Read More: St. Louis Rams

The 2012 NFL Draft is only 32 picks deep so far, but things are about to heat up on Friday, as Round 2 and Round 3 unfold starting at 6 p.m. CT, ESPN and NFL Network. The St. Louis Rams have been busy trading back from their original No. 2 slot, and as a result they are loaded with picks in the later rounds and should be primed to fill plenty of holes with quality players on very affordable contracts.

General manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher will have the chance to find some gems on Friday, as the Rams hold the No. 33, No. 39, No. 45 and No. 65 selections.

Here is the complete list of picks the Rams have left in the 2012 NFL Draft, heading into Friday:

Round 2, Pick No. 1, No. 33 Overall

Round 2, Pick No. 7, No. 39 Overall (from Washington)

Round 2, Pick No. 13, No. 45 Overall (from Dallas)

Round 3, Pick No. 2, No. 65 Overall

Round 4, Pick No. 1, No. 96 Overall

Round 6, Pick No. 1, No. 171 Overall

Round 7, Pick No. 2, No. 209 Overall

Round 7, Pick No. 45, No. 252 Overall (Compensatory Selection)

For more coverage on the St. Louis Rams’ wild 2012 NFL Draft, click through to our storystream. For even more comprehensive coverage of the NFL Draft, visit Mocking The Draft.

Read More: Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams

Boding with many other mock drafts out there, Drafttek.com projects the St. Louis Rams to select Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon in their latest computer-generated mock draft. The site uses a formula involving a hierarchy of team needs and a “Big Board” that ranks prospects by value to determine how the draft might play out.

Blackmon has frequently been tied to the Rams because of their obvious need to improve the passing game:

Though the Rams covet Trent Richardson, he will be gone, and all signs point to the addition of a solid #1 WR. It’s been almost a decade since a WR dominated college football for two years. That WR is considered one of the best in the NFL today (Larry Fitzgerald/Pitt). The Rams will expect no less from Justin Blackmon. The Rams offense is predicated on the run, but without a dominant receiving threat, the running game suffers even with two quality running backs.

Blackmon has been arguably the best wide receiver in the nation for the Cowboys over the past two years, so the real question is simply how well that skill set will translate to the NFL. In addition to the Blackmon pick, here are some of the later-round picks for St. Louis projected by Drafttek.com:

• Round 2, No. 33 overall: North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown
• Round 2, No. 39 overall: Miami (FL) running back Lamar Miller
• Round 3, No. 65 overall: Auburn offensive tackle Brandon Mosley

Sam Bradford is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The St. Louis Rams believe so, and that’s why they took him No. 1 overall in the 2010 NFL draft.

In my opinion, Bradford’s ascension is a matter of when, not if.

So when can we expect the former No. 1 overall pick to play like a franchise quarterback? That is a complicated question with a simple answer—when Bradford gets more help.

Bradford was drafted No. 1 overall, meaning he was selected by the worst team in the NFL. The Rams were coming off of a 1-15 record in 2009. That is the mess that Bradford inherited. He responded by helping the Rams to a 7-9 record last season, and the Rams were picked by many to win the NFC West in 2011.

However, a combination of a tough schedule, poor personnel decisions, awful coaching and injuries to key players derailed the Rams’ season almost before it ever got started. Surrounded by a very poor supporting cast, Bradford regressed.

Simply put, Bradford has not been a good quarterback in 2011.

However, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Bradford based on one bad season. Consider these stat lines of some pretty good quarterbacks.

QB 1: 26 TDs, 23 INTs, 62.7 percent passing, 84.1 QB Rating

QB 2: 19 TDs, 24 INTs, 60.9 percent passing, 72.2 QB Rating

QB 3: 24 TDs, 22 INTs, 56 percent passing, 76.9 QB Rating

QB 4: 22 TDs, 23 INTs, 52 percent passing, 70.2 QB Rating

QB 5: 18 TDs, 15 INTs, 60 percent passing, 76.5 QB Rating

Those quarterbacks are, in order: QB 1 is Peyton Manning (4th year in the NFL), QB 2 is Brett Favre (3rd year in the NFL), QB 3 is Dan Marino (7th year in the NFL), QB 4 is John Elway (3rd year in the NFL), QB 5 is and Sam Bradford (rookie season).

