Cardinals have to offer in the pass rush. 

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals like to throw the ball downfield so it’s imperative that the Rams get a good rush on him.  That means DEs Chris Long and James Hall are going to have to bring there A-Game this weekend.  Cardinals’ QB Derek Anderson gets rattled when he gets hit a few times often leading him to make huge mistakes.  The Rams’ front seven will have to stop Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells on the ground.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 20, RAMS 13

The Rams are probably already looking forward to next season as tomorrow is not a good match-up for them.  The Niners clobbered the Rams earlier this season in San Francisco 35-0 and there is little reason to think that tomorrow’s result will be much better.  The Rams are hoping that Steven Jackson will return tomorrow but even if he does the Niners are only allowing 97.7 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry this season.  Keith Null and Kyle Boller split reps in practice which leads me to think the Rams will try to start Boller who would give them the best chance to compete tomorrow.

The Rams would probably like to go all out to stop Frank Gore and dare Alex Smith to beat them.  Of course that could backfire with Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree lining up against their secondary.  This just is not a good match-up for the Rams’ defense.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 27, RAMS 7

The Texans still have a chance to make the playoffs if they can run the table so they will likely be bringing their A-Game tomorrow against the Rams.  The Rams better hope that Steven Jackson is healthy enough to carry the load tomorrow as he is one of the many players suffering from the flu.  The Texans allow 114.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this season so Jackson should be able to find some running room.  The Rams will probably start rookie QB Keith Null again this week and that’s bad news for the Rams as he threw five pickoffs in his NFL debut last weekend against the Titans.  The Texans are allowing 214.8 yards passing per game so there are plays that could be made downfield as long as Null relaxes in the pocket.

The Rams will have to blitz more than usual because if Matt Schaub has time to throw the ball they are in big, big trouble.  The Rams will be doubling Andre Johnson all day long but it might not matter as he is just that good.  The Texans are going with undrafted rookie Arian Foster as the starting RB so the Rams will likely have to focus on stopping the pass.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 38, RAMS 3

The St. Louis Rams (1-11) are going up against a very good running team in Tennessee Titans (5-7), which is bad news for the Rams.  They are giving up 146 rushing yards per contest, and the Titans have this year’s best running back Chris Johnson.  Johnson has already rushed for over 1,500 yards this season and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry.  They also have to worry about the Titans’ quarterback Vince Young in both the passing and running game.  This game does not bode well for the Rams’ defense.

Kyle Boller will need to provide a lot more than what he has if the Rams want to come out victorious.  Steven Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for the Rams this year, so if Boller can get anything going in the passing game it will relieve the pressure off Jackson.  The Titans do not have a very good pass-defense, giving up 267 passing yards per game, so it is a possibility for Boller to have a good game.  It is not likely though, and with the Rams having such a weak run-defense the Titans will run away with this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Tennessee Titans 31, St. Louis Rams 14

The St. Louis Rams (1-10) are on the road against the Chicago Bears (4-7) Sunday.  The Bears have been playing awful as of late and have lost four straight games.  Unfortunately for the Rams, the Bears are still a better team than them.  However, if the Rams defense can rattle Jay Cutler like many other teams have done, they can get themselves a lot of turnovers.  The Bears offensive line is pretty weak, so they may have some opportunities to get to Cutler.  Also, the Bears running game has been nearly non-existent, so stopping Matt Forte may not be too difficult of a task.

The Rams offense will be relying heavily on Steven Jackson, who has been the only bright spot for them all year.  Jackson has a bad back though, so he may not be as effective as usual.  The Bears do give up 126 rushing yards per game, so Jackson will probably have a good day despite his back.  Still, this Rams team is not on the same level as most other NFL teams and the Bears will most likely win convincingly.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  St. Louis Rams 14, Chicago Bears 28

The Seahawks have won nine games in a row including a 28-0 beat-down in Seattle to open the season.  But, the Seahawks are 0-5 on the road this season and they have been outscored a combined 161-73!  Before Rams’ fans get too excited those games were against the Vikings, Colts, Cardinals, Cowboys and 49ers who are all superior teams to the Rams.  The Seahawks will likely try to jump the Rams early with the passing game in an attempt to get a quick lead which would force the Rams to throw more instead of handing the ball to Steven Jackson.  If Hasselbeck gets the time he needs to throw the ball he should be able to get it to WRs T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson and TE John Carlson.  Justin Forsett had a rough first game as the starting RB for the Seahawks against the Vikings but he should be able to find a lot more running room against the Rams who are allowing 146.4 yards rushing and 4.7 yards per carry this year. 

