The NFC West was the butt of many jokes a year ago, but the division as a whole is improving. 

In the 2012 season, the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams will strive to not picking in the Top 10 of the 2013 NFL draft. 

If all four teams are going to accomplish that, each team has to manage to survive its brutal schedule. 

In addition to playing each other twice during the year, the NFC West teams will square off against teams from the NFC North and AFC East. 

That being said, here’s a breakdown of each team’s upcoming season. 

San Francisco 49ers

Home: Week 2 vs. Detroit, Week 5 vs. Buffalo, Week 6 vs. New York Giants, Week 7 vs. Seattle, Week 10 vs. St. Louis, Week 11 vs. Chicago, Week 14 vs. Miami, Week 17 vs. Arizona 

Away: Week 1 vs. Green Bay, Week 3 vs. Minnesota, Week 4 vs. New York Jets, Week 8 vs. Arizona, Week 12 vs. New Orleans, Week 13 vs. St. Louis, Week 15 vs. New England, Week 16 vs. Seattle 

Bye: Week 9 

Most Exciting Matchup: Week 15 vs. New England.

Deep into the season, we’ll have an excellent idea where both teams stand. It’s possible this could be a Super Bowl preview, and there is no doubt both teams will use this game as a means to measure just how good they really are. 

2012 Prediction: 11-5

Arizona Cardinals

Home: Week 1 vs. Seattle, Week 3 vs. Philadelphia, Week 4 vs. Miami, Week 6 vs. Buffalo, Week 8 vs. San Francisco, Week 12 vs. St. Louis, Week 15 vs. Detroit, Week 16 vs. Chicago

Away: Week 2 vs. New England, Week 5 vs. St. Louis, Week 7 vs. Minnesota, Week 9 vs. Green Bay, Week 11 vs. Atlanta, Week 13 vs. New York Jets, Week 14 vs. Seattle, Week 17 vs. San Francisco 

Bye: Week 10 

Most Exciting Matchup: Week 3 vs. Philadelphia.

Kevin Kolb was injured last year so he didn’t get the chance to play against his former team. Seeing as how the Cardinals opted to pay Kolb this offseason, chances are very strong that he’ll be the starter. Going head to head against his former team will be very thrilling to watch. 

2012 Prediction: 6-10 

Seattle Seahawks

Home: Week 2 vs. Dallas, Week 3 vs. Green Bay, Week 6 vs. New England, Week 9 vs. Minnesota, Week 10 vs. New York Jets, Week 14 vs. Arizona, Week 16 vs. San Francisco, Week 17 vs. St. Louis 

Away: Week 1 vs. Arizona, Week 4 vs. St. Louis, Week 5 vs. Carolina, Week 7 vs. San Francisco, Week 8 vs. Detroit, Week 12 vs. Miami, Week 13 vs. Chicago, Week 15 vs. Buffalo 

Bye: Week 11 

Most Exciting Matchup: Week 3 vs. Green Bay.

Pete Carroll told WQAM in Miami, via SportsRadioInterviews.com, that there will be an open QB race for the starting job. Despite that, I still think Matt Flynn wins it, so it’ll be fantastic to sit back and watch him take on his former team and go head to head with Aaron Rodgers.

2012 Prediction:  7-9 

St. Louis Rams

Home: Week 2 vs. Washington, Week 4 vs. Seattle, Week 5 vs. Arizona, Week 7 vs. Green Bay, Week 8 vs. New England, Week 11 vs. New York Jets, Week 13 vs. San Francisco, Week 15 vs. Minnesota 

Away: Week 1 vs. Detroit, Week 3 vs. Chicago, Week 6 vs. Miami, Week 10 vs. San Francisco, Week 12 vs. Arizona, Week 14 vs. Buffalo, Week 16 vs. Tampa Bay, Week 17 vs. Seattle 

Bye: Week 9 

Most Exciting Matchup: Week 2 vs. Washington.

All signs are pointing to the Redskins picking Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 overall pick. Seeing two Heisman Trophy winners go toe to toe against each other will be great. Plus, since both teams had a very rough season a year ago, this game will be able to tell a lot about the progress each team has made in a year. 

2012 Prediction: 4-12 

ST. LOUIS (AP) – For now, it’s business as usual for Gregg Williams, who is on the job behind closed doors with the rest of the St. Louis assistant coaches.

The parking lot at the team’s training facility is full this week because there’s plenty to do. Free agency starts next week, and there will be minicamps before and after the draft for the Rams, plus they’re all still getting to know the roster. There’s that No. 2 overall pick to deal with.

It can’t hurt staying busy while waiting for the hammer to fall.

Williams, the Rams’ new defensive coordinator, is facing a possible suspension and fine after admitting that he ran a bounty pool of up to $50,000 over the past three seasons when he was the defensive coordinator in New Orleans. The NFL said players received payoffs for knocking targeted opponents out of the game.

Whether Williams is shelved for two weeks, a month or longer, the Rams must make contingency plans.

Aside from releasing Williams’ apology, the franchise that inherited this scandal has had little to say. Players and coaches are not being made available for interviews.

“Coach Williams has shown contrition for his actions and continues to cooperate with the NFL in this investigation,” Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said in a statement Thursday to The Associated Press. “Out of respect for the NFL’s ongoing process, we will refrain from commenting until the league has come to a final decision on all aspects of this matter.”

New coach Jeff Fisher was out of town and he isn’t talking, either, until the NFL issues its ruling. Williams met with NFL security officials on Monday as part of the league’s investigation; no timetable has been disclosed by the league for a decision from Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Dick Vermeil, who has 19 years of NFL coaching experience including the Rams’ lone Super Bowl win in 2000, said in a telephone interview that he was unaware of any bounties during his coaching career.

