St. Louis Rams: 5 Reasons They Will Beat the New York Giants in Week 2

The St. Louis Rams travel to New York to take on the Giants this week. The Rams will be making an appearance on Monday Night Football, so this is a great opportunity for them to show the rest of the NFL that they are a team on the rise. After an ugly Week 1 loss to the Eagles, the Rams have a lot to prove.

So do the New York Giants, who themselves lost to the Washington Redskins. A lot of people, including me, were picking the Redskins to be one of the worst teams in football. So was Week 1 an indictment of the Giants, or are the Redskins just a lot better than we thought they were? 

There are so many questions about both teams. Monday night should offer some answers.

With such a brutal early season schedule, this game might be a "must-win" game for the Rams, because winning at Green Bay or at Dallas is going to be very hard to do. I think the Rams are going to win this game, and I'll give you five reasons why.

Sam Bradford Will Get Better Protection

The Rams offensive line played terrible last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. I expect that to change this week simply because there is talent on that offensive line.

Roger Saffold was great at left tackle last season as a rookie. Harvey Dahl was brought in to play right guard and he is a major upgrade in talent at that spot. Former No. 2 overall pick Jason Smith has shown flashes at right tackle. Now it's time for him to step up and be consistently good.

They did a good job run blocking last week, even after stud running back Steven Jackson went down with an injury. If they can blow those same holes open for the running backs, plus give Sam Bradford time to throw, then the Rams have an excellent chance to win.

Steven Jackson Will Play

Steven Jackson suffered a strain to his quad on the Rams' first offensive play of the season.  He has not practiced all week, and he is a game time decision for Monday night's game.  If he can't play, this would obviously hurt the Rams' chances of winning the game.

Mark it down right now: Steven Jackson will play in this game.

First of all, the game is on Monday night, giving Jackson one more day to heal. Second, Jackson is a warrior, and he has played through injuries before. Finally, with this being such an important game, on Monday Night Football, there is no way that Jackson will not suit up.

The Rams ran the ball great last week with Cadillac Williams. Jackson is going to run hard, and when he needs a breather, they will just give the ball to Williams. This is going to give the Rams a tremendous advantage in this game.

Sam Bradford Is Going to Light the Giants Up

Rex Grossman lit the Giants' secondary up! So what do you think Sam Bradford is going to do?

Like I said before, the line is going to protect Bradford, and when they do, he is going to torch the Giants' defense. Their secondary has been decimated by injuries. Bradford is about to take advantage of those injuries, and lead the Rams' to an impressive victory.

Also look for a big game out of the Rams' receivers. They need to atone for so many dropped passes in Week 1 against the Eagles. I think Lance Kendricks is going to have a monster game, and also look for Austin Pettis, who was inactive in Week 1, to play a major role.

The Rams Defense Will Shut Eli and the Giants Down

The Giants' offense was humbled by the Redskins in Week 1. Eli Manning continues to cement his status as the most overrated quarterback in all of football by throwing stupid interceptions. So with the Giants' offense struggling, will the Rams' defense step up?

I think we are about to see an inspired effort by the Rams.

I truly believe that the Rams have a defense that will be ranked in the top 10 in the NFL by the end of the season. They are good on third down, they are great in the red zone and they get after the quarterback. Their only glaring weakness is the a lack of depth in the secondary.

But like I said, they are playing against Manning, so that's OK.

I think the Rams will beat and batter Manning and the Giants into submission, and this will be a coming out party for the Rams' D.

Steve Spagnulo: Lights, Camera, Action!

I believe Steve Spagnulo is one of the up and coming coaches in the NFL. He has turned around a terrible culture of losing football in St. Louis.

The Rams are one of the best young teams in the league now, and Spags deserves full credit for that. He made his mark in the NFL as the defensive coordinator of the Giants. I think the Rams players love playing for Spags, and they know how much this game means to him. They are going to play inspired football. 

This is Monday Night Football, the first time in a long while that the Rams had this type of spotlight. The Rams will play tough, physical and inspired football for Coach Spags, and they will win this game.