Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis Rams: Full St. Louis Game Preview
The St. Louis Rams (4-8) will host the Detroit Lions (4-8) at the Edward Jones Dome this Sunday. It’ll be a showdown between two struggling teams with virtually no shot at the playoffs.
The records indicate that the teams are evenly matched, but don’t let that fool you. After starting the season 1-7, the Lions are on an upward trend and have won three of their last four. Meanwhile, the Rams have lost all fight and are struggling through a five-game losing streak.
St. Louis has been held under 20 in each of the last five games. The past two weeks, the Rams have been held to seven points or fewer. The offense is an absolute disaster that gives the team no chance to win. Apparently, the defensive players have caught on to that fact, as it looks like they’ve given up in recent weeks.
The Rams will try to rebound and win their first game since November 1. Win or lose, it’s sure to be an ugly game.
For more on the game, including the latest headlines, injury news, analysis and more, read on.
News and Notes
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Rams' Cignetti Says Sayonara
After last week’s pathetic three-point effort against the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams decided to fire first-year offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Jeff Fisher hired Cignetti in 2012 to be the team’s quarterback coach. After ex-offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer’s departure to the University of Georgia following the 2014 season, the Rams decided to promote from within and gave Cignetti the job—a decision that has clearly backfired.
The Rams rank 31st in the NFL in total offense, averaging 296.3 yards per game—just 1.2 yards more than the last-place San Francisco 49ers—and St. Louis also ranks second-to-last in points per game with 15.8.
Additionally, the Rams are dead-last in passing yards, with an average of 178 aerial yards per game. They are one of just three teams held under 200 passing yards per game on average. Additionally, the Rams have the NFL’s worst first-down percentage through the air—only 24.4 percent of their passes go for first downs.
According to Thomas’ article, tight end coach Rob Boras will take over the play-calling duties. Boras spent three seasons as an offensive coordinator for UNLV, per his official bio on the Rams’ website, but that’s his only experience with the title.
It’s too little too late, but something had to be done. At this point, things can only get better for the St. Louis offense.
Stedman Bailey's Career in Jeopardy
According to Sports Illustrated, Jeff Fisher told the Associated Press that wide receiver Stedman Bailey's career may be in jeopardy as a result of the gun shot wounds he suffered to the head. However, Fisher has not completely ruled out the possibility of a comeback.
“There’s a chance he doesn’t play (again),” Fisher said. “However, based on what he’s done over the last 10 days, he may surprise everybody.”
According to SI Wire, Bailey is in stable condition but remains in the Florida hospital as he recovers from his injuries.
It's too early for Bailey to be thinking about football, but the Rams are certainly thinking of him.
''We'll take care of Sted, that's our intention,'' Fisher said. ''He's doing better, yeah. Puts a smile on my face when I get to think about where he's at right now.''
If Bailey does return at some point, the Rams will have an opportunity for him.
Latest Injury News
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T.J. McDonald and Robert Quinn Done for the Year
The Rams will have to close out the year without two key defensive players. According to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, safety T.J. McDonald is done for the year with a shoulder injury, and defensive end Robert Quinn will miss the rest of 2015 with a back injury.
Quinn has missed four of the last five games and hasn’t started a game since Week 8. Given that Quinn is one of the few elite players on the team, his absence is likely one of the reasons for the defense’s recent decline.
Quinn made the Pro Bowl the last two seasons. With five sacks by midseason this year, it appeared he was on pace for another Pro Bowl-caliber year with double-digit sacks. Now, the Rams will have to do without him until 2016.
McDonald is not as dominant as Quinn but is still a valued member of the secondary. He’s a weapon in run support, and his hard hitting puts fear in the opposing receivers.
Without these two players healthy, the defensive decline will likely continue.
Janoris Jenkins, Lance Kendricks Undergoing Concussion Protocol
Quinn isn’t the only top-notch defensive player the Rams might have to do without. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, cornerback Janoris Jenkins is undergoing concussion protocol this week, which could put his status in jeopardy.
Last Sunday against Arizona, Jenkins took friendly fire in two separate incidents. Safety McDonald accidentally drilled Jenkins as the two tried to tackle Arizona receiver Michael Floyd. Later in the game, Jenkins was laid out by safety Rodney McLeod in a similar incident.
Additionally, Wagoner’s article mentions that tight end Lance Kendricks is also in concussion protocol. Like Jenkins, he’ll be monitored all week and must be cleared before he can play.
The St. Louis injury list is growing long. If Jenkins and Kendricks are both out this week, the Rams will be in bad shape.
CB Trumaine Johnson Questionable for Detroit Game
Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also mentioned on Twitter that cornerback Trumaine Johnson is also questionable for the upcoming game. Johnson is currently dealing with a thigh injury.