So if you break it down, our very own Bradford, playing with an awful supporting cast last season, put up numbers comparable to some of the best QBs to ever play the game at the same point in their career.

In the words of Adam Sandler, that’s “not too shabby.”

Now let’s go back and take a look at some of the players that these Hall-of-Fame QBs got a chance to play with.

Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Edgerin James, not to mention a very good offensive line. He also got to work under the same head coach and the same offensive coordinator for several years.

Favre had Sterling Sharpe (great player before he was injured), Donald Driver, Ahman Green, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Javon Walker and Andre “Bad Moon” Rison (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Favre also had a great offensive line, and he got to work in the same offense—the West Coast offense—for his entire career.

Marino had Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. He played for Don Shula for crying out loud. Elway had Hall-of-Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, and he had the great Terrell Davis running behind him late in his career. He also played for a couple of very good coaches in Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves.

Compare all of that to Bradford.

Poor Bradford’s best receiver to this point in his career has been Danny Amendola, a non drafted free agent who was picked up from Philly’s practice squad. When Bradford finally got of a good receiver to work with this season (Brandon Lloyd), Bradford was too banged up to play.

Speaking of banged up, look at the offensive line Bradford has to play behind. Jason Smith, the former No. 2 overall pick in the draft, is a bust at right tackle. I mean, honestly, who spends the No. 2 pick in the entire draft on a right tackle? The fact that Smith had to be moved to right tackle means he is already a bust, never mind the fact that he is a lousy right tackle!

Bradford was sacked on over nine percent of his passing attempts this season, a staggering number. Consider that Manning was never sacked on more than five percent of his passing attempts in a season, and the amount of abuse Bradford has endured is truly staggering.

So add it all up: Bradford was drafted onto a terrible team, with zero playmakers available to throw to in the passing game, and he was put behind a terrible offensive line where he was forced to take a beating week after week after week…

The only part of the blueprint for “How to ruin a young QB” that is missing would be the part where you make him change coordinators two or three years in a row.

Oh wait, he will probably be playing for his third offensive coordinator in a row next year, so we’ve got that one covered also.

And we can debate a lot of things—will Bradford be an elite QB or not? But there is one thing we can all surely agree on. The only chance Bradford has to reach his potential is a total regime change in St. Louis. Because without some major changes in St. Louis, Bradford won’t wind up on any list with names like Manning, Favre, Marino and Elway.

Poor Sam will end up on a list with David Carr and Marc Bulger, and none of us want to see that happen to Bradford.

Sam Bradford is going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The St. Louis Rams believe so, and that’s why they took him No. 1 overall in the 2010 NFL draft.

In my opinion, Bradford’s ascension is a matter of when, not if.

So when can we expect the former No. 1 overall pick to play like a franchise quarterback? That is a complicated question with a simple answer—when Bradford gets more help.

Bradford was drafted No. 1 overall, meaning he was selected by the worst team in the NFL. The Rams were coming off of a 1-15 record in 2009. That is the mess that Bradford inherited. He responded by helping the Rams to a 7-9 record last season, and the Rams were picked by many to win the NFC West in 2011.

However, a combination of a tough schedule, poor personnel decisions, awful coaching and injuries to key players derailed the Rams’ season almost before it ever got started. Surrounded by a very poor supporting cast, Bradford regressed.

Simply put, Bradford has not been a good quarterback in 2011.

However, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Bradford based on one bad season. Consider these stat lines of some pretty good quarterbacks.

QB 1: 26 TDs, 23 INTs, 62.7 percent passing, 84.1 QB Rating

QB 2: 19 TDs, 24 INTs, 60.9 percent passing, 72.2 QB Rating

QB 3: 24 TDs, 22 INTs, 56 percent passing, 76.9 QB Rating

QB 4: 22 TDs, 23 INTs, 52 percent passing, 70.2 QB Rating

QB 5: 18 TDs, 15 INTs, 60 percent passing, 76.5 QB Rating

Those quarterbacks are, in order: QB 1 is Peyton Manning (4th year in the NFL), QB 2 is Brett Favre (3rd year in the NFL), QB 3 is Dan Marino (7th year in the NFL), QB 4 is John Elway (3rd year in the NFL), QB 5 is and Sam Bradford (rookie season).

