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.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Steve Spagnuolo’s reputation was built on defense, which
keeps letting him down.

With five games to go in a lost season, the St. Louis Rams are by far the
NFL’s worst against the run. At times they’ve been spectacularly bad,
surrendering two franchise-record rushing days.

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(notes) had a career day for Dallas with 253 yards
rushing. Then on Sunday, Arizona’s Beanie Wells(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) 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(notes) has missed two of the last three games with a shoulder
injury, including the Arizona game, with C.J. Ah You(notes) starting in his place. The
other three linemen, Robbins and ends Chris Long(notes) and James Hall(notes), have started
every game.

There hasn’t been much turnover at linebacker, either, with Laurinaitis
making every start and weakside linebacker Chris Chamberlain(notes) getting the nod the
last seven games. Brady Poppinga(notes) 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(notes) gaining 90 yards with a 4.7-yard average. Still, the problem appeared
to be solved.

Then Wells got loose. Larry Fitzgerald(notes) 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(notes), 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.”

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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Though technically on special teams, it was the latest example of improvement on the front end of the defense, against the run and on the pass rush, that has given the Rams (2-7) a fighting chance in recent weeks. Now, they are slight favorites over the Seahawks (3-6) for Sunday’s home game.

The secondary has taken a hard hit with nine cornerbacks lost for the year, both starters gone after four games and stand-in starter Al Harris now on injured reserve with a knee injury sustained in the 13-12 victory at Cleveland.

The Rams had six sacks three weeks ago in an upset over the Saints, three by Long. They permitted a season-low 262 total yards with three sacks in a 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona, and had two more sacks at Cleveland while giving up four field goals.

The two weeks prior to this stretch, St. Louis was blown out by the Cowboys and Packers by a combined score of 58-10.

“The more leads we have, the better numbers we have,” defensive end Chris Long said. “I think there’s a direct correlation. Our pass rush has been better than the numbers but it’s hard to stack up numbers when you’re down. When the team does well, we all do well.”

Interior linemen Justin Bannan, Fred Robbins and Gary Gibson have been getting good pushes, too, enabling the defense to harass quarterbacks without blitzing too much and leaving more bodies in the secondary.

“I think guys have taken it upon themselves during the course of the week to focus on the little things, as far as stopping the run, pursuit to the ball, and it’s paid off for us on Sunday,” Hall said. “We always take responsibility to take a little pressure off those guys.”

Cornerback Josh Gordy, who began the season on the practice squad, is set to make his second straight start likely opposite Justin King, thrust into a starting role in Week 3. King was diagnosed with a mild concussion, along with offensive tackle Rodger Saffold, but both could return in a limited role to practice on Thursday.

The Rams added a body Wednesday, promoting cornerback Nate Ness from the practice squad to the active roster. Rod Hood, inactive four of the last six weeks, will also see the field.

The plan this week?

“Get the four best guys out there, and maybe five or six, whatever,” coach Spagnuolo said. “It’s a little bit of patchwork right now and coaches will do the best they can to get a good unit out there.”

The Rams are banged up in general, with three players missing practice Wednesday — wide receiver Brandon Gibson (groin), offensive tackle Jason Smith (concussion) and running back Cadillac Williams (calf). Spagnuolo rattled off the names of nine others who were limited, concluding with a joking, “And that’s the whole roster.”

Wide receiver Danario Alexander, out three games with a right hamstring injury, took limited reps and expects to play on Sunday. Gibson expects to play, also.

Linebacker Justin Cole, signed off the Chiefs’ practice squad on Tuesday, was plugged in on special teams.

At least for now, the Rams are a happier bunch with a win — thanks to Hall and his forearm.

“I thought I had enough penetration, and anytime you’re like 3-4 yards in the backfield you’ve got a good chance of getting a block,” Hall said Wednesday. “I was falling down so I just threw my arm up and fortunately I hit it.”

Spagnuolo said a photo on special teams coach Tom McMahon’s desk appears to offer conclusive proof.

“Beautiful picture,” the coach said.

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

James Hall’s left forearm made the St. Louis Rams’ biggest stop last week.

The defensive end said he got a piece of the ball on the Cleveland Browns’ botched field goal that handed the Rams only their second victory of the season.