“There were always rumors, but often it seemed like something of a joke, like you’d hear kids were throwing in 50 bucks apiece,” Vermeil said. “Hopefully, this is isolated, hopefully the story doesn’t get bigger as the investigation goes deeper.”

Like many players, Vermeil said he believes Williams’ reputation is solid around the league.

“Sometimes you can get caught up in the enthusiasm and intensity of the game and it overpowers your judgment,” Vermeil said. “But I like him, he’s a good man, and he made a mistake.”

Williams’ punishment could be stiffer given the NFL’s emphasis the last few seasons on reducing concussions – the definition of a knockout.

“That has been a big issue, and now this comes up,” Vermeil said. “I think it almost puts them under pressure to react more strongly when something like this is going on.”

Assistant head coach Dave McGinnis is the logical fill-in candidate at defensive coordinator should Williams be suspended. McGinnis is a former NFL head coach and has an extensive background in defense, including five years as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 1996-2000, and great success coaching linebackers under Fisher in Tennessee.

McGinnis built his reputation in a decade as linebackers coach with the Chicago, working with defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and tutoring Hall of Famer Mike Singletary.

The Rams are the worst franchise in the NFL currently and have been for the past six years.  They are 2-11 as of now, but I believe the Colts and the Vikings could beat the Rams by two touchdowns.

The talent level even without the injuries is awful, I sometimes think LSU could beat the Rams.  The past draft, aside from Robert Quinn, has produced zero in terms of quality players.  I am ready to give up on Austin Pettis and Lance Kendrick, and probably, Greg Salas too. 

It would not bother me if all three were cut.  Billy Devaney is so inept as a GM that he has left the Rams worse than when he took over.  For those of you who don’t believe me or have a differing opinion, take your emotions out the situation and analyze things from a pure talent evaluator’s eyes.  The Rams are that bad!

What’s making things worse is the silence of Stan Kroenke, giving Rams fans no hope for the future, no reason to attend anymore games, and frankly, if Devaney is not shown the door, he has lost this Rams fan for good. 

So for the sake of this article, I have made myself Stan, and these are the changes I am proposing.  For those die-hard Rams fans, my opinions and what coarse of action I would take may rub some of you the wrong way, but….I’m sorry, I am tired of having a losing football team in this city.

CHANGE No. 1: CUT ABOUT HALF THE TEAM

Brady Poppinga, Ben Leber, Eugene Sims, Gary Gibson, Craig Dahl, Rod Hood, Chris Smith, James Butler, Dominique Curry, Josh Gordy, Jason Brown, Jason Smith, Jacob Bell, Adam Goldberg, Tony Wragge, Brandon Gibson, Austin Pettis, Billy Bajema, Britt Miller, Justin Bannan, Tom Brandstater, Cadillac Williams, Quinn Porter, Thomas Welch, Brian Mattison, Bryan Kehl, Dorell Scott, Nate Ness and Stephen Spach.

You all just got waived.  And I don’t want to hear, “well so and so is good.”  No, no they are not good and most of these guys will never play in the NFL again.  Go sell insurance.  I want to rid the Rams of the slow plodding players and replace them all with explosive athletes.  I want to get rid of the players who were the root of the 2-14 Rams.  Losing is a disease, and I want most of the reminders of that team gone.

It worked for Pete Carroll and Seattle.

CHANGE No. 2: FIRE BILLY DEVANEY AND EVERY SCOUT IN THE ORGANIZATION

I am not sure who’s in charge of the war room of draft day, but who’s in charge of selecting these guys the Rams pick?

I could blame Devaney alone, and I think he’s the worst GM is sports, but our scouts were directing the Linehan regime to select awful players before that.  Fire them all, start over!  You want to know why the Rams have won about 15 games in six years, look at all the drafts going back to 2005.  This is the main reason for the Rams’ ineptitude. 

If Kroenke continues with the current staff for player procurement, he will lose this city, if he has not already.

Hire a GM who wants athletes, not locker room guys, not rah-rah guys and quality citizens, but football players who can play!  Enough of the scrappy, try-hard white guys, I know St. Louis loves these type of players—the Joe McEwing, the Rex Hudlers. Let the Cardinals meet the city’s quota for the scrappy Rudy’s; this is football. 

CHANGE No. 3: FIRE SPAGS AND EVERY COACH

Sorry Spags. You are a nice guy and all, but you have to go…

Yes, injuries and Devaney did not do you any favors, but your fingerprints are all over the Rams’ 53-man roster to begin the season.  And you probably already David Carr’d  Sam Bradford, for that alone you and the staff should get the heave-ho, which brings me to my next change.

CHANGE No. 4 TRADE SAM TO CLEVELAND FOR THEIR ENTIRE 2012 DRAFT

This is probably a bit far-fetched, in terms of how many picks I want in return, and I probably could have got that at the end of 2010, but Sam’s play and health and contract will make it hard for the Rams to get everything I want in return, but the Rams need more picks, and the Browns have two first-round picks this year.  In my scenario, Cleveland accepts the trade offer, and the Rams are in business for April 2012.

CHANGE No. 5: HIRE CHIP KELLY AS HEAD COACH

Now that the Rams are going in a new direction, let’s totally turn this franchise on its ear.  Hire Kelly to bring his style of offense to St. Louis.  And with the second pick of the 2012 NFL draft, the St. Louis Rams select…

CHANGE No. 6: ROBERT GRIFFIN III, QB, BAYLOR

Kelly and Griffin will bring excitement to this city and put butts in the seats.  Imagine RG3 directing Oregon’s offense right now; they’re in the title game against LSU—and probably favored.

