28-year old RB Steven Jackson has played really well for the Rams this year.  He has played in 11 games for the Rams so far this year and he has carried the ball 182 times for 832 yards (4.6 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He has also caught 27 passes for 162 yards (6.0 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  Jackson has now played in 111 games in his first 8 years with the Rams and he has carried the ball 2,060 times for 8,780 yards (4.3 ypc) with 51 TD runs.  He has also caught 354 passes for 2,832 yards (8.0 avg) with 8 TD grabs so far in his career.  Jackson is averaging 104.6 yards from scrimmage in his 111 games in his career with the Rams, showing just how important he is to the offense.

34-year old A.J. Feeley has a small fracture in his right thumb, which could cause him to miss the next Rams’ game (Monday Night in Seattle).  He has played in 5 games for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 53 of 97 passes (54.6%) for 548 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (66.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 3 times for 4 yards (1.3 ypc) in this game.  24-year old Sam Bradford has a bad ankle and it’s not looking good as far as him returning to action next week.  He has played in 9 games for the Rams so far this year and he has completed 179 of 328 passes (54.6%) for 1,971 yards with 6 TD passes and 5 INTs (72.3 QB Rating).  Bradford has also carried the ball 16 times for 27 yards (1.7 ypc) so far this year.  It’s looking like 27-year old Tom Brandstater could be making his NFL debut on Monday Night Football next week in Seattle, and it’s a tough place to play.

The St. Louis Rams have likely lost 30-year old LG Jacob Bell for the rest of the year due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain.  He played in 12 games (all starts) for the Rams this year.  He has now played in 54 games (all starts) in his first four years with the Rams.  32-year old Tony Wragge will likely replace Bell in the starting lineup.  Wragge has played in 11 games (4 starts) for the Rams so far this year.  He has now played in 78 games (19 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL.  This injury just further depletes the offensive line of the Rams.

The Rams were awful on both sides of the ball yesterday and it showed on the scoreboard.  A.J. Feeley got the start at QB and he completed 12 of 22 passes for 156 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Jerious Norwood (11 carries for 19 yards) and Steven Jackson (10 carries for 19 yards) both had rough times for the Rams yesterday.  WRs Brandon Gibson (4 rec, 42 yards), Brandon Lloyd (1 rec, 34 yards) and Austin Pettis (3 rec, 33 yards) led the way for the Rams in the passing game yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 31 yards rushing on 23 carries (1.3 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 22 passes (54.5%) for 126 yards as they had possession of the ball for only 23:56.

The defense didn’t play too well in this game either.  Safety Craig Dahl (13 tackles) and LB James Laurinaitis (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Rams on D in this game.  DE Chris Long pitched in with 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits in this game.  The 49ers finished up with 144 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 25 passes (64%) for 245 yards.  The Rams are now 2-10 on the season.

The Rams have waived 32-year old LB Ben Leber.  Leber played in 7 games for the Rams this year and he had 15 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.   He has now played in 143 games in his first 10 years in the NFL and he has 498 tackles, 36 tackles for a loss, 24 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, 29 passes defensed and 5 interceptions.  Leber didn’t do much for the Rams this year, so they aren’t going to miss him too much going forward.

The St. Louis Rams played hard last weekend before falling 23-20 at home to the Cardinals.  The 49ers had their 8-game winning streak snapped on Thanksgiving by the Ravens, so they could be in a bad mood tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams would love to give the ball to Steven Jackson 25-30 times tomorrow, but that’s not likely going to work against a 49ers’ D that is allowing only 75.5 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry.  It’s 50/50 as to whether Sam Bradford or A.J. Feeley will be starting at QB tomorrow, and either way, it’s going to be hard on who does play.  The Rams’ offensive line is in shambles, so neither QB will likely have much time to throw the ball tomorrow.  The Niners are likely going to double cover Brandon Lloyd and make whoever is playing QB beat them throwing to someone else.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 159.0 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry, so Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter probably can’t wait for this game to kickoff.  Alex Smith will likely throw a lot of ball control type of passes tomorrow against the Rams.  TEs Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker and WR Michael Crabtree will likely be the guys that Smith is looking for the most in this game.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 24, RAMS 3

24-year old linebacker James Laurinaitis is a tackling machine for the Rams.  He has played in 11 games for the Rams so far this year and he has 90 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 6 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery.  He has now played in 43 games in his first three years with the Rams and he has 324 tackles, 7 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, 16 passes defensed and 5 interceptions.  Laurinaitis is the bright light on a terrible defense for the Rams, but at least he’s a solid building block for the future.

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.