Though technically on special teams, it was the latest example of improvement on the front end of the defense, against the run and on the pass rush, that has given the Rams (2-7) a fighting chance in recent weeks. They are slight favorites over the Seahawks (3-6) for Sunday’s home game.

The secondary has taken a hard hit with nine cornerbacks lost for the year, both starters gone after four games and stand-in starter Al Harris now on injured reserve with a knee injury sustained in the 13-12 victory at Cleveland.

The Rams had six sacks three weeks ago in an upset over the Saints, three by Long. They permitted a season-low 262 total yards with three sacks in a 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona, and had two more sacks at Cleveland while giving up four field goals.

The two weeks prior to this stretch, St. Louis was blown out by the Cowboys and Packers by a combined score of 58-10.

“The more leads we have, the better numbers we have,” defensive end Chris Long said. “I think there’s a direct correlation. Our pass rush has been better than the numbers but it’s hard to stack up numbers when you’re down. When the team does well, we all do well.”

Interior linemen Justin Bannan, Fred Robbins and Gary Gibson have been getting good pushes, too, enabling the defense to harass quarterbacks without blitzing too much and leaving more bodies in the secondary.

“I think guys have taken it upon themselves during the course of the week to focus on the little things, as far as stopping the run, pursuit to the ball, and it’s paid off for us on Sunday,” Hall said. “We always take responsibility to take a little pressure off those guys.”

Cornerback Josh Gordy, who began the season on the practice squad, is set to make his second straight start likely opposite Justin King, thrust into a starting role in Week 3. King was diagnosed with a mild concussion, along with offensive tackle Rodger Saffold, but both could return in a limited role to practice on Thursday.

The Rams added a body Wednesday, promoting cornerback Nate Ness from the practice squad to the active roster. Rod Hood, inactive four of the last six weeks, will also see the field.

The plan this week?

“Get the four best guys out there, and maybe five or six, whatever,” coach Spagnuolo said. “It’s a little bit of patchwork right now and coaches will do the best they can to get a good unit out there.”

The Rams are banged up in general, with three players missing practice Wednesday — wide receiver Brandon Gibson (groin), offensive tackle Jason Smith (concussion) and running back Cadillac Williams (calf). Spagnuolo rattled off the names of nine others who were limited, concluding with a joking, “And that’s the whole roster.”

Wide receiver Danario Alexander, out three games with a right hamstring injury, took limited reps and expects to play on Sunday. Gibson expects to play, also.

Linebacker Justin Cole, signed off the Chiefs’ practice squad on Tuesday, was plugged in on special teams.

At least for now, the Rams are a happier bunch with a win — thanks to Hall and his forearm.

“I thought I had enough penetration, and anytime you’re like 3-4 yards in the backfield you’ve got a good chance of getting a block,” Hall said Wednesday. “I was falling down so I just threw my arm up and fortunately I hit it.”

Spagnuolo said a photo on special teams coach Tom McMahon’s desk appears to offer conclusive proof.

“Beautiful picture,” the coach said.

Fantasy football owners that need to take a risk in Week 11 should go with quarterback Tarvaris Jackson(notes) of the Seattle Seahawks. Though he had some struggles early in the season, Jackson has started to figure things out with the Seattle offense. During Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens, he managed 217 passing yards without committing a single turnover. Now he gets to play against the weak defense of the St. Louis Rams, and becomes a candidate for putting up some great fantasy statistics.

It’s an understatement to say that Arizona has played really badly this season, and that could continue against a Seahawks offense that is putting it together on the field now. The Rams have one really good defensive player in Chris Long(notes), but if the Seahawks offensive line can contain him on Sunday (Nov. 20), this could turn into a blowout. The line has definitely stood up for Seattle in the last two games, as the Dallas Cowboys managed just 1 sack (none by DeMarcus Ware(notes)) and the Ravens also got only one sack (by Paul Kruger(notes)).

Jackson will look to spread the ball around on offense against the Rams, and having Marshawn Lynch(notes) coming out of the backfield on screens is going to help out a lot. Lynch has started to show why he was such a high draft pick by the Buffalo Bills originally, and he has had two straight games of more than 100 rushing yards. He will likely meet and surpass those statistics against the Rams, and that will force the defense to allow receivers to roam free if they don’t to keep Lynch under 200 yards.