CHANGE No. 7: TRADE SJ39 TO THE JETS

Yes, I am advocating trading Steven Jackson.In my scenario, it’s a three-team deal involving the Jets and the Ravens. We get Tyrod Taylor and a second and a fifth-round pick.  Taylor starts till RG3 is ready to go, and the Rams get more picks.  Jackson gets paroled so to speak and gets the chance to play for a winner.

CHANGE No. 8: DRAFT PLAYMAKERS (HUGE CHANGE)

In addition to RG3, draft Justin Blackmon and Trent Richardson with the picks from Cleveland.

Here are some more names to select for 2012:  Janoris Jenkins, Kelechi Osemele, Kendall Wright, Ray Ray Armstrong, Kevin Zeitler, Lavonte David, LaMichael James, Cliff Harris, Travis Benjmain, David Paulson, Janzen Jackson, Josh Oglesby and Fozzy Whittaker.

2013:  Sheldon Richardson, Tyrann Mathieu, Denard Robinson, Kenjon Barner and DJ Monroe.

2014:  DeAnthony Thomas and Sammy Watkins

CHANGE No. 9: SUPPLEMENT THE YOUNG GUYS WITH QUALITY FREE AGENTS

Hopefully, the Rams will hire GM that can identify and sign talented free agents to supplement the influx of young players they are bringing in through the draft.  No more slow-footed Brady Poppingas or Ben Lebers and no more slow possession receivers who can’t catch a cold, i.e. Mike Sims-Walker.

CHANGE No. 10: WIN SOME DAMN GAMES!

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.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

For the second time this season, the St. Louis Rams (2-9) played a close game against the Arizona Cardinals (4-7) in a match that came down to the wire, but for the second time this season the Rams came up short. 

The Rams were able to meet the NFL’s requirements for a sellout and avoided a television blackout, which is a testament to a strong St. Louis fanbase that has continued to show support for the team despite witnessing only two wins this year.

However, just like the majority of football games that St. Louis fans have witnessed in recent years, the Rams were unable to reward their loyalty after falling short in a close 23-20 loss to Arizona at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. 

The Rams entered halftime with a 10-3 lead after Nick Miller returned a punt for a touchdown and Josh Brown nailed a 35-yard field goal. 

But the Cardinals owned the third quarter with a field goal and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard punt return touchdown by Patrick Peterson, which should sound familiar since Peterson returned a punt for a touchdown against the Rams just three weeks ago, which won the game for the Cardinals in overtime.

The Rams scored their only offensive touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter on a 16-yard pass from Sam Bradford to Brandon Lloyd, and they outscored the Cardinals 10-3 in the final quarter, but it was not enough to put the game away. 

It was not the most disappointing loss for the Rams on the season, but with a 2-9 record the fans are fed up with moral victories.

But with that, here are the players who made the biggest contributions for the team this week… 

Wells had 228 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown in only his third career 100-yard game and Peterson became the fourth player in league history with four punt returns for a touchdown in a season in a 23-20 victory on Sunday.

“The kid’s amazing,” Wells said of Peterson. “I mean, he’s a beast.”

Wells broke loose for 71 and 53 yards and rebounded after his fumble led to the tying score for St. Louis. The 53-yarder came on the possession after his turnover and set up Jay Feely’s go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 4:12 remaining.

Wells aggravated a lingering right knee injury on the fumble, but couldn’t wait to get back out there. He set the record with a 14-yard gain to the Rams 34 on the game’s next-to-last play to help secure the Cardinals’ third win in four weeks.

The lone regret? Not going the distance on either of his long carries.

“I blame it on my knee brace,” Wells said with a laugh. “I’ve got a big old offensive lineman’s knee brace.”

Rookie Sam Acho also had a career day on defense with two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Arizona (4-7) overcame another awful outing from John Skelton, who made his fourth straight start in place of injured Kevin Kolb and was 12 for 23 for 114 yards and two interceptions.

Skelton didn’t mind that the Rams seemed to be most interested in stopping the pass.

“You’re always going to have ups and downs, but I don’t think anybody lost confidence in the offense,” Skelton said. “Beanie had a great day and a lot of it goes to him for working hard.”

Brandon Lloyd’s 16-yard TD catch from Sam Bradford tied it at 20 midway through the fourth quarter. Nick Miller had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first for the Rams (2-9) only three days after he re-signed with the team.

The Rams juggled their offensive line to little effect, sliding guard Harvey Dahl to tackle, shifting Adam Goldberg to left tackle and inserting Jason Brown at guard two games after Brown lost his center job. Steven Jackson was limited to 64 yards with a 3.8-yard average and Bradford passed for 203 yards.

Peterson’s 99-yard punt return stunned the Rams in overtime three weeks ago in Arizona and he was untouched on an 80-yard return in the third quarter, dodging just a few tacklers before finding clear sailing to put Arizona up 20-10. St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo had vowed that the rookie would not beat the Rams again and Donnie Jones did a good job of directional punting except for one effort.

“We got bit again,” Spagnuolo said.

Peterson is the fourth player with four punt returns in a season and the first in NFL history with four returns of 80-plus yards. The cornerback from LSU was the fifth pick in the draft.

Wells was an even bigger factor, eclipsing the previous franchise mark of 214 yards by LeShon Johnson in 1996 at New Orleans. In the earlier meeting against the Rams, Wells had just 20 yards on 10 carries.

Arizona Cardinals
quarterback
John Skelton
led his struggling club to its first win streak this season while filling in for an injured
Kevin Kolb
. A miserable performance from Skelton, however, helped bring that run to an end last week.

If Kolb is unavailable again, Skelton will likely get the chance to bounce back while helping the Cardinals top the St. Louis
Rams for the second time this month Sunday.

Skelton was elevated to the starting role when Kolb developed turf toe in his right foot following Arizona’s loss Oct. 30
in Baltimore. The second-year quarterback from Fordham made his initial appearance in place of Kolb on Nov. 6 against St.
Louis and threw the tying touchdown pass with 4:51 left in the fourth quarter.

