John Skelton vs. A.J. Feeley. That is that matchup we’ll be getting if Sam Bradford and Kevin Kolb miss the game with injuries. Probably the only people that excites are fans of the Rams and Cardinals, as the chances of either team getting their second win of the season might end up being higher than usual.
When we've talk about bad teams this year, Andrew Luck’s name has usually been brought up, but since both teams have their quarterback for the future, I don’t even get to talk about that. Therefore, we go straight to the three matchups to look at which will make this game at least somewhat interesting to watch.
1) Brandon Keith vs. Chris Long
Over the first four games of the season, right tackle Brandon Keith (-8.9) was looking worse than his first year as a starter, allowing four to five pressures in each of the first four games. After not playing in Week 5 and the bye week, Keith has seen a big improvement in his play, as he allowed just one overall pressure against the Ravens and Steelers.
He will have his hands full against the Rams, as the majority of the game he will be lined up against Chris Long (+15.2 pass rush). Last week against the Saints he managed three sacks and eight pressures. He has been by far the biggest playmaker the Rams have had on defense these past two years. If Keith can keep up his recent improved play, than it will go a long way to helping the Cardinals offense, while if Long continues his dominant play than John Skelton who hasn’t played a down yet this year will find himself on his back frequently. Last year when he was under pressure, he was sacked nine times compared to just eight completions.
2) Larry Fitzgerald’s potential big game.
While people might not be talking about it, Larry Fitzgerald (+6.7) has still looked as good as ever. He has averaged 17.7 yards per catch, which ranks him third among receivers with at least 50 targets. He’s caught 60.7 of balls thrown his way which is an improvement from last year, and he’s had six players miss tackles on him which is more than all of last year by two. While this could be completely random, he seems to be playing very well every other week, while he’s been just above average the other weeks; and this is his week to play very well.
He has as good of a chance as ever to have a big game, as he goes up against a Rams secondary who should see the return of Justin King (-17.6) who despite missing time still has the lowest overall rating for a cornerback. In his last full game which was against the Packers, he allowed six catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns; with the majority of that coming against Greg Jennings. While Al Harris (+3.5) has stepped up in recent weeks, Fitzgerald could also find a good matchup against Josh Gordy (-5.0) who has allowed nine catches and a touchdown over the past two weeks. Either way, if the Cardinals just throw the ball to Fitzgerald often enough, he will find a way to catch the ball and make plays.
3) Another big day for Jackson
Over the past three weeks, running back Steven Jackson (+1.9 rushing) has had 61 carries for 325 yards which is an average of 5.3 yards per carry. He’s also had three touchdowns and four players miss tackles on him. He’s been doing this against average to below average run defenses; and for a second straight week he is going up against one of the worst units in the league. The Cardinals 3-4 defense has players like Paris Lenon (-5.8 run defense) and Clark Haggans (-5.0 run defense) leading the way with a combined 25 stops. Joey Porter has still been suffering from an injured knee, which means more time out of Sam Acho (-2.9 run defense) who has just three stops on 114 plays. Expect the Rams to run early and often to move the ball down the field, keep Larry Fitzgerald on the bench, and hopefully for them get a second straight victory.
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