Kansas City Chiefs vs. St. Louis Rams: Preview, Key Matchup and Prediction

The Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis will be rocking this Sunday when the 6-7 St. Louis Rams will play host to the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs.

There will be a lot on the line as the Chiefs will be trying to hang on to their slim one game lead over San Diego in the AFC West and the Rams are currently tied with the rival Seattle for first in the NFC West.

Not only will each teams' respective division titles be in the balance, but there is also another prize that is up for grabs with this game.

That prize is none other than the Governor's Cup, and the winner will have obvious bragging rights until the two teams meet again.

This weekend's game will also mark the first regular season Governor's Cup meeting since the '06 season when KC handily defeated the Rams 31-17, also in St. Louis.

The Chiefs are heading into this game coming off of a 31-0 pounding at the hands of the aforementioned San Diego Chargers. They will be looking for a strong bounce-back effort in order to have a strong chance to seize their division.

The Rams come into the game on a similar note, as they were trounced by Drew Brees and the Saints last weekend to the tune of a 31-13 defeat. They will look to defend their home turf, a place where they have fared well this season with a record of 4-2.

Kansas City still owns the NFL's best ground game, as they average an astonishing 165 yards per game in this department. Stopping KC's rushing attack is a must if the Rams want to win this game against their cross-state rivals.

The Chiefs run game will also become more important if starting QB Matt Cassel will not be able to play for the second straight game this Sunday.

Cassel, still on the mend from a recent appendectomy, needs to be in there or otherwise KC's offense is too one dimensional overall and this well spell doom for the Chiefs in this critical road game.

KC will also have to look out for Rams DEs James Hall and Chris Long, who lead the team with 7.5 and 6.5 sacks, respectively. If the Rams can duplicate the pressure that the Chargers had on the Chiefs last Sunday, it could be a long day for the Chiefs' passing offense.

On the other sideline, the Rams are lead by '10 first overall pick Sam Bradford and he has been quietly putting together a very solid rookie year.

The Rams main running threat is veteran Steven Jackson, who has gained over 1,000 yards and four rushing touchdowns for the season. Kansas City should look to bring up extra run support to help slow down Jackson and make the rookie signal-caller Bradford beat them with his arm.

Bradford and his offensive line will need to be on high alert for veteran KC linebacker Tamba Hali, who is one of the best pass-rushers in the league as he is currently tied for third in the NFL with 11 sacks.

Key Matchup: Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones vs. Rams Front Seven

This will be an interesting showdown as the Chiefs have the best rushing game and Rams have one of the best rush defense in the league (12th overall) and something will have to give on Sunday. It's very possible that whichever side wins this particular battle could end up as the winner at the end of the day.

Prediction: Chiefs 28,  Rams 17

I think that this will be an offensive game for the most part, and that both offensive will come out firing to begin the game. However, I believe that the Chiefs rushing offense and other offensive play-makers including Dwayne Bowe and rookie Tony Moeaki will be too much for the Rams defense to handle in the end. Overall, Kansas City just has too much talent to lose this game in St. Louis this weekend.