It’s hard to pin down a receiver to pick up this week from the Seahawks offense, but someone like tight end Zach Miller or receiver Doug Baldwin(notes) might put up some really good statistics. Other candidates include Golden Tate(notes), Sidney Rice(notes) and Anthony McCoy(notes), but it all depends on which guys get a clean bill of health for the game. If the pass rush is lacking from the Rams, it will certainly free up Miller to post some of his best numbers of the season.

Jackson is a great quarterback to pick up this week if you are suffering through a bye week or this recent injury to Cam Newton(notes). The teams with byes in Week 11 are the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans.

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Well, these continue to get more interesting with each additional week…

Every Friday leading into a Sunday contest for the Cleveland Football Browns, WFNY provides a roundtable-like discussion featuring each writer and his feelings on what the Dawgs need to do in order to leave the contest victorious.  On the flip side of the coin, we aim to feature at least one voice from the opposing team who in turn aims to provide a bit of a contrast; a devil’s advocate if you will.

This season, we will share some of our thoughts with the loyal readers of cleveland.com while inviting you all to continue the conversation with your fellow fans. 

Without further ado, this season’s Week 10 edition of The Browns Will Win If…

**

“At this point, I think to use that as an excuse or reason for our struggles, I don’t think that’s right,” Bradford said Wednesday. “As much as I hate to say that, I think it’s a lack of concentration once we get down there. Some of the mistakes that we do make down there, there’s no reason for them, and we’ve got to find a way to eliminate those.”

A week after the Rams (1-7) put it all together for the first time in a 31-21 upset over the Saints, they reverted to form. With Bradford back after missing two games with a high left ankle sprain, St. Louis managed three field goals and lost in overtime to Arizona.

The Rams lost despite piling up 383 total yards and Steven Jackson earning his second straight 100-yard rushing day. The Rams are next to last in the NFL with a 12.5-point average and only eight offensive touchdowns. The offense has 500 penalty yards, third most in the NFC, and the passing offense is struggling.

St. Louis and Seattle are tied for the fewest trips inside the 20 at 18 apiece, and the Rams are last in the NFC with seven red zone TDs.

The offensive line has been effective lately on the run game, helping Jackson break out a bit. But center Jason Brown’s 84-game streak of consecutive starts is in jeopardy because of the inefficiency. Brown said Wednesday he’s been told he won’t start at Cleveland on Sunday.

“We get down there and we just continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with either penalties or negative plays that put us behind the chains and put us into bad situations,” Bradford said. “The sooner we can eliminate those negative plays, I think the sooner we’ll finally start to see rewards.”

The good news for Bradford is there were no setbacks from the Cardinals loss. He’s still wearing a brace but said his ankle “definitely” feels better than last week at this time, and ditched the walking boot the day after the game. Barring further injury, he expects the ankle to be healed in two or three weeks.

Bradford said he got a few rehab tips from this week’s opposite number, and the player who finished right behind him for the Heisman Trophy. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy competed against Bradford in some Texas-Oklahoma college showdowns and McCoy had a high ankle sprain last year as a rookie.

Bradford said the Rams already were doing most of what McCoy recommended.

“It’s not like he gave me a piece of advice that changed our game plan as far as handling it, but it was just nice to hear he was able to get over it and play the rest of the year,” Bradford said.

The offense might get a bit of a lift this week with the return of Mark Clayton, Bradford’s top receiving threat early last season. Clayton’s comeback from a knee injury early last season has been hampered by an Achilles tendon injury but he’s felt better the last week or so and said Wednesday he was probably about 90 percent.

“I’m ready to play,” Clayton said. “The past couple weeks I’ve been able to get hold of it, calm it down. Last week was really good. This week, we’re trying to build on it.”

The Rams need Clayton after losing their slot receiver, rookie Greg Salas, for the year with a broken leg. Salas leads the team with 27 receptions.

“I’m definitely excited to get Mark back,” Bradford said. “Especially after losing Salas, we need someone to come in and step up, and it’s just great timing that Mark’s finally getting healthy.”

To make room for Clayton, the Rams released third-string quarterback Tom Bradstater.

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

Sam Bradford has missed the St. Louis Rams’ last two games with a high ankle sprain. This week marked the first time since the injury that Bradford has participated in practice, as he took about half of the snaps this week.

