St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals: Full St. Louis Game Preview
The St. Louis Rams (1-2) will take on the Arizona Cardinals (3-0) for Week 4 of the NFL season. It's the first matchup of the year between these two NFC West rivals.
St. Louis got off to a hot start with a Week 1 win over Seattle, but that initial excitement quickly dissipated. The Rams are now stuck in a two-game losing streak, with losses against the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Adding to the frustration is the fact the last two games were very winnable. Washington is a mediocre opponent, and Pittsburgh escaped with a narrow 12-6 victory. Had the Rams demonstrated the slightest sign of competence on offense in either game, we'd be raving over St. Louis' 3-0 record.
Unfortunately, theoretical victories mean nothing in the NFL. For the Cardinals, there's nothing theoretical about their success.
The Redbirds are riding high, with an undefeated 3-0 record. With point totals of 31, 48 and 47, the Cardinals have not only secured wins, but they'vea also been thorough in every victory.
Without a doubt, this game presents St. Louis with possibly its greatest challenge of the 2015 season. If the team doesn't show up, this game will get ugly fast.
Read on for a complete preview of the game, including the latest headlines, injury news, matchup analysis and more.
News and Notes
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Rams Release Running Back Isaiah Pead
According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams cut ties with fourth-year running back Isaiah Pead.
The Rams drafted Pead with a second-round selection in the 2012 draft. The Rams dropped from No. 45 to No. 50 overall—missing out on Alshon Jeffery, Mychal Kendricks and Bobby Wagner in the process—and settled for Pead. It was the biggest blunder of general manager Les Snead's career.
Pead's time in St. Louis has produced just 172 total yards from scrimmage. He currently has just 78 career rushing yards. The longest play from scrimmage of his career went for a mere 19 yards.
Draft selections are always a gamble, but typically, even the ones that don't pan out show brief flashes of their potential. With Pead, there wasn't even that. In year one, he was immediately seventh-rounder Daryl Richardson outplayed him. Fifth-round pick Zac Stacy unseated Pead a year later.
There were literally no positives from Pead's tenure with the Rams. This is the best move for both parties.
Nick Foles Willing to Criticize Himself
The offensive line has taken the majority of the criticism this season, and rightfully so. However, Rams quarterback and team captain Nick Foles sees things differently, per R.B. Fallstrom of the Associated Press (via the Washington Times).
“Absolutely. I’m at the front of it,” Foles said, after being questioned on the offense's struggles. “That’s me big time. I’m the one who touches the ball every single play.”
Foles went on to describe his role in the offense.
“My job is to make sure guys are in great position,” he said. “I have to execute better and spread it around and keep pushing my guys.”
In reality, Foles has been an issue on offense, but one of the less pressing issues. The lack of a run game—a run game averaging just 3.7 yards per carry—and poor blocking have weighed down the offense more than anything.
Even so, it's a positive sign that the team's quarterback refuses to cast blame and accepts his role in the offense's failures. Hopefully, the more problematic players are following his lead and taking personal responsibility.
Latest Injury News
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Here are the injuries for Sunday's game, according to ESPN.com:
St. Louis Rams
WR Kenny Britt (Shoulder): Questionable
RB Todd Gurley (Knee): Probable
WR Brian Quick (Shoulder): Day to Day
Arizona Cardinals
LB Alex Okafor (Finger): Questionable
WR John Brown (Shoulder: Questionable
RB Andre Ellington (Knee): Questionable
SS Tony Jefferson (Hamstring): Probable
G Mike Iupati (Knee): Day to Day
SS Deone Bucannon (Groin): Probable
Kenny Britt's questionable status is a bit concerning for the Rams. He's coming off a 102-yard performance against the Steelers and is beginning to shine, but the injury could set him back.
ESPN has Todd Gurley listed as probable, but he played against Pittsburgh, and there have been no reported setbacks since. He'll be ready for Sunday's game.
As for Brian Quick, his status is officially the biggest mystery in St. Louis. Quick came alive in 2014 and operated as the team's No. 1 receiver, but a devastating shoulder injury ended his year. It was always assumed he'd overcome the injury and resume that role in 2015.
Despite being on the field for practice and briefly during the preseason, Quick has yet to appear in the regular season. Head coach Jeff Fisher has failed to properly address the issue. We still don't know if his absence is related to the shoulder injury or if there's some other issue keeping him off the field.
