Who Are the St. Louis Rams' MVPs Through the First Quarter of the NFL Season?

Four games down, 12 to go in what's shaping up to be quite an exciting season for the St. Louis Rams.

Who would've thought the Rams would be 2-2, proudly sporting a .500 record for the first time since the 2006 season?

If I would have told you prior to the season that after four games they would be a .500 team, would you have believed me?

Heck, I don't know if I would have believed me.

The last two games they lost were against teams they should have beaten (Arizona and Oakland), and their two wins are against teams they probably should have lost to (Washington and Seattle).

The Rams are the only team to show any sort of consistency and improvement from game to game.

Look at the breakdown.

St. Louis Rams

Record 2-2

Week 1: Lost to AZ by four, Week 2: Lost to OAK by two, Week 3: Beat WASH by 14, Week 4: Beat SEA by 17.

With two losses by a combined six points, a break here or there and they could be undefeated or 3-1.

Arizona Cardinals

Record 2-2

Week 1: Beat STL by four, Week 2: Lost to ATL by 34, Week 3: Beat OAK by one, Week 4: Lost to SD by 31.

Two wins by a combined five points; two losses by a combined 65 points.

Seattle Seahawks

Record 2-2

Week 1: Beat SF by 25, Week 2: Lost to DEN by 17, Week 3: Beat SD by seven, Week 4: Lost to STL by 17.

Two wins by a combined 32 points and two losses by a combined 34 points. They either blow the opponent out or get blown out.

San Francisco 49ers

Record 0-4

Week 1: Lost to SEA by 25, Week 2: Lost to NO by three, Week 3: Lost to KC by 21, Week 4: Lost to ATL by two.

Sad to say it, but the 49ers have been the most consistent team in the division.

The division is clearly up for grabs. It's up to the Rams to take it.

Next four games:

Week 5: @ DET

Week 6: SD

Week 7: @ TB

Week 8: CAR

Offensive MVP: Sam Bradford

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - AUGUST 14: A.J. Feeley #4 of the St. Louis Rams looks to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the preseason game at Edward Jones Dome on August 14, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Vikings defeated the Rams 28-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins

Now you may be asking yourself the following question.

Why is there a picture of A.J. Feeley up on the cover of the offensive MVPs? 

Well, it's simple, quite frankly. I wanted you to get a good look at A.J. in action because unless Sam Bradford gets hurt, you won't see him throw a pass in a Rams uniform ever again.

A few quick stats

Bradford has thrown six TDs, six INTs, and zero fumbles.

He's thrown for 944 yards, 12th best in the NFL.

On third down, he's 28-of-49 for 350 yards, two TDs, and no INTs. His passer rating on third down is 93.0, which ranks him 10th best in NFL.

Bradford has gotten better with each week that has passed.

As the season progresses, the competition will be stronger.

As the season progresses, more will be on the line with each game.

Only four QBs have thrown more passes than Sam Bradford through four weeks. At Oklahoma, Bradford never threw more than 483 passes during a season. He is on pace to throw the ball 632 times in 2010 if the current pace continues.

Kurt Warner never threw the ball more than 546 times in a season while with the Rams.

In 2009, his final season at OU, he played in only two games because of an injury to his throwing shoulder.

My advice to the Rams coaching staff:

BEWARE of BURNOUT.

***Honorable Mention***

WR Mark Clayton

Clayton arrived to the Rams late in the preseason after being traded by the Ravens. It didn't take long for him to develop a serious relationship with QB Sam Bradford.

In Week 1, Clayton caught 10 passes, and he now leads the team with 22 catches for 300 yards and two TDs.

Most glaring stat:

Of his 22 receptions, 15 of them were for first downs.

Nice work for a guy that Baltimore gave up on.

Defensive MVP: LB James Laurinaitis

The catalyst of the Rams defense, MLB James Laurinaitis

It only took four games for James Laurinaitis to ram his name into the conversation as one of the league's top LBs.

Laurinaitis is second in the NFL in the tackles for loss category.

He's been a lockdown defender in the middle of the field, leading the Rams in total tackles with 26, a whopping 24 of them being solo.

He's been the main catalyst for a defense that is giving up two TDs less a game than last season.

2009: 27.3 points against per game

2010: 13 points against per game

The most glaring improvement in his game?

Pass coverage.

When defending on third down, the Rams are fifth in the league. Most of that success can be attributed to Laurinaitis' play in coverage in the middle of the field.

The defense as a whole has improved every single game, and the Rams will need them to keep getting better if they plan to make a run at the NFC West crown.

***Honorable Mention***

CB Bradley Fletcher

Fletcher leads the Rams with two INTs. He is second in the league in passes defended with six.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo has become very confident with Fletcher's ability to play in man coverage. We know this because of the increase in blitzes called, which tends to leave CBs in man-to-man coverage.