Earlier today on the FOX pregame show, Jay Glazer reported that Bradford said he would play. Of course, the ultimate decision is up to the team doctors and head coach Steve Spagnuolo, but according to Glazer, it looks like Bradford thinks he can give it a go against the Arizona Cardinals.

Then the Rams made it official via Twitter, announcing Bradford will start today.

Lloyd’s first game with the Rams was also the first game Bradford missed.

With the Rams picking up their first win of the season last weekend against the Saints, the Rams now have a chance to begin a winning streak. The Rams travel to Arizona in Week 9, travel to Cleveland in Week 10, host Seattle in Week 11 and host Arizona in Week 12.

With a healthy Bradford, it would be very reasonable to expect the Rams to win all four of these games. If they would pull off that kind of winning streak, the Rams would be 5-6, and with two games remaining against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers, the Rams would at least control their own fate in the NFC West.

ST. LOUIS — Quarterback Sam Bradford was active in practice Friday for the St. Louis Rams, who have listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game at Arizona.

Bradford, who has missed two games with a high left ankle sprain, worked in 7-on-7 drills as well as doing some individual work.

“He’s as questionable as you can be,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He was limited in practice. Some things we kept him out of, some things we let him go. Now the deal is let’s see how it is tomorrow after he’s done a little more work. We’ll take it one day at a time and see where we’re at on Sunday.”

If Bradford does not play, the Rams will again start A. J. Feeley. In the Rams’ first win of the season last Sunday, Feeley threw for 175 yards and a touchdown on 20 of 37 passing against New Orleans. This weekend’s NFC West matchup pits two teams that are 1-6.

Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels have discussed the possibility about using Bradford against the Cardinals. Bradford has not lobbied to play, Spagnuolo said.

“I’m sure that’s coming,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s a competitor. We’ll see where we’re at.”

Bradford declined to speak to reporters after practice.

McDaniels acknowledged he would like to see Bradford and recently acquired receiver Brandon Lloyd.

“It’ll be fun. They’re excited. A.J.’s done a great job filling in and if and when that happens, soon, I think those two guys, they’re kind of giddy,” McDaniels said. “They’re like two kids out here that haven’t really got to play with each other, so they’re excited and I think Sam’s just eager and champing at the bit to get out there and play, period. And the fact that he hasn’t had an opportunity to play and practice with Brandon yet, I know he’ll be excited for that opportunity.”

Running back Steven Jackson, who had 159 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries against the Saints, said the team is comfortable with Feeley’s command of the offense.

“He’s doing a good job,” Jackson said. “He’s been a starter in this league. The one thing I can say is that our game plan doesn’t change if Sam won’t go or A.J.’s up. … He managed the game well last week and he does a good job of also getting us out of plays that might not be favorable if a defense shows us something that’s going to take away a play.”

The Rams do have other injuries besides Bradford.

Receiver Danario Alexander is out this week with a hamstring. Linebacker Bryan Kehl hurt his ankle in practice Thursday during a special teams drill and hurt his ankle. He also is out for Sunday.

Receiver Mark Clayton will not be made active this week, Spagnuolo said. After injuring his knee last season, Clayton was placed on the PUP list this year. Last week in practice, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury that has hampered him. St. Louis has until Wednesday to decide what to do with him.

There have not been any roster moves last week or this week.

“It’s a little soothing, so to speak,” Spagnuolo said. “Because when you’re juggling all the time, it makes it tough. And I think there’s a little bit of sense of continuity and guys kind of feeding off of each other when you’ve got the same people in there these two games in a row. We really haven’t had that in a while.”

(Sports Network) – It’s been nearly a year since the St. Louis Rams last won
on the road, while the Arizona Cardinals haven’t won since Week 1 of this
season and the two teams have combined for just two victories in 2011.

Not exactly a marquee matchup.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals try to snap a six-game slide this Sunday against a
Rams club that is coming off its first victory of the season.

Arizona seemed poised to earn its first victory since Sept. 11 over Carolina
in its last time out, taking an 18-point lead into halftime against a talented
Baltimore squad last Sunday. However, the Ravens’ defense held the visiting
Cardinals in check over the second half and stormed back to beat the NFC West
residents by a 30-27 score on Billy Cundiff’s 25-yard field goal as time
expired.

It was the Cardinals’ 15th loss in their last 18 games dating back to last
year, including a seven-game losing streak to kick off that stretch. All three
of those wins did come at home, however.

