St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Breaking Down St. Louis' Game Plan

The St. Louis Rams (2-4) will travel westbound on I-70 to take on the interstate-rival Kansas City Chiefs (3-3), and the team needs a solid game plan in order to leave town with a win.

(The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET and will air on Fox for local broadcasting, as well as channel 706 for DirecTV.)

The Rams are fresh off an inspiring 28-26 home victory over the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. St. Louis fans are hoping the win will spark a midseason run that could get the team back on the right path, but the Chiefs are a team capable of stomping out the fire, despite their modest record. 

The Rams won the Super Bowl in 1999 and made a Super Bowl appearance in 2001. St. Louis has six playoff wins since that 1999 season, while Kansas City has not produced a postseason win in over 20 years. Regardless, the Chiefs have owned bragging rights within the state of Missouri thanks to their consistent dominance over the Rams. 

The Rams' last victory over the Chiefs was just over 20 years ago during the 1994 season—when Joe Montana was under center in Kansas City and the Rams were still in Los Angeles. 

Since then, the Rams are 0-5 against the Chiefs and have lost those five games by a combined score of 189-94. The Rams have yet to defeat Kansas City in a regular-season game since relocating to St. Louis. 

That's certainly not a positive omen for a struggling team looking to build confidence following an unlikely win over Seattle. On the other hand, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has an undefeated 4-0 record against Andy Reid. So, unless the game ends in a tie, we'll see either Fisher's streak or Kansas City's streak live on. 

There are several goals St. Louis can accomplish in order to preserve Fisher's undefeated record versus Reid and regain some bragging rights within the state of Missouri. This article will cover these goals and outline what needs to happen for the Rams to escape Arrowhead Stadium with a win.

Contain Jamaal Charles and the Run Game

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Chiefs own the third-ranked rushing offense in the NFL, and the team is averaging an impressive 140.3 yards per game. According to 101 ESPN in St. Louis, Fisher is well aware of the challenge ahead. 

"

"The run game might be the most diverse we'll see. They move the ball well. Jamaal Charles is an outstanding back." Fisher on KC #FisherShow

— 101espn (@101espn) October 21, 2014"

Jamaal Charles continues to be a premiere NFL back and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season. After a sloppy start with just 23 rushing yards in the first two games, Charles has been surging with 299 total yards in the last three games. 

Additionally, Charles main backup, Knile Davis, has been excellent for Kansas City. Davis had back-to-back games with over 100 rushing yards in Week 3 and Week 4, and he's been just as vital to the offense as Charles. 

If the Rams contain the Kansas City running game, they will neutralize the Chiefs offense. 

The Chiefs are 0-2 when Charles is held under 100 total yards in a game, but the team is 3-0 when he breaks that 100-yard barrier (Charles did not play Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins).

Stopping the dangerous Kansas City ground game is a daunting task, but Seattle has the second-best rushing attack in the NFL (153.3 yards per game) and the Rams came out alright, so it's far from impossible. 

The Rams held Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle backs to a combined 65 yards. They also held the San Francisco 49ers backs to a combined 89 yards in Week 6. 

St. Louis is tightening up the run defense, and that's a trend that absolutely must continue if the Rams hope to exit Kansas City with a victory. 

Rattle Alex Smith and Force Bad Throws

The Rams need some key turnovers in this game, but Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith has traditionally avoided making foolish throws. 

"

"The run game might be the most diverse we'll see. They move the ball well. Jamaal Charles is an outstanding back." Fisher on KC #FisherShow

— 101espn (@101espn) October 21, 2014"

Smith throws few picks, but when he does, they can be very costly. 

During Kansas City's 26-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans (its biggest loss of the season), Smith coughed up three interceptions—his highest single-game total since 2012 and only his second three-pick game in the last five seasons. 

Kansas City is 3-1 when Smith avoids throwing a pick, and the Chiefs have not won a game this year when Smith throws an interception. 

As a result, rattling the usually reliable Smith has to be a top priority for St. Louis. If the defensive line can come alive as it did against Seattle last week and force a few bad throws, that would obviously put the Rams in a favorable position. 

Avoid Costly Turnovers by Sticking With the Ground Game

Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

While Tennessee certainly capitalized on Smith's interceptions, the Kansas City defense did the same in Week 4 against the New England Patriots. The Chiefs secondary twice picked off Tom Brady, with safety Hussain Abdullah returning one interception for a touchdown. 

In their impressive Week 7 win over the San Diego Chargers, the Chiefs picked off Philip Rivers just once but held him to a season-low 205 yards passing and a QB rating of 83.4, easily his lowest mark since San Diego's season-opening loss to Arizona.

And the Chiefs are second in the NFL in pass defense through seven weeks. That's not what Rams fans want to hear. St. Louis quarterback Austin Davis has been excellent as an emergency replacement for Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill, but the third-year pro and former undrafted rookie is growing a reputation as a gunslinger—he makes a lot of risky throws in an effort to make big plays. 

So the Rams need to minimize the risk by sticking with a run-first offense. If the Rams commit to the running game, they'll be able able to control the tempo and have Davis avoid risky throws. 

The Chiefs rank a mediocre 18th in run defense and have allowed over 117 rushing yards a game. That number should be enticing to a Rams team that ran the ball quite well against the stout run defenses of the 49ers and Seahawks.

"

Rams averaging 4.12 yds/car over last 2 weeks against two top-5 or near top-5 run defenses. Wonder what has changed.. pic.twitter.com/1zRtbTT0ra

— Steven Gerwel (@Steve_Ger) October 19, 2014"

Sticking with the ground game will take some of the pressure off Davis' shoulders and allow him to excel as a game manager. 

Keep Limiting the Penalties

According to ESPN, the Rams cut ties with linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong following the Philadelphia Eagles game. Armstrong had a 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty in that game, and he was guilty of nine penalties in just 20 games since joining the Rams as a rookie in 2013.

The departure of Armstrong was a step in the proper direction for the heavily penalized Rams, but the team needs to continue doing as much as possible to cut back on the yellow flags. 

It's no coincidence that St. Louis' two victories this year happened to come in the Rams' least-penalized games. The Rams beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after committing just five penalties, and the team was guilty of just two penalties in its win over Seattle. 

In every other game this year, the Rams have committed eight or more penalties, and the team has lost all four of those games. 

If the Rams can play tough against the Chiefs while keeping the penalty total below five infractions, it will put them in an ideal position to escape Kansas City with a win. 

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.