Patrick Peterson
ended the Cardinals’ lengthy skid by with a 99-yard punt return in overtime. Following that 19-13 win, Skelton had a career-high
315 yards and three TD passes in a 21-17 victory at Philadelphia, Kolb’s former team.

Skelton, though, couldn’t keep that momentum going last week in San Francisco, where he went 6 of 19 for 99 yards and was
benched following a third interception late in the third quarter. Arizona (3-7) turned the ball over a season-worst five times
in the 23-7 defeat.

“John played like a rookie,” coach Ken Whisenhunt told the team’s website. “He’s a young football player, and he’s going to
have his ups and downs.”

Despite Skelton’s struggles, Whisenhunt said he will start again should Kolb’s status remain unchanged. Kolb went through
a substantial practice for the first time since his injury Wednesday.

“We’ve go to get better at making sure (Skelton) won’t struggle,” the Arizona coach said.

Another matchup with the Rams (2-8) might help the Cardinals and Skelton, who was 20 of 35 for 222 yards in the previous meeting.
Arizona has won nine of 10 matchups and is seeking its seventh consecutive win at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Cardinals forced
Sam Bradford
to throw a career-worst three interceptions in their 17-13 win in St. Louis last season, and the Rams’ young quarterback enters
this game following his own miserable performance.

Bradford fumbled twice, was picked off once and sacked five times during a 24-7 loss to Seattle. The Rams were limited to
185 yards, their second-lowest total this season, and
Steven Jackson
was held to 42 yards on 15 carries after topping 125 in three consecutive games.

“I’m beyond frustrated right now,” Bradford said. “I’ve never been on a team that has been in this situation. I don’t like
it. I hope this is the only time in my career that I’m ever in a situation like this.”

Jackson might fare a little better against the Cardinals, who won’t have starting nose tackle
Dan Williams
for the rest of the season because of a broken left arm. The Rams running back has averaged 107.3 yards over his last four
matchups with Arizona but has scored only two touchdowns.

One of those TDs, however, came in a 19-6 victory at Arizona on Dec. 5.

Jackson, though, won’t have starting tackle
Rodger Saffold
to help open holes. He’s on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for an ailing pectoral muscle, and fellow starting tackle

Jason Smith
‘s status remains unknown because of a concussion.

The Rams used practice squad call-up
Kevin Hughes
in last week’s game after replacement tackle
Mark LeVoir
also hurt his pectoral muscle. LeVoir is expected to miss at least the next two games.

“Timing is really important on offense and we haven’t had a lot of that with the same 11 guys. You have to fight through that,”
coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

The Cardinals are also dealing with a potential injury on their offensive line. Whisenhunt said right tackle
Brandon Keith
has a concussion and will be evaluated throughout the week to see if he can play Sunday.

ST. LOUIS – Beanie Wells ran wild all day. Patrick Peterson needed one touch to make a huge contribution for the Arizona Cardinals.

Peterson tied the NFL record with his fourth punt return for a touchdown this season, Wells set a franchise mark with 228 yards rushing on 27 carries, and the Cardinals won their seventh in a row in St. Louis with a 23-20 victory Sunday over the Rams.

Wells’ career day included gains of 71 and 53 yards, the latter setting up Jay Feely’s go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 4:12 remaining. Rookie Sam Acho also had a career day on defence with two sacks and a fumble recovery.

That was enough for Arizona (4-7) to overcome another awful outing by John Skelton, who threw two interceptions.

Brandon Lloyd’s 16-yard TD catch from Sam Bradford tied it at 20 midway through the fourth quarter. Nick Miller had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter for the Rams (2-9) only three days after he re-signed with the team.

Peterson was untouched on an 80-yard return up the middle in the third quarter, dodging just a few tacklers before finding clear sailing to put Arizona up 20-10. His 99-yarder in overtime beat the Rams three weeks ago in Arizona, and St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo had vowed that the rookie would not beat them again.

The cornerback from LSU, the fifth pick in the draft, is the fourth player with four punt returns in a season and the first in NFL history with four returns of 80-plus yards.

Wells was an even bigger factor, eclipsing the previous franchise mark of 214 yards by LeShon Johnson in 1996 at New Orleans. In the earlier meeting against the Rams, Wells had just 20 yards on 10 carries.

Acho has five sacks, three against the Rams. His fumble recovery set up Wells’ 7-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter.

The Cardinals overcame three turnovers to keep their dominance going in St. Louis, the town they fled for the desert in 1987. It’s their longest winning streak against any opponent. They’re only 2-5 on the road this year, also winning at Philadelphia earlier this month.

The Rams re-signed Miller on Thursday after placing wide receiver Mark Clayton on injured reserve with a knee injury. He gave them the lead on their only big play of the first half, skirting the defence and scoring untouched with a convoy the last 30 yards of the return.

Arizona was 0 for 5 on third down in the half and had one big play, too. Wells’ career-best 71-yard run to the 11 late in the first quarter set up a short field goal.

Poor clock management might have cost the Rams a chance for another touchdown at the end of the half.

Lloyd adjusted his route on an underthrown 26-yard pass to the Arizona three with 43 seconds left, then St. Louis went backward with a false start and Acho’s second sack for a nine-yard loss. Coaches wasted at least 10 seconds before calling the last timeout with 12 seconds to go, and Bradford overthrew Lloyd in the end zone before the Rams settled for a field goal and a 10-3 lead.

The other players with four punt returns for a TD are Devin Hester (2007), Rick Upchurch (1978) and Jack Christiansen (1951), who was a rookie when he first set the record.