“It’s hard right now,” Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “Our guys are
very disappointed after [the Baltimore] game because it was an opportunity to
do something that nobody thought we could do.”

Arizona got a gutsy effort from running back Beanie Wells, who started despite
a knee injury that limited him during the game. Complicating matters was
quarterback Kevin Kolb injuring himself early on in the contest.

Though Kolb took every snap, he is day-to-day this week due to a turf toe
ailment. Second-year pro John Skelton would get his fifth career start and
first this season if Kolb can’t go.

“It’s going to really depend on his ability to be able to run and plant off
[the foot],” Whisenhunt said of Kolb. “So that’s going to be [about] how much
movement he can get back if the swelling goes down. So we’ll see where it is as
it progresses, but it’s made a lot of progress since Sunday.”

Wells, meanwhile, did not practice on Wednesday but should still be ready for
this game.

St. Louis has been without its No. 1 quarterback in Sam Bradford for the past
two weeks due to a high left ankle sprain, but that didn’t stop the Rams from
picking up their first victory of 2011 with a 31-21 shocker over the high-
powered New Orleans Saints last weekend.

One the same day that several players from the MLB-champion St. Louis Cardinals
showed up with their World Series trophy in tow, running back Steven Jackson
stepped up in Bradford’s absence, rushing for a season-high 159 yards to go
along with two touchdowns.

St. Louis, which was the last team in the NFC to pick up a win, led 17-0 at
the half on the strength of a blocked punt and interception that helped set up
touchdowns, while young defensive back Darian Stewart iced the game with a 27-
yard pick-six later on.

In addition to Bradford, wide receiver Danario Alexander (hamstring),
linebacker Brady Poppinga (calf) and cornerback Justin King (groin) all missed
the game, leading to several players needing to step up.

“We had a lot of guys out today that normally would be out there,” said Rams
head coach Steve Spagnuolo afterward. “For the leaders to step up, guys like
[defensive end] James Hall and Steven Jackson, and lead their units, rally
them, that’s what this league’s all about. You need that and we got it [last
week]. Hopefully we can keep it going.”

A.J. Feeley started his second straight game in place of Bradford, getting his
first win as a starter since Dec. 26, 2004 while with Miami. Bradford, the top
pick of the 2010 draft, could be ready to return for this game after recently
shedding the cast and walking boot he had been in. Bradford did participate in
some of the Wednesday’s walk-through, but will be very limited in practice this
week.

“It feels pretty good walking around,” Bradford said of his ankle on Wednesday.
“I haven’t tested it with running or full-speed drops but [head athletic
trainer Reggie Scott] has a plan and we are on that plan. We came out here and
did a little bit today and we’ll hopefully do a little more [Thursday] and see
where it is by the end of the week.”

At 1-6, both the Rams and Cardinals sit five games back of the first-place
San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West. St. Louis will play its first divisional
game of the season on Sunday, and five of its next six contests are against NFC
West teams. Arizona has lost its only division game this year.

The Rams have lost five straight on the road since a victory in Arizona on
Dec. 5 of last season.

SERIES HISTORY

This long-played series, which dates back to 1937, is tied at 31-31-2 overall
after the Rams recorded a 19-6 triumph at University of Phoenix Stadium last
December. That victory halted a string of eight consecutive Arizona wins in
the set, including a 17-13 decision in St. Louis in the 2010 season opener.
The Rams had lost in Arizona in each of the three previous seasons prior to
last year’s verdict, but did come through with road wins over the Cards in
both 2005 and 2006.

The only postseason meeting between the two occurred in 1975, when the then-
Los Angeles Rams pulled out a 35-23 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in an NFC
Divisional Playoff.

Whisenhunt owns a 7-1 record against the Rams since taking over as the
Cardinals’ head coach in 2007, with the lone defeat taking place during Week
13 of last season. Spagnuolo is 1-3 against Arizona and in head-to-head bouts
with Whisenhunt as well.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