Johnson is the No. 2 cornerback on the team behind Jenkins. If he’s not ready for Sunday, the Rams will be without both of their top-two corners.
If Johnson is unavailable, the Rams will likely go with a duo of second-year players in Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Roberson. Both are talented and capable, but standing up to Calvin Johnson will be a monumental task for the youngsters.
Top Matchups
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Greg Robinson vs. Ezekiel Ansah
The biggest challenge for the offense in this game will be to keep the quarterback upright. If that happens, the aerial game might show signs of life, which will help the Rams free up Todd Gurley and the run game.
That’s going to be difficult to accomplish this week. Ezekiel Ansah of the Lions leads the team with 12.5 sacks and is a handful as a pass-rusher. Detroit will throw Ansah at St. Louis’ struggling left tackle—Greg Robinson—all day long.
Robinson continues to disappoint on a weekly basis. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks 75th among 77 tackles in the NFL with a grade of minus-32.8. His pass-blocking grade is an abysmal minus-21.2—good for fourth worst among tackles.
If Robinson can’t settle down and provide some blindside protection, it’s going to be a long day for the aerial game.
Aaron Donald vs. Larry Warford
With several key defensive pieces possibly out for this game—Quinn, Jenkins, McDonald, Johnson—there’s a lot of pressure for defensive tackle Aaron Donald to dominate up front. He’ll need to turn in a monster game to make up for the injured players.
Donald will be lining up across from right guard Larry Warford, which is certainly a favorable matchup for the Rams. Warford ranks just 46th among 82 NFL guards, according to Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of minus-3.7. His pass blocking is a very average minus-2.1.
Donald continues to dominate on a weekly basis and is probably the only remaining reason to even watch the Rams at this point. He leads the team with eight sacks and constantly makes plays in the backfield. If the Rams weren’t so awful overall, he’d probably have a realistic shot at Defensive Player of the Year.
If Donald can dominate Warford and blow up the backfield, it’ll cripple the Detroit offense.
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Matchup X-Factors
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Will Case Keenum Be an Upgrade Over Nick Foles?
According to the official Rams Twitter account, Fisher has announced that Case Keenum will start this Sunday against Detroit. Keenum was handed the starting gig three weeks ago against Baltimore but has been sidelined ever since with a concussion, per Sports Illustrated.
The Rams are hoping Keenum can provide a much needed boost to the offense. Foles has been absolutely helpless under center—he has nine interceptions and just two touchdowns in his last seven starts—so St. Louis is willing to try anything to generate a spark.
However, it’s probably best to limit expectations, as Keenum was dreadful in his only start this season. Against Baltimore, Keenum completed just 46.2 percent of his passes. He did have a touchdown and zero picks, but he was limited to just 136 yards through the air.
Keenum does possess better mobility in the pocket, which will help compensate for the offensive line’s awful pass blocking. Even so, the St. Louis offense is in such a dire state that it’s hard to feel optimistic.
If Keenum can somehow show us that he’s better than what we witnessed against Baltimore, the Rams might have a shot at winning.
The Defense Must Bring Back the Effort
The St. Louis defense started the year as an elite group, but the unit is going downhill fast. The Rams have allowed over 25 points in three of the last four games—the opponent scored over 30 in two of those contests.
That’s not characteristic of this defense. There’s too much talent and potential on that side of the ball to excuse the current downward spiral.
Common sense tells us that the defense is likely sick of the lack of offensive support. For the majority of the season, admirable defensive efforts have gone to waste, thanks to an offense that fails to move the chains—the Rams are dead-last in the NFL with a 24.5 percent third-down conversion rate—and produce points.
Naturally, the defense has taken its foot off the gas. With no point production and with the team out of the playoff hunt, it’s understandable that the defensive players aren’t giving the same effort we witnessed in Week 1.
If the Rams want a shot at winning this game, the defense must return to that early-season form. Switching to cruise control against a soaring Lions team just isn’t going to cut it.
Prediction: Lions 24, Rams 13
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The Rams will have a tough time overcoming the Lions, especially after Detroit's heart-breaking last-second loss to Green Bay the previous week. The Lions will be eager to bounce back from that loss.
The firing of Cignetti might wake up St. Louis. By shaking up the staff, perhaps the entire team will be on high alert, resulting in a better offensive performance by the Rams—at least that's the objective for Fisher and the coaching staff.
Even with the changes, the Rams have so many issues on offense that's it's hard to envision a drastic turnaround overnight. The team might put up 13 points instead of three, but the issues—dreadful offensive line play, inaccuracy from the quarterbacks, stone-handed receivers—will still exist.
Detroit is still a mediocre opponent, so the Rams will avoid another Cincinnati or Arizona-style blowout, but a St. Louis loss is still likely. The Rams are just too dysfunctional at the moment to pull off a much needed win.
The Lions will pull off the victory and continue their impressive late-season turnaround.
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