St. Louis Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Rams Week 5 Game Preview

The St. Louis Rams (1-2) will travel to the East Coast for the first time this season to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a tough NFC matchup against one of the top teams in the conference. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. ET and will air on Fox for local broadcasting, as well as channel 708 for DirecTV. 

The Rams are coming off a much-needed bye week following an astonishing 34-31 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys. St. Louis held a sizable 21-0 lead over the Cowboys in the first half, but the Rams managed to choke in a monumental way, allowing Dallas to escape with an unlikely victory. 

It doesn't get any more demoralizing than that. If the Rams can't take advantage of a 21-0 lead, how do they expect to capitalize on any lead at any point this season? 

Regardless of the sense of hopelessness that may or may not be infecting the St. Louis locker room, the Rams are an NFL team, and NFL teams consist of professionals. As such, it's their job to overcome the Week 3 loss and put on an inspiring performance in Philadelphia. 

This article will preview Sunday's game with the latest headlines, injury reports and more. 

Week 3 Recap

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Is there anyone out there who wants to relive the tragic events of Week 3? No? Well, lets do a recap anyway. 

The St. Louis offense (as in, the unit that was supposed to drag the team down all year), was rolling on all cylinders throughout the game. The unit produced two quick touchdowns to start the game to go along with a defensive touchdown by cornerback Janoris Jenkins, which gave St. Louis a 21-0 lead in the first half. 

The offense went on to score three total touchdowns and one field goal against a Dallas defense that has improved this year. The 31 points should have been enough to finish off the Cowboys, but the Rams defense did its best 2009 Rams impression and choked the game away. 

The secondary allowed Dez Bryant to go completely uncovered during his 68-yard touchdown reception, and Tony Romo completed nearly 80 percent of his passes. The Rams once again failed to record a sack, and the front eight allowed DeMarco Murray to reach 100 yards rushing—making him the third back to do so against the Rams in three games. 

The offense certainly contributed a number of poor plays as well—the pick-six, the bad snap by Scott Wells—but it was the defense that failed to show up for this game. 

St. Louis was touted as a strong defensive team this offseason. It was the defense that was going to carry the team, and it was rock-solid defensive play that was going to make the Sam Bradford injury benign. 

So far, the only thing the Rams defense has managed to do is embarrass itself. Hopefully, that's a trend that will end this week. 

News and Notes

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Hallelujah! Jeff Fisher Has Seen the Light With QB Austin Davis

Jeff Fisher has been insisting that Shaun Hill is St. Louis' starting quarterback ever since the veteran's injury during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. 

Third-year pro Austin Davis has done an admirable job in Hill's absence and has won over the fans, so Fisher's supposed loyalty to Hill was beginning to draw harsh criticism and fuel controversy. Luckily, Fisher's support for Hill was nothing more than mere lip service and a clever smokescreen. 

Fisher officially declared Davis as the starter for Sunday's game against the Eagles, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. Not only that, but the plan is start Davis for the remainder of the season. 

It was the right move and the only move. Davis has played well beyond expectations with very little time for preparation. His completion percentage leads all starting quarterbacks in the NFL (72.3 percent). Immediately following Week 3, he ranked ninth in passing yards (754) and sixth in yards per attempt (8.0). 

Davis is guilty of a few novice errors, but the Rams are doing the right thing by sticking with him. The team needs to see what it has in Davis before deciding if he's a part of the long-term plan, and those observation can't be made if Davis rides the bench. 

Lane Johnson Will Return to Eagles Offensive Line Against the Rams

Former first-round selection Lane Johnson will return to the Philadelphia offensive line, which does not bode well for a St. Louis defense that has struggled to overcome tough run blocking this season. 

Johnson missed the Eagles' first four games due to a suspension for a performance-enhancing drug violation, but the lineman will be back in action against the Rams, according to NJ.com's Eliot Shorr-Parks. 

The Philadelphia run game has struggled early this season, and the offense has been one-dimensional as a result, but the return of Johnson could be the boost the Eagles need to get the ground game working once again. 