With Bradford (1177 passing yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) out another week, Jackson (449
rushing yards, 16 receptions, 5 total TD) threw the Rams’ 28th ranked
offense on his shoulders and put together his best outing of the season.
Jackson’s two-touchdown effort took a lot of pressure off Feeley (392 passing
yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), who threw for 175 yards on 20-of-37 passing while getting
sacked four times. Arizona does have a decent run defense, so whomever is St.
Louis’ quarterback this week may need to make more plays. Having wide receiver
Brandon Lloyd in the mix will help that. Playing in his second game since being
acquired in a trade with the Broncos, Lloyd (31 receptions, 410 yards, 1 TD)
was targeted 13 times against New Orleans and made a team-leading six catches
for 53 yards. One of those was an eight-yard scoring throw from Feeley near the
end of the first half. With Alexander (16 receptions, 1 TD), one of St. Louis’
leading receivers, out, rookie Greg Salas (20 receptions) added five receptions
for 47 yards and Jackson made four grabs for another 32. Wideout Brandon Gibson
(19 receptions, 1 TD) turned two catches into 27 yards, showing that the Rams
like to spread the ball out.

Arizona’s disappointing loss last weekend was not without plays from the
defense, but the unit had no answer for the Ravens in the second half. The
Cardinals allowed 156 yards in the first half, but yielded 249 yards along with
24 points over the final two quarters. With linebacker Joey Porter (16 tackles,
1 sack) out with a knee injury, rookie Sam Acho (9 tackles, 2 sacks) got his
first NFL start in the loss and finished with six tackles, a sack and a forced
fumble, while fellow backup O’Brien Schofield (12 tackles, 1.5 sacks) also had
a sack that resulted in a fumble that led to a score. Cornerback Richard
Marshall (30 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT) notched an interception, but was part of a
secondary that failed to contain former Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin,
who logged seven catches for 145 yards. That secondary also remains without
safety Kerry Rhodes (24 tackles, 2 sacks) due to a foot injury, with his
replacement Rashad Johnson (19 tackles) leading the way with eight tackles last
Sunday. Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson (32 tackles, 1 INT) also struggled
in coverage last week and will likely be tested again in this game. Arizona’s
run defense, led by tackle Darnell Dockett (21 tackles) and linebacker Daryl
Washington (36 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT), ranks 15th in the league with 113.1
yards allowed per game, though the Cards are yielding 277.6 yards through the
air per game.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Arizona will be thankful to see the Rams’ 30th-ranked defense this weekend
after facing the league’s top-ranked unit in each of previous two games. After
taking on Pittsburgh in Week 7, the Cardinals logged just 207 yards versus
Baltimore, using some turnovers and an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown
from Peterson to rack up points. The game ball definitely belonged to Wells
(506 rushing yards, 7 TD) after he gutted out 83 yards with a touchdown on 22
carries, and the Cardinals needed every yard due to Kolb’s injury. Kolb (1706
passing yards, 8 TD, 8 INT) was sacked six times and completed just 10 of his
21 pass attempts for 153 yards in the game. He was also picked off once while
finding Early Doucet (28 receptions, 3 TD) for a touchdown through the air.
There’s little doubt the Cardinals will try again to get Larry Fitzgerald (34
receptions, 2 TD) involved this week. The perennial Pro Bowler had 98 yards on
just three catches versus the Ravens and is sure to draw most of the attention
from the Rams’ secondary. That could open up the door for Doucet, wide receiver
Andre Roberts or tight end Jeff King (14 receptions, 2 TD) to make some plays.
King had three catches last weekend as Todd Heap (13 receptions) missed the
game with a hamstring issue and fellow tight end Rob Housler suffered a groin
injury during the game. Also of concern is an ankle issue sustained by rookie
Anthony Sherman, the only listed fullback on the team’s depth chart before
Reagan Maui’a was signed on Tuesday.

The Rams will look to dial up the pressure again this weekend after recording
six sacks last Sunday versus the Saints. Defensive end Chris Long (14 tackles,
6 sacks) had three of those, a career high, while defensive tackle Fred
Robbins (12 tackles, 1 sack) and rookie end Robert Quinn (6 tackles, 2 sacks)
also had quarterback takedowns. Quinn also came up with a blocked punt late in
the first half. Linebacker James Laurinaitis (57 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) had
the team’s other sack and led the Rams with 10 tackles, while cornerback Josh
Gordy (14 tackles) started in place of an injured Justin King (30 tackles, 1
sack, 1 INT) and posted seven tackles in addition to his first career
interception. Stewart (37 tackles) ended with six tackles and another backup,
cornerback Marquis Johnson, had four stops. Chris Chamberlain (24 tackles, 1
sack) got his third straight start at weakside linebacker and posted three
tackles in the win. St. Louis’ 32nd-ranked run defense limited New Orleans to
56 yards on 20 attempts, an average of 2.8 yards per carry, though the Saints
did get one of their two touchdowns on the ground. With Wells’ among the league
leaders in rushing scores, Laurinaitis and safety Quintin Mikell (43 tackles, 1
sack, 1 INT) will need to have their unit ready to stop the run.

