Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams: Breaking Down St. Louis' Game Plan

The St. Louis Rams (6-7) will host the Arizona Cardinals (10-3) for the second matchup of the season between these two NFC West rivals. This article will preview the game plan St. Louis must utilize to ensure a victory. 

The Rams are coming off back-to-back shutout wins. The St. Louis defense has not allowed a single point in eight quarters, and the Rams have outscored their last two opponents 76-0. The team is firing on all cylinders, and the momentum clearly favors St. Louis in this game.  

The Rams are far from an ideal opponent for a Cardinals team that has lost two of its last three and is leading the Seattle Seahawks by just one game in the division race, especially on the road at the Edward Jones Dome. 

As the Cardinals proved during their 17-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, they are still a good team with Drew Stanton at quarterback and will not roll over against St. Louis the same way Oakland and Washington did, but this is still an uphill battle for them.  

Arizona will put up a fight, but if the Rams follow these simple goals, it will make a victory much easier. 

Keep the Pass Rush Rolling

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This should go without saying. 

The Rams defensive line is an elite NFL unit, and the rest of the team responds when the front four is at the top of its game. The group has 13 sacks in its last two games, and the stellar pass rush has overwhelmed the opposing offenses. 

The Rams recorded three sacks in their last game against Arizona, but it's going to take more than that to truly demoralize a confident team such as the Cardinals. 

Stanton has been sacked two times or less in five of his seven starts this year and has been sacked more than three times just once. If St. Louis can muster another one of its signature six-sack performances, it should give Stanton an unfortunate case of happy feet that'll throw off the entire offense. 

If you're unconvinced that the pass rush fuels the Rams, just look at the games. The Rams have 27 sacks in their six wins and eight sacks in their seven losses. That means the team averages 4.5 sacks per game during a win and just 1.1 during a loss. 

When the front four is on, the Rams win. 

Smack the Receivers in the Face

Now that Cardinals running back Andre Ellington is dealing with a hip injury, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com, the top threat for Arizona is Larry Fitzgerald and the receivers. 

During the last matchup, the Rams defensive backs played a timid game against the Arizona receivers. Fitzgerald carved them up for 119 yards, and rookie John Brown schooled them for 78 yards—including a 48-yard touchdown to reclaim the lead in the fourth quarter. 

That can't happen this time around. The safeties need to lay vicious hits early and often, letting the Arizona receivers know there's a price to pay for catching the ball in their zone. That's what Rams football is all about under Jeff Fisher and Gregg Williams. 

During the Denver game, Rodney McLeod sent Emmanuel Sanders to the locker room, and T.J. McDonald had Andre Caldwell seeing stars. If St. Louis can bully Peyton Manning and the Denver aerial attack, there's no excuse for allowing the Arizona passing game to get rolling. 

The St. Louis run defense has been excellent as of late, so it comes down to stopping the pass. If the defensive backs can assert their dominance early against the Cardinals receivers, Arizona will have a tough time finding points. 

Keep Up the Game Managing and Rely on the Run

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Chances are you haven't seen Shaun Hill on any highlight reels lately, but he has quietly put up a 3-1 record as St. Louis' quarterback since taking over for Austin Davis. 

Hill and the receivers are not putting up gaudy numbers, but they're moving the chains, avoiding mistakes and producing the occasional scoring drive. In other words, they're managing the game. 

The Rams were in a prime position to beat Arizona on the road in early November. The Rams entered the final quarter with a 14-10 lead, but a total implosion by Davis that resulted in three turnovers and two defensive touchdowns lost St. Louis the game. 

With Davis on the sidelines and the veteran Hill under center, the Cardinals won't get a lucky meltdown from the Rams this time around. Hill rarely takes risky downfield shots, he never forces the ball into uncomfortable windows and he protects the football. He provides the offense with all the luxuries only a seasoned vet can offer.

The Rams have been able to score off this conservative approach thanks to the production of rookie back Tre Mason, who has been moving the chains and making big plays. As long as the offensive line can get push up front and open the lanes for Mason, it will allow Hill the benefit of playing it safe. 

The Rams are a defensive football team. If the offense can score a couple of touchdowns, kick a couple of field goals and avoid turnovers, the defense will take care of the rest. 

Don't Let Up

Early in the season, the Rams were notorious for scoring points early on and coughing up the game in the end. The most embarrassing example is St. Louis' implosion against the Dallas Cowboys, where the Rams took a 21-0 lead in the first half only to let Dallas steal it away in the end.

Since the defense has been playing lights out, it's hard to imagine another Dallas-like collapse. Having said that, the Redbirds frequently make teams sweat by putting up fourth-quarter points (they have 99 fourth-quarter points this season), so that's something Fisher needs to watch out for.  

Here's a look at the scoring summaries for both teams: 

StatMilk

The offense cannot go on cruise control after taking a first-half lead. They have to sustain drives, run out the clock and keep the Arizona offense off the field. If the Cardinals get enough opportunities, they'll make something happen in the fourth quarter. 

The same goes for the defense. If the Rams secure an early need, they cannot afford to dial back the pressure and go into a prevent defense. St. Louis has to play with intensity for four quarters. 

If the effort is consistent for 60 minutes, the Rams are more than capable of sending the Cardinals back to Arizona with a loss. 

Quick Hits

• Get Tavon Austin touches—lots of touches. 
• Benny Cunningham averaged over six yards a carry last week but had just three carries. Let's get him more action.
• Stedman Bailey has 17 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown in his last three games. He's breaking out and needs a bigger role. 
• After two missed field goals (from 38 and 28 yards) and a missed PAT, Greg Zuerlein needs his confidence back as soon as possible. How about sending him out for a near 60-yard attempt? Sinking a kick like that should do the trick. 
• Mark Barron is looking great in his safety-linebacker hybrid role. The Rams should give him more snaps and get him more involved with the pass rush. 
• As we saw against Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco (the first game), Arizona and San Diego, when the Rams put the game in the quarterback's hands, bad things happen. Let the defense put this one away, and do not ask Hill to save the day. 

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.