Tavon Austin Could Return Against Philadelphia

Tavon Austin suffered a knee injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 and has been considered week-to-week, but the the electric receiver is finally back on the practice field, per Wagoner. 

According to Wagoner's report, Austin's participation in practice has been limited, but Fisher has not ruled him out of Sunday's game. 

It's unclear if Austin will be his usual electric self even if he does see the field, but if so, his return will provide a nice boost to the St. Louis offense and special teams unit. 

Injury Report

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Rams Injury Report

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson (Knee): Did Not Participate

Offensive lineman Barrett Jones (Back): Did Not Participate

Cornerback Brandon McGee (Foot): Did Not Participate

QB Shaun Hill (Thigh): Full Participation

Wide receiver Tavon Austin (Knee): Limited Participation

Injury report via St.LouisRams.com.

X-Factors and Matchups

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Jeff Fisher Perfect Against Philadelphia

Jeff Fisher is part of the Buddy Ryan coaching tree and spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles organization, but he's been an annoyance for the Eagles ever since, according to Fox News. 

Fisher has a perfect 4-0 record against the Eagles since becoming a head coach in the NFL, and that's a streak the Rams will look to continue this Sunday. 

Of course, Fisher has yet to face the Eagles with new head coach Chip Kelly at the helm, so a win would simply be a coincidence, but it's an interesting aspect to this game nonetheless. 

LeSean McCoy vs. St. Louis' Dreadful Run Defense 

It's hard to say what the bigger disappointment is—LeSean McCoy's production so far this season, or the Rams' terrible underperforming run defense. 

McCoy won the NFL rushing title with 1,607 yards and beat the next-best player by nearly 300 yards (Matt Forte, 1,339 yards). This season, his production has been lacking. 

In four games, McCoy is averaging just 2.7 yards per attempt and has scored just one touchdown on the year. 

Also, McCoy has yet to run for 100 yards in a game this season. So, either McCoy will achieve his first 100-yard game or the Rams will hold a running back under 100 yards for the first time this season. Someone will come out a winner on Sunday. 

Rams Defense vs. Chip Kelly Offense

The St. Louis defense is capable of being overwhelmed in a hurry, as we saw against Minnesota and Dallas, and those offenses are nothing compared to the fast-paced Chip Kelly offense. 

If the Rams can get the pass rush rolling and get Nick Foles rattled, that would be a huge benefit. Unfortunately, the Eagles will utilize quick passes, which should neutralize the St. Louis pass rush, as we've seen all season. 

Fisher will have to execute a perfect defensive game plan in order to disrupt Philadelphia's rhythm. It'll be interesting to see what he can come up with.

Prediction

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

The Rams have a tough task ahead of them in Philadelphia, and it's difficult to have any optimism heading into this game after what we've witnessed this season. 

The optimists will claim that the Rams are well-rested coming off a bye week and that Eagles are too one-dimensional thanks to McCoy's recent struggles, but that's hardly enough to overcome the negatives we've seen from this Rams team in 2014. 

The Rams are fifth in the league in penalties, and the overall discipline has been horrendous. Simple, avoidable mistakes—such as Wells' bad snap and the blown coverage on the Bryant touchdown—lost the game against Dallas, and we can expect similar errors this Sunday from a team that evidently lacks any form of self-control. 

Not to mention, St. Louis' No. 1 strength entering the season—the pass rush—has been totally neutralized by opposing teams this seasons. If the first three opponents had no trouble stopping the pass rush, then there's no reason why the Eagles won't accomplish the same with their quick passes and fast-paced offense. 

Expect Austin Davis to have a solid outing other than a few obvious mistakes (which should be expected from a third-year player in his third career start), and expect the offense to have another admirable performance. 

However, on defense, there's no reason to believe that we won't see the same lack of production and discipline that we've seen all season. Until the defense can prove otherwise, this will be the expectation for every game for the remainder of the season. 

Throw in the fact that Philadelphia is a notoriously hostile environment, and it's hard to see St. Louis walking away with its second win of the season. 

Prediction: Eagles 30, Rams 17