Read More: John Skelton (QB – ARI), Patrick Peterson (CB – ARI), Sam Acho (LB – ARI), Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams, Nov 27, 2011 11:00 AM MST

Beanie Wells set a franchise record with 228 yards rushing on a day that saw the Arizona Cardinals beat the Rams for the seventh-straight time in St. Louis. The Cardinals fell behind early and struggled through a poor game by QB John Skelton but improve to 4-7 on the season thanks to Wells’ big day, solid defense and a record-tying fourth punt return touchdown from Patrick Peterson.

The Cardinals defense was led by a very good game by rookie OLB Sam Acho, who recorded two sacks (five on the season) and forced two fumbles. ILB Daryl Washington continues to impress and the defensive line playing without starting NT Dan Williams (broken arm) held the Rams Steven Jackson to just 64 yards on 17 carries.

It wasn’t a pretty game offensively from either team as both quarterbacks struggled to convert third downs and score in the red zone. Sam Bradford was the better of the two, going 17-31 for 203 yards and one touchdown. John Skelton looked extremely inaccurate early, threw two picks and went 12-23 for 114 yards.

This game was clearly won on the ground and in the trenches. The Cardinals ran for a total of 268 yards compared to 86 for the Rams. Wells had a 71-yard run in the first quarter that got the Cardinals into the red zone and produced three points. He replicated that in the fourth with a 53-yard run (video below) that broke a 20-20 tie.

Both teams recorded seven points off punt return touchdowns. The Rams Nick Miller ran one back 88 yards in the first quarter and Patrick Peterson got his fourth of the year in the third (video here).

The Cardinals complete a three-game series of road games going 2-1 and are now 3-1 in games started by John Skelton (despite his poor play). Arizona will now be home for four of their last five games of the season starting with the Dallas Cowboys next week.

For more on the game, visit Revenge of the Birds blog.

ST. LOUIS — Offense? Who needs offense against the Rams?

For 3 ½ quarters, it didn’t look like the Cardinals did in their 23-20 victory on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

Then the Rams took advantage of turnovers and came back from a 10-point deficit to tie the game midway thought the fourth.

Then Cardinals running back Beanie Wells busted a 53-yard run to the Rams 9.

That long run gave Wells 207 yards on the day and set up a 22-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 4:09 remaining.

The win was the Cardinals third in the last four games and improved their record to 4-7.

The defense set up the Cardinals first touchdown with a forced fumble. And Patrick Peterson scored the second, returning a punt 80 yards near the end of the third quarter.

It was Peterson’s fourth punt return for a touchdown this season, which ties an NFL record. All four of his returns were at least 80 yards in length, the first time that’s been done in league history.

A team with an efficient offense might have put the game away then. The Cardinals led, 20-10.

The Rams added a field goal and had a prime opportunity to crawl closer when John Skelton was intercepted for the second time.

But as it did most of the game, the Cardinals defense responded. The Rams went nowhere, and Josh Brown missed a field goal from 50 yards.

The Cardinals weren’t through giving the Rams chances. Wells, who had 157 yards rushing through three quarters, fumbled and the Rams recovered at the Cardinals 43 with 9:11 remaining.

The Rams didn’t waste this chance. It took them just three plays to score, and Sam Bradford’s 16-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd tied the game at 20 with 7:46 remaining.

ST. LOUIS — Patrick Peterson tied an NFL record with his fourth punt return for a touchdown this season as the Arizona Cardinals beat the St. Louis Rams 23-20 Sunday before 56,029 fans at the Edward Jones Dome.

Arizona’s Beanie Wells ran for a career-high 228 yards and one touchdown against the NFL’s worst rush defense.

Well’s 53-yard run set up a 22-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 4:09 left that put the Cardinals back in front 23-20 after the Rams had tied the score.

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo opted to punt on fourth-and-1 from the St. Louis 36 with 3:22 to go.

The Cardinals were able to run out the clock by converting two third downs into first downs.

The Rams dropped to 2-9. The Cardinals improved to 4-7.

Peterson, who burned the Rams with a game-winning 99-yard punt return in overtime earlier this month, fielded Donnie Jones’ punt and sprinted up the middle of the field in the third quarter.

He angled right toward the sideline after getting past Jones and then outran all pursuers.

Peterson joins Chicago’s Devin Hester (2007), Denver’s Rick Upchurch (1976) and Detroit’s Jack Christiansen (1951) as the only players with four punt returns in a season in NFL history.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford completed 17 of 31 passes for 203 and one touchdown.

Rams running back Steven Jackson had 17 carries for 64 yards.

The Rams converted a fumble by Wells into a touchdown as quarterback Sam Bradford threw a 16-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd in the end zone.

The touchdown tied the score at 20-20.

A 41-yard pass from John Skelton to Larry Fitzgerald on the opening drive of the second half set up a 37-yard field goal by Jay Feely as the Cardinals cut their deficit to 10-6.

Rookie tight end Lance Kendricks’ funble in Rams’ territory enabled the Cardinals to take the lead.

Kendricks fumbled after making a reception and Arizona’s Sam Ocho recovered the ball at the St. Louis

The turnover led to a 7-yard touchdown run by Wells that put the Cardinals ahead 13-10 with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

The Rams got a 48-yard field goal by Josh Brown early in the fourth quarter, but Brown was wide right on a 50-yard attempt less than two minutes later after an interception by James Laurinaitis on a Skelton pass that was tipped by Gary Gibson.

Miller propels Rams to halftime lead

Nick Miller’s 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter helped the St. Louis Rams to a 10-3 lead over the Arizona Cardinals at halftime.

Josh Brown kicked a 35-yard field goal with three seconds left in the second quarter to account for the rest of the Rams’ scoring.

Both teams had their opening drives stall.