So if you break it down, our very own Bradford, playing with an awful supporting cast last season, put up numbers comparable to some of the best QBs to ever play the game at the same point in their career.

In the words of Adam Sandler, that’s “not too shabby.”

Now let’s go back and take a look at some of the players that these Hall-of-Fame QBs got a chance to play with.

Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Edgerin James, not to mention a very good offensive line. He also got to work under the same head coach and the same offensive coordinator for several years.

Favre had Sterling Sharpe (great player before he was injured), Donald Driver, Ahman Green, Antonio Freeman, Robert Brooks, Javon Walker and Andre “Bad Moon” Rison (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Favre also had a great offensive line, and he got to work in the same offense—the West Coast offense—for his entire career.

Marino had Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. He played for Don Shula for crying out loud. Elway had Hall-of-Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, and he had the great Terrell Davis running behind him late in his career. He also played for a couple of very good coaches in Mike Shanahan and Dan Reeves.

Compare all of that to Bradford.

Poor Bradford’s best receiver to this point in his career has been Danny Amendola, a non drafted free agent who was picked up from Philly’s practice squad. When Bradford finally got of a good receiver to work with this season (Brandon Lloyd), Bradford was too banged up to play.

Speaking of banged up, look at the offensive line Bradford has to play behind. Jason Smith, the former No. 2 overall pick in the draft, is a bust at right tackle. I mean, honestly, who spends the No. 2 pick in the entire draft on a right tackle? The fact that Smith had to be moved to right tackle means he is already a bust, never mind the fact that he is a lousy right tackle!

Bradford was sacked on over nine percent of his passing attempts this season, a staggering number. Consider that Manning was never sacked on more than five percent of his passing attempts in a season, and the amount of abuse Bradford has endured is truly staggering.

So add it all up: Bradford was drafted onto a terrible team, with zero playmakers available to throw to in the passing game, and he was put behind a terrible offensive line where he was forced to take a beating week after week after week…

The only part of the blueprint for “How to ruin a young QB” that is missing would be the part where you make him change coordinators two or three years in a row.

Oh wait, he will probably be playing for his third offensive coordinator in a row next year, so we’ve got that one covered also.

And we can debate a lot of things—will Bradford be an elite QB or not? But there is one thing we can all surely agree on. The only chance Bradford has to reach his potential is a total regime change in St. Louis. Because without some major changes in St. Louis, Bradford won’t wind up on any list with names like Manning, Favre, Marino and Elway.

Poor Sam will end up on a list with David Carr and Marc Bulger, and none of us want to see that happen to Bradford.

That might come as a surprise because the secondary has been devastated by injuries this season. On the injured reserve list are cornerbacks Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher, Al Harris, Brian Jackson, Marquis Johnson and Jerome Murphy.

Other players have had to step up.

“We’ve still got a job to do,” safety Darian Stewart said Friday. “Everyone has to be accountable and play. It’s a blessing for me. I’m just having fun and doing what I can. We have to make plays. Injuries are a part of this game.”

Defensive coordinator Ken Flajole has had to be flexible with his secondary.

“This league is all about matchups and we spent a lot of time trying to find out if we can get guys in position where we don’t get a bad matchup,” Flajole said. “Sometimes that’s not always doable, but we work on it. I think sometimes it forces you to play maybe more coverages, different types of two-deep coverages that you maybe weren’t planning on because you’re trying to make sure that you can hold up in the back end.”

Stewart, who was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2010, entered the starting lineup midway through the season and has become a playmaker for the Rams. He had 11 tackles Monday night at Seattle and is tied for second on the team with 78 stops. He is tied for the team lead with five tackles for loss.

“I’m cool with all that but I’d rather win,” Stewart said. “Victories are the most important numbers.”

In the Rams’ first victory of the season, against New Orleans, Stewart notched his first interception and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.

Flajole said Stewart has played several positions this year.

“We’ve had to move Stewart around a lot. He was a nickel (back) last week. He was will linebacker in sub, he’s a strong safety,” Flajole said. “And those are the things we’re dealing with right now with the injury situation and when guys don’t have the ability to be at the same position down after down after down and it’s unfamiliar locations, there’s always a learning curve there.”

