Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams: Rams Week 3 Game Preview

The St. Louis Rams (1-1) will return to the Edward Jones Dome this week to take on the Dallas Cowboys (1-1). Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET and can be viewed on Fox for local broadcasting or channel 714 for DirecTV.

St. Louis suffered a miserable 34-6 Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings but managed to show some life in Week 2 by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17 in a game that went down to the wire.

Dallas was dealt a similar disappointment during Week 1. The Cowboys were hammered 28-17 by the San Francisco 49ers, and the game was far more ugly than the scores indicates. However, like the Rams, Dallas was able to make a Week 2 comeback by taking down the Tennessee Titans during an encouraging 26-10 victory.

A Week 3 victory would give one team a much-needed two-game win streak, which could set a positive tempo for the remainder of the season.

This article will preview Sunday's matchup. The following slides will provide information on the latest headlines, injuries and key factors for the game. We'll also end the article with an official prediction.

Be sure to check in this Sunday to follow our live blog, which will provide live analysis and commentary throughout the game.

Week 2 Recap

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After a humiliating 34-6 loss to the Vikings to start the season, the Rams turned in a more admirable performance against Tampa Bay in Week 2.

St. Louis won by two points in a nail-biter that went down to the final seconds. The Buccaneers nearly had a shot at a game-winning field-goal attempt. Mike Evans made a big reception to put the Bucs in field-goal range with eight seconds left in the game, but Evans was injured on the play. Since Tampa Bay had no timeouts remaining, the injury resulted in a 10-second run off, which ended the game.

It's not exactly a monumental accomplishment to take down a struggling Buccaneers team that's now 0-3 on the season, but it's certainly a positive first step.

The Rams offense put on a much better showing than what we saw against Minnesota. The offense only mustered one touchdown, but the unit moved the ball. Zac Stacy ran for 71 yards and a score, and Brian Quick continued to make a difference at receiver with seven catches and 74 yards.

The real story on offense was quarterback Austin Davis, who made his first NFL start. He went 22-of-29 (75.8 percent) for 235 yards. He stood strong against heavy pressure and made gutsy throws. Overall, he had the look of a seasoned veteran.

The defense once again did an admirable job stopping big aerial plays. Tampa Bay averaged just 8.5 yards per attempt and had just two passing plays over 20 yards. However, the St. Louis defensive line had just one sack and has not come close to reaching its potential as a dominate pass-rushing unit.

Also, the defense was once again slaughtered on the ground. Minnesota's Cordarrelle Patterson had 102 yards on three carries in Week 1, and Tampa Bay's Bobby Rainey had 144 yards on the ground.

Overall, the Rams were a much-improved team in Week 2, but there's still plenty of work to be done. The team will have to take another step forward to pull off a win against Dallas in Week 3.

News and Notes

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Ferguson Protesters Planning on Making Their Presence Known

This has little to do with the actual game, but it's worth noting that Ferguson protesters are reportedly planning on occupying the inside of the Edward Jones Dome to "shut down" the game, according to Kevin Killeen of KMOX. 

The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, made national headlines in August, and though the coverage has died down, the issue is far from over.

Hopefully, the NFL, stadium security and the local police are well prepared for the potential intrusion and the game can go on without incident.

At the very least, it's something to keep an eye on.

Who is Under Center In St. Louis? 

Davis had a promising showing last week against Tampa Bay, but the Rams have yet to officially declare him the starting quarterback this Sunday.

Week 1 starter Shaun Hill is still recovering from a quad injury, but he's considered day-to-day and has not been ruled out for Sunday's game.

The Rams are leaning toward Davis as the starter, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but it will once again be a last-minute decision.

Bailey is Back

The NFL and the players union have reached a new agreement regarding the league's drug abuse policy, according to The Associated Press (per Fox Sports).

As a result, suspended Rams receiver Stedman Bailey, who was dealt a four-game suspension prior to the season, will be active for the Week 3 game against Dallas, according to Fox 2 News in St. Louis.

Bailey had a promising preseason and managed to turn heads in camp, so this is great news for the offense.

Quick and Jared Cook have been the primary receivers so far this season, but expect Bailey to gradually be worked into the game plan.

Injury Report

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The following injury report is per NFL.com. If you're a fantasy owner, be sure to check the report closer to kickoff for a more up-to-date list. 

Rams Injury Report

CB Trumaine Johnson (Knee): Did not participate

OL Barrett Jones (Back): Did not participate

CB Brandon McGee (Foot): Did not participate

OL Rodger Saffold (Illness): Did not participate

C Scott Wells (Undisclosed): Full participation

WR Tavon Austin (Knee): Did not participate

TE Cory Harkey (Knee): Did not participate

QB Shaun Hill (Thigh): Limited participation

X-Factors and Matchups

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DeMarco Murray vs. Rams Defense

The Rams have been slaughtered on the ground so far in 2014. The defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher in both games and ranks 29th in run defense league-wide (171 yards per game).

Not to mention, DeMarco Murray has been known to dominate the Rams. He rushed for 253 yards against St. Louis as a rookie in 2011, and he produced 203 yards from scrimmage in 2013. Overall, he has averaged 228 yards per game against the Rams since entering the league.

Murray appears to be at the top of his game. He's leading the NFL with 285 rushing yards, and he's well on his way to a career year.

St. Louis must fix its sloppy run defense and make a statement against Murray and the Cowboys. If the Rams can limit Murray, they can pretty much stop any back in the league.

Can Austin Davis Repeat?

Third-year quarterback Austin Davis made his first NFL appearance in Week 1, and he made his first NFL start against Tampa Bay in Week 2.

Davis was sloppy in Week 1 coming in as relief for the injured Shaun Hill, but he looked much better against the Buccaneers. He completed over 75 percent of his passes and led the offense on five scoring drives (though four were field goals).

Davis played with intensity and looked totally confident under center. If he can continue making a difference on the field the way he did in Week 2, he could very well be the savior for this Rams team.

Will the Giant Wake from His Slumber?

Robert Quinn has been making plays and creating pressure, but the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year candidate has surprisingly gone sackless the first two weeks.

Offensive lines have been holding Quinn nonstop and getting away with it, so the lack of sacks partially falls on the officiating crews. However, the Rams need Quinn to break out and have one of his infamous three-sack performances against Dallas.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has been shaky so far in 2014. If Quinn can get in his face every play, things will continue to go downhill for Dallas' troubled quarterback.

Prediction

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It's clear that Murray and the Dallas run game will be a handful for the St. Louis defense. The Rams have struggled against the run this season, but it's unlikely that'll continue.

The Rams are fairly loaded with defensive talent, and the group has underperformed. The first two weeks are certainly not an accurate representation of what the unit is capable of. Don't expect the Rams to allow 100-yard rushers all season long.

That's not to say Murray won't have a good game, but Dallas fans should not expect another monster 200-yard performance as we've seen in the past.

However, Dallas' defense is the real key to this game. The Cowboys had arguably the worst defense in the league last season, but the unit has been surprisingly average in its two games this years (average, of course, being a compliment compared to last year).

If the Cowboys defense can maintain that level of play for a third straight week, it should be enough to overcome the Rams. However, if the Cowboys resort back to their miserable old ways, St. Louis will take advantage.

Overall, Dallas isn't good enough to win two road games in a row, and St. Louis isn't bad enough to lose its first two home games.

With that, the prediction favors the Rams with a narrow victory.

Prediction: Rams 23, Cowboys 20