Denver Broncos vs. St. Louis Rams: What Are Experts Saying About St. Louis?
Week 11 of the NFL season features a battle between the Denver Broncos (7-2) and the St. Louis Rams (3-6).
The Broncos will come into the game fresh off a 41-17 dominant victory over the Oakland Raiders, while the Rams will be looking to rebound from a very disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
". @Broncos vs @STLouisRams Rams = *only* team against which Peyton has not passed for 300+ yds. (His career best = 235)
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) November 12, 2014"
If the Rams are going to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, they will need to find a way to pull out a victory over the defending AFC champions.
Here, we will go over what a few experts are saying about this interconference matchup.
Ian Eagle: St. Louis Must Apply Pressure to Have a Chance at the Upset
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CBS announcer Ian Eagle recently sat down for an interview with Danny Cox of CBS Philly and gave his thoughts on the Week 11 contest between the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams.
When asked how the Rams can slow down Peyton Manning and his offense, he said that getting pressure will be the only way.
"The only way to do that is pressure. Jeff Fisher knows Peyton Manning very well back from his Tennessee days in the AFC and he takes it as a personal challenge. A chess match. The problem is that Fisher doesn't have the pieces to match up with all of Denver’s weapons.
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That is always easier said than done.
Manning generally gets the ball out of his hands very quickly, having his target picked out in a hurry. However, the Rams may be able to take advantage of Denver's ever-changing offensive line.
In Week 10, the Broncos went with a new mix on their offensive line, starting Louis Vasquez at right tackle, Manny Ramirez at guard and Will Montgomery at center.
If the Rams are going to have success pressuring Manning, it will have to start with Robert Quinn. On the season, Quinn has six sacks. But the Broncos will likely force him to go through left tackle Ryan Clady in order to get to Manning.
That is a tall task.
A matchup where the Rams could have a lot of success is on the inside. Rookie Aaron Donald is quietly putting together a great season, and he should be a handful for Ramirez.
If the Rams can get pressure inside, it could leave room for linebacker Alec Ogletree or safety Mark Barron to knife through and put a hit on Manning, causing a big play for the defense.
Nicki Jhabvala: Rams Must Eliminate Late-Game Mistakes
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Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post mentioned things like turnovers and crucial mistakes in the late stages of games that have contributed to a 3-6 record for the Rams this season.
The Rams have turned the ball over 16 times this season, and they have averaged just 5.1 points per game in the fourth quarter. According to Team Rankings, that puts them at No. 25 in the league in terms of fourth-quarter scoring.
In Week 10 against Arizona, the Rams took a 14-10 lead into the fourth quarter against Arizona only to give up two defensive touchdowns in the last five minutes of the game. The Cardinals went on to win 31-14.
If the Rams want to have a chance to beat the Broncos, they will need to play mistake-free football.
Perhaps that is why Jeff Fisher decided to make the move to Shaun Hill.
NFL Live Crew Predicts Denver Will Win Game
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Each week, analysts for ESPN predict the winners of each game on the show NFL Live. In this video, Mark Schlereth and Jerome Bettis do just that.
But neither of them was willing to go out on a limb and predict a St. Louis victory.
Both analysts cited the fact that the Rams could wreak some havoc against Denver's unproven offensive line, and that matchup certainly seems to be the big factor in this game.
However, going out on a limb is exactly what one would be doing if he or she predicted a Rams victory.
The Broncos just have too many weapons for the St. Louis defense (or just about any defense) to contend with. Add to that the fact that the game will be played indoors, meaning Peyton Manning won't have to deal with the elements, and the Broncos offense will be tough to even slow down, let alone stop.
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Andy Benoit: Jeff Fisher Had to Make the Move to Shaun Hill
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As tweeted by Andy Benoit, St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher wasn't left with much of a choice in making a switch at quarterback.
"#Rams Film: After latest game, Jeff Fisher had no choice but to bench Austin Davis. Mistakes, missed opportunities and rattled play.
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) November 13, 2014"
While many Rams fans may be scratching their heads trying to figure out why he'd yank Austin Davis out of the starting lineup, let's be honest: Davis wasn't exactly setting the world on fire.
He's turned the ball over 13 times and hasn't had a quarterback rating above 75 in his last three games. He's also thrown five interceptions in those three games.
Though Shaun Hill looked terrible in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings before leaving with an injury, he does have a career quarterback rating of 85.3 with a 41-24 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Fisher is making the right decision here, trying to save a sinking ship. The Rams play in arguably the toughest division in the NFL, and they need a spark.
It's highly likely that neither of these men is the quarterback of the future for this team. Fisher is just trying to make the most of what he has left in this season.
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