Second-year pro Josh Gordy, a cornerback, has caught Flajole’s eye. He had four tackles against Seattle, a career-high seven tackles against Dallas and picked off a pass against New Orleans.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me,” said Gordy, who did not practice Friday with an abdominal injury. “I’m making the best of it. There’s more work I can do and improve. I want to make the most of it.”

And he has, Flajole said.

“I know Josh is not going to get elected into the Hall of Fame but I would say this, that kid has improved in my opinion more in the last three or four weeks since he’s been in it,” Flajole said. “I think he gets as much out of his God-given ability as anybody does. And those are things you look for as a coach.

“If guys are getting better, that’s what you look for and I think you can hang your hat on it.”

Rookie cornerback Chris Smith, who was undrafted out of Northern Illinois, made his debut in the Seattle game and had one tackle. Yet the injuries don’t stop. Cornerback Justin King hurt his back in practice Friday.

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

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.

ST. LOUIS — Nick Miller could have been a hero.

If the St. Louis Rams had been able to make a tackle on Patrick Peterson’s NFL record-tying fourth punt return for a touchdown this season, everyone would have been raving about Miller’s electrifying 88-yard return for a score in the first quarter of the Rams’ 23-20 loss to Arizona.

Miller became the first St. Louis player to return a punt for a touchdown since Dante Hall ran one back 85 yards in a 35-7 loss to Dallas on Sept. 30, 2007. Miller’s gallop, which tied for the third longest punt return for a touchdown in franchise history, was one of the few highlights in St. Louis’ ninth defeat in 11 games.

“If we don’t give up that punt return, everybody would be talking about Nick Miller,” St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

Instead, Miller’s run became an afterthought.

Miller went from couch potato to special teams standout in a matter of days. Last Wednesday, four days before the game, he was at home in Arizona when the injury-plagued Rams called.

“One minute I was laying on the couch, the next minute I’m in the end zone,” Miller said. “A crazy week.”

Miller got the call at 2 p.m. and was on a plane to St. Louis three hours later.

“It all happened so fast,” he said, “But that’s football. You’ve got to be ready when someone calls.”

Miller was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Slowed by a shin injury his rookie campaign, he made his NFL debut on Oct. 10, 2010, reeling off a 46-yard punt return in the third quarter of the Raiders’ 35-27 win over San Diego. He was cut by Oakland on Oct. 1 of this season and signed by St. Louis six days later. The Rams waived him on Oct. 22 but re-signed him last week.

Miller has replaced an ineffective Austin Pettis as the Rams No. 1 punt returner. Danny Amendola, the Rams’ top kickoff and punt returner, had a season-ending elbow injury during the first game of the season.

Notes: Quarterback Sam Bradford and defensive end Chris Long did not practice Thursday. Both are bothered by ankle injuries and Bradford appeared to be limping. “When he came in this morning it went backward a little bit,” Spagnuolo said. “In an effort to get it forward, we shut him down.” A.J. Feeley took the first-team reps in practice and Spagnuolo said a decision on Bradford’s status for Sunday’s game at San Francisco will be made Friday. Long said he was held out of practice as a precautionary measure and plans to play Sunday at San Francisco. … Punter Donnie Jones and safety Darian Stewart worked out on a limited basis Thursday. Jones is bothered by a sore ankle. Stewart is trying to work through concussion-like symptoms.

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

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Nick Miller(notes) could have been a hero.

If the St. Louis Rams had been able to make a tackle on Patrick Peterson’s(notes)
NFL record-tying fourth punt return for a touchdown this season, everyone would
have been raving about Miller’s electrifying 88-yard return for a score in the
first quarter of the Rams’ 23-20 loss to Arizona.

Miller became the first St. Louis player to return a punt for a touchdown
since Dante Hall(notes) ran one back 85 yards in a 35-7 loss to Dallas on Sept. 30,
2007. Miller’s gallop, which tied for the third longest punt return for a
touchdown in franchise history, was one of the few highlights in St. Louis’
ninth defeat in 11 games.

“If we don’t give up that punt return, everybody would be talking about
Nick Miller,” St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

Instead, Miller’s run became an afterthought.