KEYS TO THE GAME

Whether it’s Kolb or Skelton, the Cardinals need to find a way to get
Fitzgerald the ball. The playmaker has caught 12 touchdowns over his last 13
games versus the Rams, with that total representing his best against any
single opponent.

The Rams were able to get pressure on the Saints last week and will look to
take advantage of a troublesome Cardinals offensive line. The entire unit
struggled versus the Ravens and Whisenhunt is still deciding whether Brandon
Keith or Jeremy Bridges will start at right tackle. Both had problems a week
ago.

All eyes should be on how the inexperienced Rams secondary performs for a
second straight week. The unit should be full of confidence after containing
Drew Brees and isn’t likely to be intimidated by Arizona’s options under
center.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Two teams with NFC West title hopes instead meet nine weeks into the season
trying to get out of the division’s basement. Momentum will seem to be on St.
Louis’ side after last weekend’s big win, but as noted above, the Cardinals
have had the Rams’ number over the past few years. Both teams have questions
under center due to injury, with St. Louis having the edge among the backups
due to Feeley’s experience. The Rams and Cards both give up their fair share
of points and a shootout favors the hosting club, but nagging injuries to Kolb
and Wells should swing things in St. Louis’ favor.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Rams 17, Cardinals 13

The Sports Network

Read More: fantasy football, waiver wire, Brady Poppinga (LB – STL), Bryan Kehl (LB – STL), Justin King (CB – STL), Jason Smith (OT – STL), Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Danario Alexander (WR – STL), Greg Salas (WR – STL), Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals, Nov 6, 2011 3:15 PM CST

The St. Louis Rams have released their injury report for Friday:

Cleared to Play
LB Brady Poppinga
CB Justin King

Questionable
QB Sam Bradford
LB Bryan Kehl

Out
WR Danario Alexander
DT Darell Scott
RT Jason Smith

The Rams’ biggest injury news continues to surround quarterback Sam Bradford, who is somewhere between unlikely to questionable for the game this Sunday. Outside of Bradford, the Rams have a growing collection of key injuries for their their Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Linebacker Bryan Kehl continues to nurse his ankle sprain and will probably have his condition determined tomorrow after some tests. According to the official St. Louis Rams Twitter, Kehl is currently ”very questionable.”

Wide receiver Danario Alexander, who only yesterday appeared on the injury report, has been ruled out following a surprise hamstring problem. Earlier this week, it appeared WR Greg Salas might be strong waiver wire pickup, and with Alexander going down and the porous defense of the Arizona Cardinals awaiting him, Alexander may be a great flex start this week.

For more news on the St. Louis Rams and all things St. Louis sports, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more fantasy football updates and tips, keep an eye on SB Nation Fantasy Football.

ST. LOUIS – Quarterback Sam Bradford was active in practice Friday for the St. Louis Rams, who have listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game at Arizona.

Bradford, who has missed two games with a high left ankle sprain, worked in seven-on-seven drills as well as doing some individual work.

“He’s as questionable as you can be,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He was limited in practice. Some things we kept him out of, some things we let him go. Now the deal is let’s see how it is tomorrow after he’s done a little more work. We’ll take it one day at a time and see where we’re at on Sunday.”

If Bradford does not play, the Rams will again start A. J. Feeley. In the Rams’ first win of the season last Sunday, Feeley threw for 175 yards and a touchdown on 20 of 37 passing against New Orleans. This weekend’s NFC West matchup pits two teams that are 1-6.

Spagnuolo and offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels have discussed the possibility about using Bradford against the Cardinals. Bradford has not lobbied to play, Spagnuolo said.

“I’m sure that’s coming,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s a competitor. We’ll see where we’re at.”

Bradford declined to speak to reporters after practice.

McDaniels acknowledged he would like to see Bradford and recently acquired receiver Brandon Lloyd.

