Rams vs. Chiefs: 5 Important Items to Watch for During Tonight's Matchup

The St. Louis Rams (2-0) will hit I-70 West to take on the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) in the annual Missouri Governor's Cup at Arrowhead Stadium tonight at 7:00 PM CDT. 

The Rams displayed some dominance in their preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts in St. Louis, winning 33-10, but they were outplayed in the first half of last week's game against the Tennessee Titans, despite their eventual 17-16 victory over the Titans. 

Tonight will be do-or-die time for some players, while others will rest easy knowing that their roster spots are secure. 

The starters typically only play one drive during the fourth preseason game, so for the fans this will be their last chance to get a good look at the starters until the Week 1 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 11th, 2011.

So here are some key items to keep a close eye on... 

1. The Wide Receivers

It's no secret that there's a battle going on at the wide receiver position. And even for the receivers that are considered "safe," it's still unclear how often they'll be utilized in the regular offense.

Finding The Odd Man Out

The main group of receivers being considered for the 53-man roster consists of Mike Sims-Walker, Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson, Donnie Avery, Danario Alexander, Mardy Gilyard, Greg Salas and Austin Pettis.

Assuming that they will keep seven receivers on the roster, the coaching staff will be faced with the grueling task of determining which of those eight receivers will be cut. So keep a sharp eye out tonight for the player in that group who doesn't quite fit in. 

Austin Pettis and Greg Salas 

Typically, new mid-round draftees are considered safe, but the NFL lockout has already brought on a wave of unorthodox behavior. This is why either Austin Pettis (third-round pick) or Greg Salas (fourth-round pick) could be the eventual odd man out.

Salas is probably the safest of the two if cuts were today, but Pettis was the initial star at the beginning of training camp. Don't be surprised if the team attempts to stick one of them on the practice squad.

If they do plan on sending one to the practice squad, then expect very little playing time out of that guy tonight. The Rams wouldn't want other teams to get even more game film on that player, as teams will be welcome to claim that player once they are on the practice squad.

Donnie Avery

Last week against the Tennessee Titans, fans saw Donnie Avery on the playing field for the first time since his ACL tear a year ago. Only this time he wasn't being carted off the field—he was catching a touchdown pass.

Avery's 19-yard touchdown reception from quarterback A.J. Feeley gave the fans some hope, as Avery was held out of practice in the weeks prior to the game due to complications with his knee.

It will be interesting to see if Avery gets some reps tonight with Sam Bradford and the first-team offense. Keep an eye on his movement and watch to see if he still has the elite speed that makes him a deep threat.

Mike Sims-Walker

 Mike Sims-Walker has been battling a groin injury, which is why he barely saw the field in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.

Last week he had more playing time against the Tennessee Titans, and he even had a very nice 26-yard reception. However, fans choose to instead remember the pass he couldn't hang on to, which resulted in an interception.

It would be nice to see Sims-Walker step up and make a few plays tonight against the Chiefs and perhaps even flash some of his big play ability that made him a hit in Jacksonville during the 2009 season.  

2. The Trenches

Last week against the Tennessee Titans, the Rams starters were completely dominated up front on both sides of the ball. The defensive line was not getting penetration, which resulted in very little pressure on the quarterback, while the offensive line was knocked back off the line on almost every play. 

Quarterback Sam Bradford had no time to read his receiver's routes or analyse the opposing defense. Not to mention, the Titans burned the Rams defense on the ground with 198 total rushing yards—including over 80 in the first quarter. 

Tonight will be a great opportunity to see in the Rams coaching staff has been able to fire up the lines over the last few days at practice. 

Look closely at the offensive line to see if they are able to open up wider running lanes, as well as create more time for Bradford. 

On defense, pay attention to the penetration. Watch Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel and his run game, and see if the Rams can put pressure on them consistently. 

3. Outside Linebackers

The Rams started the preseason with Bryan Kehl and Na'il Diggs as the starting outside linebackers, but after last week's fiasco against the Tennessee Titans, which resulted in over 80 rushing yards by the Titans in the first quarter alone, the two linebackers have lost their starting jobs to Brady Poppinga and Ben Leber.

Poppinga and Leber are new additions to the team from free agency, and they were likely destined to win the starting jobs eventually after making the proper adjustments in their new defensive scheme.  

So in a way, this will the the fans' first look at the starting linebackers for 2011. 

Last week, the linebackers were going with the flow of the run game, which resulted in big run plays after the opposing running backs would cutback in the opposite direction. It will be interesting to see if the new starting linebackers can play with more discipline and avoid that sort of thing. They need to stay at home and stick to their responsibilities.

Running back Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs is a great outside runner who rushed for 1,467 yards in 2010, including an impressive 6.4 yards-per-carry average.

Charles will be a great test for the outside linebackers tonight, who will be given the responsibility of containing him on outside runs.

Charles will also give them an idea on what to expect out of Michael Vick in the Rams season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, as Vick is also known as a runner capable of giving outside linebackers trouble.  

4. The Pass Rush

The Rams finished the 2010 season with 43 sacks, and around mid-November of 2010 they were actually tied with the Green Bay Packers for most sacks in the NFL.

However, the Rams have not been establishing a dominate pass rush during this preseason—the defensive line has yet to record a single sack, while linebacker James Laurinaitis picked up the units only sack of the preseason last week against the Tennessee Titans.

You have to remember that the Rams aren't exactly going to bring the heat on every single play during the preseason, but it would still be nice if they could at least show a glimpse of the pass-rushing ability that they had in 2010.

The team's pass-rushing ability should improve as soon as their beastly 2011 first-round pick Robert Quinn gets more acquainted with the scheme, but that's still not a good excuse. The current players need to compensate and get the job done regardless of Quinn.

The Rams may have been holding back some of their blitz packages, but it's possible that some of those plays will finally be unleashed tonight given that it's the starters' last chance of extended play against a real opponent until the season opener.  

5. Action Jackson

Last week, against the Tennessee Titans, we saw star running back Steven Jackson run the ball six times for only 10 yards, which averages out to 1.7 yards per carry.

It's not really Jackson's fault. In fact, a charging rhino probably would've averaged only 1.7 yards per carry behind an offensive line like the one we saw last week.

However, a running back and his offensive line have to work together and be in sync, which they did not do last week.

Watch Jackson tonight and see if he and the offensive line can resemble more of a coordinated unit as opposed to a car driving into a brick wall.