Miller went from couch potato to special teams standout in a matter of days.
Last Wednesday, four days before the game, he was at home in Arizona when the
injury-plagued Rams called.

“One minute I was laying on the couch, the next minute I’m in the end
zone,” Miller said. “A crazy week.”

Miller got the call at 2 p.m. and was on a plane to St. Louis three hours
later.

“It all happened so fast,” he said, “But that’s football. You’ve got to
be ready when someone calls.”

Miller was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
Slowed by a shin injury his rookie campaign, he made his NFL debut on Oct. 10,
2010, reeling off a 46-yard punt return in the third quarter of the Raiders’
35-27 win over San Diego. He was cut by Oakland on Oct. 1 of this season and
signed by St. Louis six days later. The Rams waived him on Oct. 22 but re-signed
him last week.

Miller has replaced an ineffective Austin Pettis(notes) as the Rams No. 1 punt
returner. Danny Amendola(notes), the Rams’ top kickoff and punt returner, had a
season-ending elbow injury during the first game of the season.

Notes: Quarterback Sam Bradford(notes) and defensive end Chris Long(notes) did not
practice Thursday. Both are bothered by ankle injuries and Bradford appeared to
be limping. “When he came in this morning it went backward a little bit,”
Spagnuolo said. “In an effort to get it forward, we shut him down.” A.J.
Feeley(notes) took the first-team reps in practice and Spagnuolo said a decision on
Bradford’s status for Sunday’s game at San Francisco will be made Friday. Long
said he was held out of practice as a precautionary measure and plans to play
Sunday at San Francisco. … Punter Donnie Jones(notes) and safety Darian Stewart(notes)
worked out on a limited basis Thursday. Jones is bothered by a sore ankle.
Stewart is trying to work through concussion-like symptoms.

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.

The San Francisco 49ers missed out on an opportunity to wrap up their first
NFC West title in nine years last week, but they should have a better chance to
celebrate Sunday.

The 49ers welcome the last-place St. Louis Rams to Candlestick Park as they
try to become one of the league’s first teams to clinch a playoff berth.

San Francisco (9-2) went into Week 12 needing a win at Baltimore on
Thanksgiving and a Seattle loss on Sunday to clinch the NFC West with nearly a
third of the season still to play. The Seahawks lost 23-17 to Washington, but
all that did was help the 49ers maintain their five-game division lead after
falling 16-6 to the Ravens.

That defeat also ended an eight-game win streak, the team’s longest since an
11-game run in 1997. Alex Smith was sacked a franchise record-tying nine times
as the 49ers finished with a season low for points and yards (170).

“The men put a lot into it. They were disappointed,” coach Jim Harbaugh
said. “They’ll bounce back. This is a team that’s a resilient team, and we’ll
learn from it.”

San Francisco will try to get back on track by clinching its first
postseason berth since winning the NFC West in 2002. If the 49ers lose to St.
Louis (2-9), they can still wrap up that spot with losses from Seattle and
Arizona.

“It’s a big deal. It’s a step. We may be ahead on the chip count, but we
don’t have a seat at the final table,” Harbaugh said. “We need to focus on this
game. We need to do everything we can to physically, mentally, emotionally
prepare for this game because we know that the St. Louis Rams will be doing the
same thing.”

The Rams enter looking to recover from back-to-back division losses.

The league’s worst rushing defense, giving up 159.0 yards per game, allowed
another record-setting performance Sunday just five weeks after letting Dallas’
DeMarco Murray(notes) scamper for a rookie franchise-record 253 yards.

Beanie Wells(notes) ran for a Cardinals-record 228 on Sunday, and his 53-yard
sprint in the fourth quarter set up the decisive field goal in Arizona’s 23-20
win.

“You have to forget about it and move on, but as a competitor they’re going
to really get under your skin,” Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis(notes) said. “I hate
losing, I hate losing, and am never going to get used to losing. … Nobody
should in this locker room, in this organization.”

The 49ers will certainly hope to see Frank Gore(notes) shake his recent struggles
and continue to exploit St. Louis’ run defense.

Since his franchise-record streak of five games with 100 or more yards
ended, Gore has just 127 yards over his last three games – though nagging knee
and ankle injuries haven’t helped.