For a team that's starved offensively, it sure seems odd that last year's top receiving weapon remains inactive. Perhaps that will change this Sunday. If not, Fisher has some real explaining to do.
Top Matchups
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Larry Fitzgerald vs. Janoris Jenkins
The last time the Rams and Cardinals faced off, St. Louis contained Larry Fitzgerald to just 30 yards on seven catches. Without question, St. Louis needs a similar effort from Janoris Jenkins this time around.
Jenkins did a solid job stopping Antonio Brown this past Sunday. Brown pleased his fantasy owners—as expected—by picking up 108 yards, but most of those yards came between the 20-yard lines. The defense did its job by keeping him out of the end zone.
Fitzgerald, with 333 yards and five touchdowns already this season, will present a similar challenge. Only he's much better at finding the end zone, as he's a bigger red-zone threat than Brown.
Jenkins' job will be to limit most of Fitzgerald's production to the middle of the field. If Fitzgerald runs wild in the red zone, St. Louis is finished.
Nick Foles vs. Arizona Secondary
Foles has done a decent job not coughing the ball up, as he has just one pick in three games. Even so, Foles can be a risk-taker at times. That's not going to fly this week.
The Arizona defense is notorious when it comes to creating turnovers. The Cardinals already have seven picks in three games—good for first in the NFL.
Foles' fourth-quarter pick against the Steelers was a game-killer. If the Rams toss multiple picks in this contest, there's little hope for a victory.
The best way to avoid picks is by igniting the run game, which brings up the next point...
St. Louis Offensive Line vs. Arizona Front Seven
Nothing will provide St. Louis with a bigger spark than the line finally manning up and opening run lanes. Unfortunately, this isn't a great week to expect that.
Arizona has allowed just 3.5 yards per carry this season—tied for fifth in the NFL—and the Cardinals possess a front seven every bit as talented as St. Louis'.
The St. Louis line will have its hands full in this game. If the line can somehow get a little push up front and spark even a semi-competent run game, it will take an extraordinary amount of pressure off Foles and the passing game.
If, however, we witness the same mediocrity we've seen throughout the first three weeks, the St. Louis offense will be swallowed up.
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Matchup X-Factors
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Can Tavon Austin Tip the Scales on Special Teams?
The St. Louis offense needs help any way it can get it. Whether it's through defensive touchdowns or special teams scores, the Rams desperately need the points.
That's why Tavon Austin's role as the punt returner is so vital. If he can break free for a big touchdown, it suddenly shifts the momentum of the game and gives St. Louis some hope.
Teams have been kicking away from Austin, but he did manage three returns against Pittsburgh, including a 20-yard gain. It seems that every clean Austin return is just a key block or two away from becoming a touchdown.
If the Rams can nail those blocks and give Austin just a little boost, it could make all the difference in this game.
Can the Rams Avoid Missed Opportunities?
Last Sunday against Pittsburgh, it seemed the Rams did everything humanely possible to sabotage themselves.
Jared Cook and Greg Robinson had costly false-start penalties inside the red zone. Lance Kendricks dropped an easy pass that would have put the Rams in scoring position. Foles' fourth-quarter interception was also a total head-scratcher.
How many opportunities will the Rams squander before finally righting the ship?
Arizona is a vicious opponent and currently on a roll. If the Rams commit a number of mistakes, as we saw last week, this game will turn into a landslide.
St. Louis' only hope is to play a near mistake-free game and take advantage of every opportunity.
Prediction: Cardinals 31, Rams 17
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After what we've seen the last two weeks, there's no good reason for any sane person to bet on the Rams.
The St. Louis defense will likely be fired up and play tough, as it's a divisional game, but that unit can only do so much. After numerous three-and-outs by the Rams' offense, the St. Louis defense will eventually get winded and give up points.
Additionally, Fitzgerald has been on fire for the Cardinals, and the Rams have allowed an NFL-high 81.6 percent completion rate. Carson Palmer will hit his favorite target all day with little resistance.
On offense, the Rams couldn't even top Pittsburgh's 12 points, despite facing a weak Steelers defense. If St. Louis couldn't get it going at home against a poor defense, there's no reason to expect much against Arizona's stingy defensive unit.
Until we see some fight from the Rams, it's impossible to favor them in these types of games.
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.
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