Miller, making his first punt return for the Rams, turned the corner going to his left and raced 88 yards for a touchdown to put the Rams ahead 7-0 with 9:15 left in the first quarter.

The Rams got the ball back when Cardinals quarterback John Shelton overthrew intended receiver Larry Fitzgerald and cornerback Rod Hood intercepted it.

Hood returned the Arizona 31, but the Rams came away with no points as quarterback Sam Bradford fumbled as he was being sacked by Sam Acho. Paris Lenon recovered the loose ball.

A 71-yard run by Beanie Wells enabled the Cardinals to get on the scoreboard with a 29-yard field goal by Jay Feely.

The Rams had first-and-goal at the Arizona 3 with 43 seconds left in the first half, but they had to settle for a field goal after Jason Brown was called for a false start and Bradford was sacked for a nine-yard loss by Acho.

Alexander is inactive again

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander will miss his fifth straight game due to a hamstring injury.

Alexander was among the Rams’ actives for their game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Also inactive were: linebackers Ben Leber and Josh Hull, running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, guard Bryan Mattison, tackle Mark LeVoir and defensive tackle Justin Bannon.

Linebacker James Laurinaitis (foot) and defensive end Chris Long (ankle) will suit up for the Rams after being listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.

John Skelton will start at quarterback for the Cardinals as Kevin Kolb (toe) was inactive.

A thrilling victory over the St. Louis Rams at the start of
November looked as if it was going to get the Arizona Cardinals’ season on a
positive track.

Just two weeks later, the Cards don’t look any better off than they were before
the win.

Things haven’t been much better for the Rams, and they’ll try to find some rare
success against their division rivals this Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Cardinals were in the midst of a six-game losing streak when they hosted
the Rams on Nov. 6. Consecutive safeties on backup quarterback John Skelton in
the third quarter had put Arizona in a seven-point hole, but Skelton rebounded
to hit Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 left in
regulation.

Defensive end Calais Campbell then blocked a 42-yard field attempt by St.
Louis kicker Josh Brown on the final play of the fourth quarter, forcing
overtime and leading to an electric 99-yard punt return for a score by rookie
Patrick Peterson that gave the Cardinals a 19-13 win. It was the second-longest
punt return for a touchdown in NFL history and kick-started a two-game winning
streak for Arizona that included a 21-17 victory in Philadelphia the following
weekend.

However, Arizona lost all of its momentum this past Sunday, when it was routed
by NFC West-leading San Francisco, 23-7. In his third straight start for the
injured Kevin Kolb, Skelton threw three interceptions and was replaced late in
the game by Richard Bartel.

Bartel prevented the shutout when he threw his first career touchdown pass, a
23-yard score to Fitzgerald with 8:38 to play in the fourth quarter.

“I’m not trying to put it all on John,” said Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt.
“It was a tough day for a lot of us out there [last week] and we didn’t get the
job done.”

Arizona will play the finale of a three-game road trip and is just 1-5 as the
guest this season. The Cardinals have lost 12 of their last 13 on the road
since a win at St. Louis on Sept. 12 of last season.

St. Louis will need to be cautious of Arizona’s special teams. Peterson leads
the NFL with 463 punt return yards and three touchdowns, while his 17.1 average
per runback is second in the league. Also, Campbell has blocked three field
goals this season after getting his hand on another one a week ago.

Peterson also blocked a field goal try against the 49ers, marking the first
time the Cardinals had two in the same game since Sept. 17, 1972.

St. Louis has lost two of three since snapping a season-opening six-game slide
with a win over New Orleans on Oct. 30. The Rams rebounded from their loss to
the Cardinals to win at Cleveland by a 13-12 count on Nov. 13, but were run
over by Seattle in a 24-7 setback this past Sunday.

The Rams, who are last in the division, scored the game’s first touchdown on a
30-yard pass by quarterback Sam Bradford to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, and
trailed the Seahawks by only three points at the half. However, they yielded a
pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half while their offense stalled.

“It’s hard to play defense when you’re behind, it’s hard to win games when you
only score seven points,” said Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Running back Steven Jackson found little room to run versus the Seahawks and
had a string of three straight 100-yard rushing games come to an end. That
streak included a 130-yard effort versus the Cardinals in Week 9.

St. Louis fell to 1-4 at home this season.

SERIES HISTORY

Arizona took a 32-31-2 lead in this long-played series, which dates back
to 1937, with its above-mentioned overtime triumph three weeks back and has
defeated the Rams in nine of the last 10 bouts between the teams. The
Cardinals have also emerged victorious in each of their last six visits to the
Edward Jones Dome, including a 17-13 decision in the 2010 season opener, with
the Rams’ most recent home win over Arizona taking place in 2004. The Rams did
halt a string of eight consecutive losses to the Cards with a 19-6 ousting at
University of Phoenix Stadium last December.

Of course, the Cardinals were based in St. Louis between 1960-87, and the
franchise still resided in the Gateway City during its lone lifetime
postseason clash with the Rams. That took place during the 1975 campaign, when
the then-Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 home win in an NFC Divisional
Playoff.