“It’ll be fun. They’re excited. A.J.’s done a great job filling in and if and when that happens, soon, I think those two guys, they’re kind of giddy,” McDaniels said. “They’re like two kids out here that haven’t really got to play with each other, so they’re excited and I think Sam’s just eager and champing at the bit to get out there and play, period. And the fact that he hasn’t had an opportunity to play and practice with Brandon yet, I know he’ll be excited for that opportunity.”

Running back Steven Jackson, who had 159 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries against the Saints, said the team is comfortable with Feeley’s command of the offence.

“He’s doing a good job,” Jackson said. “He’s been a starter in this league. The one thing I can say is that our game plan doesn’t change if Sam won’t go or A.J.’s up. … He managed the game well last week and he does a good job of also getting us out of plays that might not be favourable if a defence shows us something that’s going to take away a play.”

The Rams do have other injuries besides Bradford.

Receiver Danario Alexander is out this week with a hamstring. Linebacker Bryan Kehl hurt his ankle in practice Thursday during a special teams drill and hurt his ankle. He also is out for Sunday.

Receiver Mark Clayton will not be made active this week, Spagnuolo said. After injuring his knee last season, Clayton was placed on the PUP list this year. Last week in practice, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury that has hampered him. St. Louis has until Wednesday to decide what to do with him.

There have not been any roster moves last week or this week.

“It’s a little soothing, so to speak,” Spagnuolo said. “Because when you’re juggling all the time, it makes it tough. And I think there’s a little bit of sense of continuity and guys kind of feeding off of each other when you’ve got the same people in there these two games in a row. We really haven’t had that in a while.”

ST. LOUIS – Quarterback Sam Bradford was active in practice Friday for the St. Louis Rams, who have listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game at Arizona.

Bradford, who has missed two games with a high left ankle sprain, worked in seven-on-seven drills as well as doing some individual work.

“He’s as questionable as you can be,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “He was limited in practice. Some things we kept him out of, some things we let him go. Now the deal is let’s see how it is tomorrow after he’s done a little more work. We’ll take it one day at a time and see where we’re at on Sunday.”

If Bradford does not play, the Rams will again start A. J. Feeley. In the Rams’ first win of the season last Sunday, Feeley threw for 175 yards and a touchdown on 20 of 37 passing against New Orleans. This weekend’s NFC West matchup pits two teams that are 1-6.

Spagnuolo and offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels have discussed the possibility about using Bradford against the Cardinals. Bradford has not lobbied to play, Spagnuolo said.

“I’m sure that’s coming,” Spagnuolo said. “He’s a competitor. We’ll see where we’re at.”

Bradford declined to speak to reporters after practice.

McDaniels acknowledged he would like to see Bradford and recently acquired receiver Brandon Lloyd.

“It’ll be fun. They’re excited. A.J.’s done a great job filling in and if and when that happens, soon, I think those two guys, they’re kind of giddy,” McDaniels said. “They’re like two kids out here that haven’t really got to play with each other, so they’re excited and I think Sam’s just eager and champing at the bit to get out there and play, period. And the fact that he hasn’t had an opportunity to play and practice with Brandon yet, I know he’ll be excited for that opportunity.”

Running back Steven Jackson, who had 159 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries against the Saints, said the team is comfortable with Feeley’s command of the offence.

“He’s doing a good job,” Jackson said. “He’s been a starter in this league. The one thing I can say is that our game plan doesn’t change if Sam won’t go or A.J.’s up. … He managed the game well last week and he does a good job of also getting us out of plays that might not be favourable if a defence shows us something that’s going to take away a play.”

The Rams do have other injuries besides Bradford.

Receiver Danario Alexander is out this week with a hamstring. Linebacker Bryan Kehl hurt his ankle in practice Thursday during a special teams drill and hurt his ankle. He also is out for Sunday.

Receiver Mark Clayton will not be made active this week, Spagnuolo said. After injuring his knee last season, Clayton was placed on the PUP list this year. Last week in practice, he sustained an Achilles tendon injury that has hampered him. St. Louis has until Wednesday to decide what to do with him.

There have not been any roster moves last week or this week.

“It’s a little soothing, so to speak,” Spagnuolo said. “Because when you’re juggling all the time, it makes it tough. And I think there’s a little bit of sense of continuity and guys kind of feeding off of each other when you’ve got the same people in there these two games in a row. We really haven’t had that in a while.”