The Rams have really played pretty well the last three weeks winning one of them (vs. Lions) and losing 2 of them (vs. Saints and Cardinals).  The Rams will likely feed the ball to Steven Jackson as much as possible in this game as the Seahawks are allowing 110.5 yards rushing and 4.3 yards per carry.  The passing game might be of the deeper variety this week for the Rams as Kyle Boller will be starting for the injured Marc Bulger (broken leg).  The Seahawks are allowing 236.8 yards passing per game so far this season and opposing QBs have a 96.5 Rating against them so the Rams could have some success throwing the ball.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 27, SEAHAWKS 23

The Cardinals can’t overlook the Rams who are playing much better than they were early in the year.  They almost beat the Saints last week and they won the game before it against the Lions.  The offense is starting to really click for the Cardinals now and they will be attacking the Rams through the air the minute they get off the team bus.  The Rams are allowing 236.2 yards passing per game and the Cards are averaging 271.0 yards passing per game so Kurt Warner will be throwing the ball early and often in this game.  The Rams don’t really have the corners to deal with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston so it could be a long day for the Rams if they can’t put any pressure on Warner.  Don’t be surprised if Beanie Wells has a huge game against a Rams’ D that is allowing 142.3 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.

The Rams are going to do what they always do on offense and that’s get the ball to Steven Jackson.  Jackson is a absolute beast even if you stack the box against him.  The Cardinals are allowing 101.0 yards rushing per game and 4.2 ypc so Jackson will likely get his yards.  The Cardinals will no doubt be cheating up against the run so it will be up to QB Marc Bulger to make them pay for it.  The Cardinals are allowing 253.4 yards passing per game so Bulger could have a good game against them.  That will depend on young receivers Donnie Avery and Brandon Gibson who must get separation at the line of scrimmage.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 35, RAMS 14

This appears to be a huge mis-match on paper.  The Saints will likely be able to do whatever they want on offense as the Rams are allowing 134.8 yards rushing per game (4.2 ypc) and 238.6 yards passing per game.  The Saints have been very balanced this season as they have run the ball 259 times and passed the ball 265 times.  With that in mind look for Pierre Thomas to have a pretty heavy workload in this game.  I also have a feeling that Reggie Bush will get loose on a pass or two out of the backfield against the Rams.  Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Jeremy Shockey will also get their share of yards with Drew Brees likely picking apart the secondary of the Rams on Sunday.

The Saints have 16 interceptions and 19 sacks this season so look for the Rams to stay away from the passing game unless they fall behind to quick.  This game will belong to Steven Jackson of the Rams against a Saints’ D that is allowing 112.1 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.  Ever since the injury to DT Sedrick Ellis teams have been having their way with the front seven of the Saints in the running game.  With that in mind Steven Jackson will likely be very tired after this game as the Rams will ride him hard in this game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 27, RAMS 13

This is a game between two really awful football teams.  The Rams have lost 17 games in a row dating back to last season and they are 2-21 in their last 23 games.  The Lions are 1-21 in their last 22 games so something will have to give in this game.  The last time that the Rams played on the road they lost 23-20 in OT at Jacksonville.  This could be the game that the Rams’ offense gets back on track.  The Rams will likely mix it up more than usual.  Steven Jackson will still be the focal point of the offense against a Lions’ D that is allowing 112.3 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  If the Rams can keep Marc Bulger upright he will likely be able to shred the Lions’ D through the air.  The Lions are allowing 258.5 yards passing per game this season and opposing QBs have a 118.7 QB Rating against them this year.

The Lions still aren’t sure who will start at QB this week as all three of the active QBs (Matt Stafford, Daunte Culpepper and Drew Stanton) are all hurting right now.  It’s looking like Stafford might get the start for the Lions.  The Rams are allowing 249.6 yards passing per game this season so if Calvin Johnson is able to play he will have a huge game.  But, Kevin Smith will be the major guy in the offense in this game for the Lions.  The Rams are allowing 135.9 yards rushing per game this season and 4.3 yards per carry so Smith will have more running room than he has had this whole season.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 30, RAMS 27