Read More: Kellen Clemens (QB – STL), Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams

Experts from around the web are reacting to what took place during Week 15 in the NFL, and the five-man ESPN panel has fallen in line with every other site by keeping the St. Louis Rams at No. 31 overall. The team has been the lowest ranked team in the NFC for weeks now, and after the last-place Indianapolis Colts earned their first win in Week 15 only one game separates the Rams from the distinction of worst team in the NFL. Not the same intrigue a playoff push brings, but for those interested in the NFL Draft it is certainly something to watch. Here is what Mike Sando offered to explain the Rams’ ranking:

31. St. Louis Rams (2-12, LW: 31) Kellen Clemens posted the Rams’ highest single-game NFL passer rating of the season Sunday. (Sando)    

The rest of the NFC West breaks down like this: the San Francisco 49ers jumped up three spots to No. 3 after their impressive Monday Night win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Seattle Seahawks rose five spots to No. 15 and the Arizona Cardinals slid up two slots to No. 17.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league. 

It probably only happened because someone in the NFL scheduling department made a wish on a cruelly ironic monkey’s paw, but it is what it is: The St. Louis Rams are playing Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks, and Sunday’s football slate is now completely open to you, the Rams fan, without worrying about spurning the team you are attempting, desperately, to love. As a current St. Louis sports fan transplanted in Colorado, allow me to make my usual suggestion: At 3:05, when you could be watching the San Francisco 49ers coast to the playoff spot you thought the Rams had locked down, watch Tim Tebow. Whether you love him or you hate him, just watch him.

Here are my reasons why, to be added as an appendix to my post about why I can’t stop watching Tim Tebow in the first place:

1. Bad sports can be more entertaining than good sports. Anyone who watches college sports already thinks this without believing themselves to be thinking it. Bad sports can be entertaining because as talent levels get lower, the ways in which those talent levels can be met become more varied. The Broncos’ offense is not very good, but the way in which they’re meeting their limited expectations—running the most leather-helmeted offense I’ve ever seen, the forward pass a wild surprise play—is much more interesting than the way in which the Rams’ offense has not been very good.
2. Watching the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals, two teams we got to laugh at all last season, will make you very sad.
3. Watching the Buffalo Bills and the San Diego Chargers at 3:15 doesn’t fit with our image as a city filled with people who resent being labeled “flyover country.” The Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears (with Mike Martz and a backup quarterback! very nostalgic!) are two solid, upstanding members of the flyover country fraternity.

Read More: Tom Brandstater (QB – STL), Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams

As if the St. Louis Rams needed any more obstacles for Sunday’s road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the team is starting to prepare for Sam Bradford missing Week 13 with an ankle injury. Bradford originally suffered left high ankle sprain in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, after which he missed two games, and now he re-aggravated the injury in the Week 12 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. 

Bradford was walking with a limp in practice on Friday, and did very limited work with the first team offense before giving way to veteran quarterback Jay Feeley, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The team is making subtle preparations for having to play Feeley on Sunday as well, resigning QB Tom Brandstater to the practice squad to help take the scout team load off of Feeley for Friday’s practice. 

Head coach Steve Spagnuolo didn’t sound optimistic about Bradford on Friday:

He was very limited. Didn’t do much at all. He’s still a little sore. So we’ll see where we are (Saturday), and as always, this will be a day-to-day deal…We wanted to make sure we didn’t play him until we knew he could get himself in and out of trouble, so that’ll be part of the decision.

via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Read More: Danario Alexander (WR – STL), Darian Stewart (S – STL), Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are going to need every bit of help if they want to pull of an upset in San Francisco against the 49ers on Sunday, but it turns out they will be without starting strong safety Darian Stewart. The only good news is that after missing five weeks, speedy wide receiver Danario Alexander may return to the lineup and give the offense a vertical threat it has sorely lacked over the past few weeks.

