Pittsburgh Steelers vs. St. Louis Rams: Full St. Louis Game Preview

The St. Louis Rams (1-1) will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) this Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Win or lose, the game could set the tone for the entire 2015 season for the Rams. 

The fans of St. Louis are fed up with the team's lack of consistency. The Rams took down the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, only to choke against a beatable Washington Redskins team the following week—a trend we're all too familiar with under Jeff Fisher's watch. 

One of the goals of 2015 is to shed the reputation as an inconsistent football team. Yet, almost immediately out of the gate, the Rams have already fallen victim to their old routine—beating quality opponents, only to lose to mediocre clubs. 

Still, it's early in the season. If the team can somehow move forward and turn the loss into a source of motivation, anything is possible. The upcoming game against Pittsburgh is a shot at redemption. It's a chance to show the league that the 2015 Rams are serious. 

Defeating the Steelers is a tall order, even with the home-field advantage in St. Louis' favor. Even so, if the Rams can summon a true team effort, any game is winnable. 

This article will preview the upcoming game, including the latest headlines, injury report, matchup analysis and more. 

Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: KTVI Fox (St. Louis local)

News and Notes

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Jeff Fisher Predicts Mike Munchak Will Aim at Stopping St. Louis Line

A surefire way to defeat the Rams is by shutting down the ferocious St. Louis defensive line. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Fisher predicts Mike Munchak—the Pittsburgh offensive line coach and former assistant under Fisher in Tennessee—will aim at doing just that. 

“He’s very, very thorough up front," said Fisher. "You can just watch three or four plays of their offensive line and say to yourself, ‘That’s a Mike Munchak-coached offensive line.’ They’re very sound. They’re very aggressive. They’re very patient. They finish. They rarely make mistakes."

The Redskins were able to provide Munchak with excellent film. Washington was effective at taking the St. Louis line out of the game with quick passes and wide run lanes. If Pittsburgh follows that same formula, the Rams will be in for a nasty fight. 

Rams Pass Defense Slacking 

The Rams have adopted a "bend, don't break" defensive philosophy. Even so, that doesn't excuse the defense for allowing a near-perfect completion rate for opposing passers. 

According to the Associated Press via Fox Sports, opposing quarterbacks have completed 81 percent of their passes against St. Louis. That's good for the second-highest opponent completion rate in the NFL. 

As I mentioned in the preseason, the Rams have been consistently terrible at forcing incompletions. Every year under Fisher, the Rams have finished in the top three in highest opponent completion percentage. The lowest was 66.1 percent in 2012—good for third-worst in the NFL. The rate was 68.1 percent in both the 2013 (worst in the NFL) and 2014 (second-worst) seasons. 

The Rams cannot survive with this type of leniency. At some point, the secondary must become more aggressive in order for this defense to take off. 

Latest Injury News

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Here are this week's injury reports, according to NFL.com:

St. Louis Rams

• RB Chase Reynolds: DNP
• DE Eugene Sims: DNP

Pittsburgh Steelers

• CB William Gay: DNP
• DT Daniel McCullers: DNP
• LB Ryan Shazier: DNP
• CB Cortez Allen: DNP

The first thing you'll notice about this week's injury report is the absence of Todd Gurley. 

Gurley will likely be a game-time decision for the Rams. Wagoner of ESPN.com reports that Gurley feels ready to play, but that doesn't guarantee an appearance this Sunday. The coaches will use caution and decide if playing him is in the team's long-term interests. 

According to Wagoner, Sims and Reynolds are both out with knee injuries suffered during the Redskins game. 

Sims is only the No. 4 defensive end on the roster, so St. Louis should get by just fine without him. As for Reynolds, he's a valued special teams asset, so his absence will hurt that unit. 

Top Matchups

Don Wright/Associated Press

St. Louis Defensive Line vs. Ben Roethlisberger

Taking down the 6'5", 240-pound Ben Roethlisberger can be a chore for opposing defenses. 

Sure, the Rams bring good pressure and frequently harass quarterbacks, but will they be able to finish the job? Getting to Roethlisberger isn't the issue, but tackling his massive frame could pose a problem. He possesses the lower-body strength of a linebacker and is more elusive than most men his size. 

Even if the pass rush is effective, Roethlisberger knows how to squirm free and extend plays. Those extra seconds can result in big gains, which is why opposing defensive coordinators fear him. 

Getting the sack should not be St. Louis' only goal. With Roethlisberger, it's also vital to contain him within the pocket and limit his scrambling.

For that to happen, Chris Long and Robert Quinn must win their battles and contain the edges on every play. With the edges secured, that leaves time for Aaron Donald to burst through the middle and finish the job. Roethlisberger may be strong, but he's not strong enough to escape the animal-like strength of Donald. 

If the defensive line can properly deal with Big Ben, the Pittsburgh offense will suffer. 

Janoris Jenkins vs. Antonio Brown

The Rams were depending on Janoris Jenkins to prevent big plays last week against Washington, but he failed to deliver. 

