St. Louis Rams vs. Baltimore Ravens: What's the Game Plan for St. Louis?

The St. Louis Rams (4-5) will travel east to take on the struggling Baltimore Ravens (2-7). It’s a chance for redemption following two consecutive St. Louis losses.

The Rams lost a heartbreaker on the road in Minnesota two weeks ago. St. Louis owned a winning 4-3 record at the time, so the common belief was that a victory over the playoff-caliber Vikings would be a statement game of sorts. Instead, the Rams ended up disappointing the fans with a 21-18 overtime loss.

Things got even worse following the Vikings game.

Last week, St. Louis hosted an underwhelming Chicago Bears team. Not only did the Rams fail to defeat a beatable opponent on their turf, but they didn’t even show up. It was a 37-13 blowout loss and easily St. Louis’ most humiliating display of the season.

So, while the Rams are certainly the better football team in this upcoming game, the win is far from guaranteed. St. Louis is imploding, so even the two-win Ravens will pose a monumental challenge.

St. Louis will need an excellent game plan to pull this one off. Here’s what to look for.

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Offensive Game Plan

It's unclear how St. Louis will utilize Case Keenum in his Rams debut, but it's safe to say the team won't put too much on his shoulders in his initial outing. 

The Rams are averaging just 178.7 passing yards per game—ranked last in the NFL—so there's nowhere to go but up. Baltimore has a pitiful pass defense that ranks 26th in the league (271 yards per game), so this is a golden opportunity for Keenum and the entire St. Louis passing game to build some confidence. 

Keenum has been prone to interceptions in his career—with eight picks in as many starts—so the Rams will keep the passing game light to start the game. Expect some short passes to build Keenum's comfort level, then, as the game progresses, we may see more shots downfield. 

St. Louis will certainly attempt to capitalize on Baltimore's weak pass defense, but make no mistake—the offense's only hope for success is to ride on the shoulders of Todd Gurley. 

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that right tackle Rob Havenstein is doubtful, which means rookies Cody Wichmann and Andrew Donnal are set to start. Wichmann and Donnal are both inexperienced, but they excelled at run blocking in college, which should help St. Louis maintain its run-first approach. 

"

With Havenstein doubtful, rookies Wichmann and Donnal both in line to start on O-line.

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) November 20, 2015"

Despite the state of the offensive line, the Rams must give Gurley the football. Limiting him to 12 carries last week against Chicago was inexcusable. 

In addition to Gurley, the Rams need to involve their other key playmaker—Tavon Austin. 

Austin was limited to just five offensive touches last week, which is far too low. We saw plenty of fakes to Austin in that loss but few instances where he actually got the football. The Rams need to find a way to get him in open space to make big plays. 

If Gurley and Austin are set up to succeed, the offense will do its part. 

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Game Plan

The defense shouldn't be too overwhelmed this week. The so-so Baltimore offense will give the Rams a chance to bounce back after last week's performance. 

Justin Forsett has been decent at moving the ball for Baltimore and is on pace for 1,000 rushing yards this season. Even so, the Ravens rank just 23rd in rushing with 98.1 yards per game. The backs pose almost no threat for breaking free and finding the end zone. In fact, Joe Flacco leads the team with three rushing touchdowns. 

Stopping the run should not be a major issue. St. Louis' main concern should be containing Baltimore's ninth-ranked passing offense. 

The Ravens have put the offense on Flacco's shoulders. He's responsible for 16 of the team's 20 offensive touchdowns this year, and 13 of those have come through the air. 

With Steve Smith Sr. no longer in the picture, that's a huge break for St. Louis. Even so, Baltimore tight end Crockett Gillmore leads the team with four receiving touchdowns and will certainly be a handful. The secondary must tighten up against him in the red zone. 

Of course, the best way to disrupt the passing game is by harassing Flacco in the pocket with an unstoppable pass rush. If the Rams can keep Flacco on the run all afternoon, he'll have trouble staying in sync with his pass-catchers. 

That sums up what the Rams must do defensively in this game. Stop Forsett, don't let Gillmore win in the red zone and keep Flacco on his toes. If that happens, St. Louis will be in great shape. 

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Key Matchups

Janoris Jenkins vs. Chris Givens

As mentioned in this week’s game preview, Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins will partially be responsible for covering Gillmore. That’s a tough assignment alone, but Jenkins will also be covering his former teammate this Sunday—wide receiver Chris Givens.

Jenkins was asked about the upcoming matchup, but he made no sentimental statements, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“Between the white lines, it’s business,” Jenkins said. “I’ve got no words for him but ‘Clamps.’ That’s all.”

The word “clamps” refers to clamping down, or shutting down, the receiver. Jenkins clearly has no intention of allowing Givens to get downfield.

Givens is a known deep-ball threat. He has 10 catches for 143 yards in four games with Baltimore and is now starting for the Ravens. The Rams know better than anyone that Givens can kill a defense with one big play, so Jenkins will have his hands full.

Robert Quinn vs. Eugene Monroe

It was mentioned in the previous game preview that the faceoff between Aaron Donald and Marshal Yanda will be fun to watch. While that's true, the battle between Rams defensive end Robert Quinn and Baltimore left tackle Eugene Monroe will be intriguing as well. 

Monroe is not quite playing at a Pro Bowl level, but he's been a solid presence on the Baltimore line. He ranks as the 16th-best tackle on Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of 4.7. Considering his No. 16 ranking is among 74 NFL tackles, that's quite impressive. 

Quinn, on the other hand, is also excelling. He's Pro Football Focus' sixth-best 4-3 end with a grade of 13.9.

After making the Pro Bowl the last two seasons, Quinn is piecing together another promising year. He has five sacks in eight games and should finish in double digits for the fourth straight year. 

Monroe won't roll over against Quinn, so this will be an intense battle. If Quinn can gain the edge, it'll be a huge boost for St. Louis.