Gore has averaged 96.3 yards in his seven career starts against the Rams and
scored at least one touchdown in six of those. Gore, though, missed the most
recent matchup Dec. 26 because of a hip injury, and the 49ers had a five-game
win streak in the series snapped with a 25-17 loss.

St. Louis’ Sam Bradford(notes) passed for 292 yards and a pivotal fourth-quarter
touchdown while breaking the NFL’s single-season record for completions by a
rookie. The 49ers fired former coach Mike Singletary following that defeat,
paving the way for Harbaugh to come over from Stanford.

San Francisco has won three straight home games over the Rams and seven of
nine, but needed overtime to prevail in the most recent matchup in San Francisco
last November.

Michael Crabtree(notes) caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of that win,
and he might need to step up again in this game with Braylon Edwards(notes) still
dealing with knee and shoulder problems.

Edwards said he’s had his playing time limited in recent games because of
the injury but hopes to be 100 percent for the playoffs.

“I’ve been hurt. I had knee surgery. Now I have a bad shoulder,” Edwards
said. “I haven’t ever had a season where I’ve been hurt, with the exception of
my rookie year. This is all new to me. It’s very frustrating, but I ask the team
to bear with me.”

The Rams, meanwhile, are hoping to get receiver Danario Alexander(notes) back from
a hamstring injury that’s caused him to miss the past five weeks.

It was a career game for Beanie Wells against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday (Nov. 27). In a rivalry game for the Arizona Cardinals, Wells was the key to victory in this one. He had his best game in the NFL, and could end up having the best statistics of any player in Week 12.

In a game where Cardinals quarterback John Skelton was having a number of problems with being consistent on the field, Wells was the guy who kept this from becoming an embarrassing loss. Wells rushed for 228 yards on just 27 carries, scoring one touchdown on the ground to really help out his team. He certainly helped out any fantasy football owner that had him playing this week as well, because this game made him the highest scoring running back to this point on Sunday.

Wells averaged 8.4 yards per carry against the Rams, and made it look like the Rams were just standing still on defense. This might not seem like a surprising result to many NFL fans that have been paying attention this year, because St. Louis gives up a league-worst 148 rushing yards per game. It’s not often that one man totally tears apart a defense like this though, even if some expected this to turn into a good day from Wells.

For Wells, he certainly hasn’t had many games that would indicate he could go off for more than 200 yards in one game. He had only rushed for more than 100 yards in a game one time this year, and that was back in Week 4 against the New York Giants. In that game, he had 138 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27 carries, but the Cardinals still ended up losing it. Outside of that game, his high was 93 yards against the Washington Redskins back in Week 2 of the season.

This game really pumps up the season numbers for Wells, who came into this game with just 621 rushing yards for the season. Adding 228 from Sunday gives him 849 for the season, and certainly makes it possible for him to get to 1,000 yards over the next two weeks. Next up for Arizona is the Dallas Cowboys, so it doesn’t seem likely he will get the 151 yards he needs in that game alone.

This was certainly a big improvement from the 33 yards that Wells posted against the San Francisco 49ers last week. It was also a vast improvement over the 20 yards on 10 attempts that he had against the Rams during their Week 9 game, but it could show what Wells can do if the team just gives him the rushing attempts to make it possible.

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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a football fan that primarily follows the Seattle Seahawks, but still enjoys watching great football no matter who is on the field.

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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.

Read More: Justin Bannan (DT – STL), Mark Clayton (WR – STL), Mark LeVoir (G – STL), Chris Long (DE – STL), James Laurinaitis (LB – STL), Jason Smith (OT – STL), Lance Kendricks (TE – STL), Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams have officially put offensive tackle Jason Smith on the injured reserve this week to officially end his season. Taylor has been out since the Oct. 23 game against the Dallas Cowboys were he suffered a concussion and since then has not been able to pass the tests to get back on the field. Wide receiver Mark Clayton came back for two weeks from the PUP list to only see limited action from a knee injury he suffered last year, and with the knee still bothering Clayton he has been placed on the injured reserve as well.

The Cardinals will be facing a banged up Rams team on Sunday as they have three players already listed out and four more who are questionable.

For more on the St. Louis Rams head over to Turf Show Times.

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.