Whisenhunt owns an 8-1 record against the Rams since taking over as the
Cardinals’ head coach in 2007, while Spagnuolo is 1-4 against both Arizona and
Whisenhunt for his career.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Despite his struggles last weekend, Whisenhunt said he will stick with Skelton
(636 passing yards, 4 TD, 5 INT) for this game if Kolb (1706 passing yards, 8
TD, 8 INT) isn’t ready to return from his turf toe injury. Skelton completed
only six of his 19 pass attempts versus the 49ers for 99 yards, while Arizona
and its 25th-ranked offense (309.9 ypg) racked up just 229 yards and turned the
ball over five times in the loss. In addition to Skelton’s three picks, both
running back Beanie Wells (621 rushing yards, 7 TD) and return man Peterson
lost a fumble. Wells continues to battle through a knee injury and rushed just
eight times against San Francisco for 33 yards. He hasn’t topped 62 yards on
the ground in three straight games while not scoring over that span as well.
Wells is still one touchdown shy of the career-best seven he ran for as a
rookie in 2009. Fitzgerald (48 receptions, 6 TD) continues to make plays no
matter who is under center, and his 41 yards on three catches last week made
him the second-youngest player in league history to surpass 9,000 in a career.
He has 13 touchdown catches in 15 career games versus the Rams. Wideout Early
Doucet (42 receptions, 4 TD) continued his career season with six catches and
50 yards versus the 49ers, while Andre Roberts (25 receptions) added three for
51 yards. Tight end Todd Heap (13 receptions) sat out for the fifth time in six
games due to injury, with Jeff King (18 receptions, 2 TD) starting in his
place.

The Rams rank ninth in the NFL in defending the pass, giving up 215.0 yards
per game, and have tallied 26 sacks on the season. They added to that total
with four versus the Seahawks, but also saw their 32nd-ranked run defense
(148.1 ypg) get touched for 126 yards on the day. Middle linebacker James
Laurinaitis (84 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) led St. Louis with 13 tackles, but
came out of the game with a sore foot. St. Louis will need its leading tackler
if it hopes to contain Arizona’s run game and could also use contributions
from defensive tackles Fred Robbins (19 tackles, 1 sack) and Justin Bannan (17
tackles). Pressuring the quarterback shouldn’t be a problem for defensive end
Chris Long (21 tackles), who notched a career-high ninth sack of the season a
week ago. Fellow end James Hall (31 tackles, 4 sacks) also got to the
quarterback, as did rookie end Robert Quinn (14 tackles, 4 sacks) and safety
Darian Stewart (54 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT). Stewart ended with eight tackles,
while linebacker Chris Chamberlain (41 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and safety
Quintin Mikell (56 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) grabbed interceptions. Corners
Justin King (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Josh Gordy (23 tackles, 1 INT) draw
the unwanted task of slowing down Fitzgerald.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

While St. Louis’ defense put up a solid effort last week, the offense could
not match and logged a mere 185 yards against the Seahawks. On the season, the
Rams rank 30th in total offense at 297.9 yards per game and are the league’s
lowest scoring team at 12.0 points per contest. Bradford (1768 passing yards, 5
TD, 5 INT) completed half of his 40 passes for 181 yards, getting picked off
once and sacked five times. Issues at left tackle led to Bradford facing heavy
pressure, as starter Rodger Saffold suffered a torn pectoral muscle two days
prior to the game that ended his season and backup Mark LeVoir sustained a
right shoulder injury in the first quarter. That forced Kevin Hughes into
extensive action after he was just elevated from the practice squad. Bradford
was still able to continue his recent chemistry with Lloyd (26 receptions, 3
TD), who was targeted 14 times and made five catches for 67 yards. Wide
receivers Brandon Gibson (28 receptions, 1 TD) and Mark Clayton added four and
three receptions, respectively. Jackson (749 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 5
total TD) was held to only 42 yards on 15 carries, but still has 459 yards over
his last four games. He also has 429 yards and a pair of scores in his last two
appearances against the Cardinals and is 124 all-purpose yards shy of matching
Henry Ellard for third-most in team history.

Arizona is giving up 383.8 yards per game to rank 28th in the NFL, with 256.6
of those coming through the air. The 49ers posted 431 yards of offense versus
the Cardinals last weekend, including 164 on the ground. Arizona also got
little pressure on the quarterback and failed to record a sack, though
linebacker Daryl Washington (60 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INT) did notch an
interception in the end zone. Former Rams linebacker Paris Lenon (62 tackles,
2 sacks) led the way with nine tackles last week and safety Rashad Johnson (33
tackles) had eight as he continues to fill in for the injured Kerry Rhodes.
Defensive tackle Dan Williams (20 tackles) made six stops before sustaining a
broken left arm that ended his season. The Rams will have to account for
Campbell (50 tackles, 5 sacks, 1 INT), who has at least one sack in four
straight games in this series. He logged a pair of sacks and two tackles for a
loss in the first meeting. Safety Adrian Wilson (39 tackles, 1 INT) has 7 1/2
sacks in his career versus St. Louis and has logged an interception in four of
his past five games against the club. As a whole, the Cardinals have notched
eight sacks and four interceptions in three meetings with Bradford. Campbell
had two of the four sacks in the first meeting and cornerback Richard Marshall
(44 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT) also had one.

KEYS TO THE GAME

The Cardinals can take a lot of pressure of Skelton by getting the running
game going, and back Chester Taylor could see added carries if Wells’ knee
continues to be an issue. Taylor was Arizona’s leading rusher last weekend
after ripping off 34 yards on his only attempt.

Though Peterson fielding a punt at the one-yard line was ill-advised, it
worked out for the rookie and he should be in the collective heads of the Rams’
punting unit. Look for St. Louis punter Donnie Jones, who averages 44.5 yards
and has pinned 20 kicks inside the 20, to avoid the playmaker.

Bradford’s blind-side was under attack last weekend, and it could be another
long day for the quarterback if Hughes is the man again at left tackle.
Arizona already has a history of pressuring Bradford, so the Rams will need
to find ways to take the pressure off. Screens and play-action could help, as
would not falling behind early.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Fans of offense may want to avoid this meaningless matchup between NFC West
afterthoughts. The Rams are the more disappointing of the two, as they were
expected to contend for the division title but instead are brining up the
rear after taking positive steps a season ago. Things are starting to get a
little hot for Spagnuolo and he could really use a victory over the Cardinals
this Sunday. Unfortunately, this series has been slanted towards Arizona as of
late, making it tough to pick against the Cardinals in this toss-up.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cardinals 13, Rams 9

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The subject came up when I ran across Trent Dilfer at 49ers training camp. He made the point then that Sam Bradford, though apparently headed for a bright future, might be only the second- or third-best quarterback in the division for now. And he said the 49ers could win with Alex Smith because they would not ask too much from him.