Stewart, a second-year safety from the University of South Carolina, who has been dealing with concussion symptoms since the Week 12 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, revealed that he would not play on Sunday against the 49ers, saying:

It’s just one of those things where you have to be safe and be smart, and I feel like it’s best that I don’t go this week….With those concussions, it’s my first, and I know that it’s something that can keep coming back from what people tell me. So I want to be smart with it.

via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Meanwhile, Rams’ wide receiver Danario Alexander, who has 20 receptions for 306 yards and one touchdown on the season, says he is ready to return to the lineup on Sunday:

I went out there and basically practiced almost every snap. It’s a good sign. I’m ready for the game.

via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Alexander has been dealing with an injury suffered back in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

They can’t lean on injuries as an excuse, either. Unlike the secondary, which has lost its top three cornerbacks, the front seven has been pretty much intact.

Arguably, it’s the most disappointing facet of the franchise’s nosedive. The Rams (2-9) have a rough finishing stretch against opponents that are a combined 37-18 — tied with the cross-state Chiefs for the toughest in the NFL — and could end up with a top two pick in the draft for the fourth time in five years.

In Week 6, DeMarco Murray had a career day for Dallas with 253 yards rushing. Then on Sunday, Arizona’s Beanie Wells put up 228 yards on only 27 carries. They’re not the only ones, with the Rams allowing 159 yards per game.

Murray had a 91-yard touchdown run. Wells broke loose for gains of 71 and 53 yards, the latter setting up the game-winning field goal.

“It’s embarrassing to give up that many rushing yards,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said.

They can’t lean on injuries as an excuse. Unlike the secondary, which has lost its top three cornerbacks, the front seven has been pretty much intact.

Last week, the Rams forced three turnovers and held the Cardinals to 114 yards passing. They lost 23-20 mostly because they couldn’t contain Wells, who has only three career 100-yard games.

“He’s a good back, but we just weren’t very consistent,” nose tackle Fred Robbins said. “You’ve got to stop the run in the NFL.”

The Cardinals totaled 268 yards rushing with a 7.1-yard average against a unit that’s been good in spurts but awful on the whole. Opponents are averaging 5.1 yards per carry, 30th worst in the NFL.

Tackle Justin Bannan has missed two of the last three games with a shoulder injury, including the Arizona game, with C.J. Ah You starting in his place. The other three linemen, Robbins and ends Chris Long and James Hall, have started every game.

There hasn’t been much turnover at linebacker, either, with Laurinaitis making every start and weakside linebacker Chris Chamberlain getting the nod the last seven games. Brady Poppinga has made seven starts at strongside linebacker.

If it was a single issue, Spagnuolo said he would have corrected it a long time ago. Instead, it’s been sporadic, aggravating breakdowns.

“We just have to be more consistent,” Robbins said. “We’ve got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We’ll play good here and there in spurts, but we give up too many big plays.”

In the month since Murray’s big day, the Rams did pretty well against the run. The Saints got only 56 yards on 20 carries in St. Louis’ 31-21 Week 7 upset, Wells had 20 yards on 10 carries in Arizona’s overtime victory in Week 8, and the Seahawks got 126 yards with just a 3.2-yard average in Week 10.

The 13-12 victory over the Browns in Week 9 was the exception, with Chris Ogbonnaya gaining 90 yards with a 4.7-yard average. Still, the problem appeared to be solved.

Then Wells got loose. Larry Fitzgerald didn’t make his first catch until the third quarter, but Wells stepped up and also had a 7-yard scoring run. As the Cardinals ran out the clock, he was a major factor in a bitterly disappointing loss.

“So you grind through practice, you take the runs you’re going to see this week and make sure they’re not issues, and hopefully you get a better result,” Spagnuolo said. “We tighten up in the red zone, but field position is lost.

“So, we’ve got to get it corrected.”

This week’s challenge will be holding down Frank Gore, who needs 22 yards to pass Hall of Famer Joe Perry for the 49ers’ franchise record. Gore is sixth in the NFL with 909 yards, averaging 4.5 yards with five touchdowns.

They’re trying to forget about Wells.

“Whether we had stuffed it, you’ve got to put it behind you,” Laurinaitis said. “Having said that, I’m sure San Francisco saw the tape and is probably thinking they can do a lot.”

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