The cornerback allowed Ryan Grant to break free for a 35-yard gain that set up a field goal. Pierre Garcon also beat Jenkins on a four-yard touchdown pass. 

Unfortunately, things won't get any easier this week. Jenkins will line up against Antonio Brown, and it's a matchup that could get ugly. 

Brown has emerged as an elite NFL receiver. He turned in 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013. Last season, he caught 13 touchdowns and led the NFL with 1,698 yards. He racked up 133 yards in his 2015 debut against New England and is coming off a 195-yard Week 2 performance against San Francisco. He scored a touchdown in both games. 

It's clear that Brown is virtually unstoppable, so St. Louis will be counting on Jenkins to limit the damage. 

No cornerback can prevent Brown from gaining yards, but so long as the yardage is produced between the 20-yard lines, the Rams should be fine. The main goal is preventing touchdowns. 

If Jenkins can keep Brown out of the end zone and prevent back-breaking plays, St. Louis will have a chance in this game. 

James Laurinaitis vs. Le'Veon Bell

The Rams nearly lucked out by not having to face Le'Veon Bell due to a three-game suspension. Unfortunately, the league cut the running back's suspension to just two games, per NFL.com.

Now, St. Louis will have the misfortune of facing Bell, who finished second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage last year (2,215).

The Rams had a tough enough time stopping Alfred Morris and Matt Jones in the Washington game. Bell is as good as any back in the league when it comes to breaking tackles and creating big gains, so this is not a favorable matchup for a St. Louis team that allowed 182 rushing yards last week. 

If the Rams plan on stopping Bell, they will need an excellent performance from James Laurinaitis. 

He was sloppy in last week's game. He was the primary culprit on Morris' 35-yard gain, as well as Jones' 39-yard touchdown two plays later. Laurinaitis has never been the most physical linebacker but has made up for it in other ways. So far in 2015, though, the negatives have outweighed the positives. 

Unless Laurinaitis can do a better job of shedding blocks and meeting the ball-carrier at the line of scrimmage, it's likely Bell will have a field day. 

Matchup X-Factors

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Can Nick Foles Capitalize on Pittsburgh's Secondary? 

When Colin Kaepernick is posting Peyton Manning-like numbers through the air, that's a good sign a defense is in trouble. 

So far in 2015, the Pittsburgh secondary has been shredded. In Week 1, Tom Brady went 25-of-32 (78.1 percent) with 288 yards and four touchdowns. This past week, Kaepernick thrived as well with 335 yards, two touchdowns and a 71.7 percent completion rate.  

The Steelers run defense has been solid—no ball-carrier has reached 70 yards against Pittsburgh this season—but opposing teams have made up for it with major aerial yardage. 

Can Nick Foles and the Rams continue this trend? 

Foles struggled against Washington, but we saw flashes against Seattle. In that game, he completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 297 yards and a touchdown. If the St. Louis passing game can find a similar rhythm, the Steelers may have a hard time keeping up. 

Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell if that same Week 1 offense will show up. St. Louis is just so remarkably inconsistent, which brings up the next point...

Which Rams Team Will Show Up? 

This is what it all comes down to. Will we see the Rams or the Lambs this Sunday? You might as well flip a coin, because it's impossible to predict. 

The Rams, in their best form, are talented enough to conquer the Steelers—a team that's competitive but still far from its mid-2000s dynasty form.

However, if St. Louis' dreadful alter ego—the Lambs—takes the field this Sunday, the Steelers have enough talent to turn the game into a blowout. They just hung 43 points on the 49ers, so they'll make that St. Louis 24-10 loss to Washington look like nothing if the Rams aren't careful. 

After last week's embarrassment, it's doubtful the Rams will come out flat and uninspired. But when it comes to a Fisher team, you just never know. 

If the Rams want to gain consistency and become a contender, showing up against Pittsburgh would be a nice start.

Prediction: Steelers 23, Rams 14

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Even if the Rams show up Sunday, nothing is guaranteed. The Steelers seem to match up well with the Rams. 

The Rams are eager to run the football, but Pittsburgh has played good run defense so far in 2015. St. Louis may try to counter that with a heavy passing attack, but Foles and the receivers have hardly been in sync. It's difficult to picture the aerial game carrying the Rams to victory. 

On defense, the Rams have a great pass rush, but Pittsburgh has a workhorse quarterback who specializes in escaping sacks. The linebackers will struggle with Bell, and Brown will be a headache for the secondary. 

Other than home-field advantage, there are few areas where St. Louis has a clear edge. 

That's not to say St. Louis cannot get lucky. If the Rams have a solid game plan and catch the Steelers on an off day, anything can happen. But on paper, it's easy to favor Pittsburgh. 

If the Rams somehow pull off the upset, it'll be a major victory. That said, don't get your hopes up. 

Prediction: Steelers 23, Rams 14

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' 2015 game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.