Washington Redskins at St. Louis Rams: A Rivalry in the Making?

The Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams will face each other for the sixth time in seven years this Sunday.  The Rams have come out on top in three of the contests, which is surprising considering the franchise's recent futility.  That said, the Redskins haven’t been much better.

The Rams trudged through a 2-14 record in 2008 and a 1-15 record in 2009.  During a 35-game span that covered the 2008-2010 seasons, they won just four times while losing 31.  Two of those wins would come against the Washington Redskins.

St. Louis’ win over the Redskins in 2010 ended a 10-game losing streak for the Rams and spoiled an opening day victory over the Dallas Cowboys for Washington.

Throughout the matchups, most have been close, decided by just a few points.  Most games were downright ugly, marked by borderline ineptness from both teams.  With the Rams pulling off several upsets over the Redskins, Washington has payback on their minds.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the five games between the Rams and Redskins since 2005.

2005: Redskins 24 Rams 9

Both the Rams and Redskins entered this game with a 5-6 record and still fighting for a playoff spot. 

The game featured current Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, filling in for an injured Marc Bulger.  The Redskins defense was the story of the game as they held Rams running back Steven Jackson to just 24 yards rushing. 

Redskins’ running back Clinton Portis ran for 136 yards and scored two touchdowns.  Overall, Washington racked up 407 yards of total offense to St. Louis’ 191. 

The Redskins’ win would be its first in a five-game winning streak ending the year.  Washington finished the season at 10-6, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 1999.

Perhaps it's time for the Redskins to bring back the white-on-white uni's.

2006: Rams 37 Redskins 31 OT

The Redskins and Rams met in St. Louis on Christmas Eve in 2006.  Both the 6-8 Rams and 5-9 Redskins were playing for pride, having already been eliminated from the playoffs.  Because of this, the game failed to sell out, ending a streak of 95 straight for St. Louis.

Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs broke his shoulder in the first quarter and Rams quarterback Marc Bulger took advantage.  Bulger threw for 388 yards and four touchdowns on the day.  Steven Jackson rushed for 150 along with 102 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Despite the offensive dominance of the Rams, Washington led 28-14 in the third quarter.  Ironically the Rams would tie the game at 28 with a touchdown reception from former Redskins star running back Stephen Davis.

Despite racking up 579 yards of total offense, the Rams needed overtime to score the victory.

2008: Rams 19 Redskins 17

Most assumed this would be an easy home win for the 4-1 Redskins as they faced off against the 0-4 Rams at FedEx Field.  Instead, the Rams would pull off one of only two victories all season long.

The Redskins out-gained St. Louis 368-200 in total offense but costly mistakes did them in.  Entering the game without a single turnover in 2008, Washington fumbled three times.

Ironically it was current Redskins safety Oshiomogho Atogwe who would score with just seven seconds left in the first half, returning a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown, giving the Rams a 10-7 lead at the half.

In another twist of irony, the game was the debut for current Washington Redskins’ defensive coordinator Jim Haslett as the interim head coach for the Rams after the firing of Scott Linehan.

The only consolation for the loss perhaps came in the following week when the Rams beat fellow division rival Dallas Cowboys for their second and final win of the 2008 season.

2009: Redskins 9 Rams 7

The Redskins could manage just three field goals in this bore-fest, but it was still enough to beat a Rams team that was held scoreless the previous week.

Steven Jackson ran for 104 yards and was the lone bright spot on a Rams team that won only one game in 2009. 

Despite the Redskins going 0-5 in the red zone, they were still able to pick up their first win of the season.

2010: Rams 30 Redskins 16

The Rams ended a 10-game losing streak with a victory over Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins.  It was a bitter disappointment for the Redskins after starting the McNabb era with a win over Dallas and a hard-fought overtime loss to the Houston Texans.

The Redskins led 16-14 in the third quarter, but the Rams would score the final 16 points giving rookie quarterback Sam Bradford his first victory in the NFL.  Washington was 0-3 in the red zone and just 1-10 on third downs.

The lone bright spot for the Redskins was Santana Moss with 124 yards receiving including a touchdown catch.