Three months later, Smith is executing his duties better than the other quarterbacks in the division. The 49ers do not need him to carry the team.

Keith Goldner of Drive-By Football, writing for Advanced NFL Stats, offers evidence putting Smith in the same category Dilfer inhabited when Dilfer was part of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has this to say about Smith during his player-by-player review of the 49ers’ offense against Arizona: “While Smith was not always on target with his throws, his receivers got their hands on seven of his first eight incomplete throws. … Missed wide-open receiver Michael Crabtree in second quarter for what would’ve been a 16-yard touchdown in second quarter. … He got away from pressure on first play of fourth quarter but threw his second career interception in the red zone as linebacker Daryl Washington picked him off.”

Also from Maiocco: player-by-player review for the defense. On Patrick Willis: “Started at middle linebacker and recorded a team-high seven tackles. He also had an interception, three passes defensed and one forced fumble. … His forced fumble of Beanie Wells was initially ruled down by contact, but Willis urged coach Jim Harbaugh to throw the challenge flag. … Called for unnecessary roughness on a fourth-down play when he hit Bartel as he was sliding.”

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee says 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is quite familiar with the Ravens’ defense, given that he helped coach it in Baltimore several years back.

Clare Farnsworth of seahawks.com says the team is very happy with Leroy Hill’s contributions at linebacker. Coach Pete Carroll: “He’s one of the toughest guys on the team and if you’re going to pick one guy to go fight for you, a lot of guys would pick him. It was attractive when you talk about linebackers.”

Also from Farnsworth: The Seahawks’ last two opponents made little effort to run the ball.

Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times says Carroll defended Kam Chancellor’s recent hits drawing penalties.

Also from O’Neil: a look at where the Seahawks stand after nearly two seasons under Carroll.

Eric D. Williams of the Tacoma News Tribune says the Seahawks currently stand 12th in the draft order for 2012. He discusses options with analyst Rob Rang.

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic profiles Cardinals quarterback Rich Bartel. Somers: “It’s fitting that the ball Cardinals quarterback Rich Bartel threw for his first NFL touchdown pass took a circuitous route to Sunday’s game in San Francisco. A ‘K Ball,’ for use by kickers only, somehow was included in the Cardinals’ ball bag and found its way into the game in the fourth quarter. A few seconds after receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught the deflected ball for a 23-yard touchdown, he handed it to Bartel, who had waited almost five seasons to get it.”

Darren Urban of azcardinals.com says the team placed nose tackle Dan Williams on injured reserve, filling his roster spot by signing Ronald Talley from the practice squad. Urban: “The Cardinals actually made multiple moves on the practice squad. Filling Talley’s spot, the Cards brought back nose tackle Ricky Lumpkin. The Cardinals also released tight end Steve Skelton from the practice squad and replaced him with linebacker Brandon Williams, who was drafted by Dallas in 2009 before tearing his ACL in preseason of that year.”

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says protecting Sam Bradford should be the Rams’ top priority. Miklasz: “Having Bradford rocked and slammed to the ground would be OK if the Rams actually had something to show for his bruises. Kurt Warner took more hits than any QB during the ‘Greatest Show’ glory days, but the trade-off resulted in one of the greatest performances in NFL history. … Sam and the Rams are getting nothing in return for this steady QB abuse. They’re last in the NFL in points per game (12), they’re last in touchdowns from scrimmage (10), they have the league’s worst third-down conversion rate (29.9 pct.) they rank 30th of 32 teams in yards per passing attempt (5.81), they are 27th in average yards at the point of the catch (5.5) and are tied with Jacksonville for the fewest number of TD passes (6).”

D’Marco Farr of 101ESPN St. Louis has this to say about the Rams: “Large investments in the offensive line haven’t paid off and now are going to be reshuffled again due to injuries. The cornerback position is a mess. Franchise quarterback Sam Bradford is taking a beating to the point where you hope it doesn’t ruin his future. If someone asked me to identify the Rams offense, I don’t think I could. I’m not positive the skill players tell me enough information so I can make that type of determination. The team is last in the league in scoring, and there are a few names inherently attached to that. But there’s still six weeks left. Six weeks to prove that this team is close to breaking through.” Noted: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t seeking “identity” in the traditional sense on offense. He wanted to mix up game plans from week to week and play to play, based on what gave the Rams their best chance. When I think of identity for this offense, I’m wondering what it does well. So far, the team has occasionally gotten the ground game going with inside handoffs from shotgun formations. Not much to go on.

Howard Balzer of 101ESPN St. Louis says the Rams put another cornerback, Marquis Johnson, on injured reserve.

The St. Louis Rams (2-7) picked up their first road win of the 2011 season against the Cleveland Browns (3-6) in a low-scoring defensive battle that ended with a 13-12 score. 

It’s hard to get excited about a win after witnessing an inept offense that barely outscored a Browns team that failed to find the end zone the entire game.

Also, it’s painful to think about the Arizona game last week. The Rams’ game-winning field goal by Josh Brown was blocked, which sent the game into overtime and the Cardinals won it with a punt-return touchdown. 

Why is that painful? Because now we know the Rams were one play away from a three-game winning streak.

Regardless, the Rams have a chance to win some more games with back-to-back home games against the Seahawks and the Cardinals starting next week.

For now, the Rams are fortunate to be leaving Cleveland with their second win of the year, and here are the key guys who made that possible.