RAMS HOST ARIZONA CARDINALS IN NFC WEST SHOWDOWN

The Rams return home this week to take on NFC West rival Arizona at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams will be looking to rebound from a 23-16 loss at New England last week.

This week’s contest is the first meeting between the team teams this season and the 60th meeting between the teams all-time. The Rams lead the all-time series, 31-26-2, dating to 1937. The Rams and Cardinals will face off again this season in Arizona on Dec. 7.

The Rams have won seven of the last 12 meetings between the teams since Arizona joined the re-aligned NFC West in 2002.

Since the Rams relocated to the Gateway City in 1995, the series is tied at seven games. The teams have met once in the postseason, with the Rams taking a 35-23 home victory in the 1975 NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Passing

M. Bulger
Rams
1,119 yards

Rushing

S. Jackson
Rams
508 yards

Receiving

T. Holt
Rams
289 yards

Passing

K. Warner
Cardinals
2,089 yards

Rushing

E. James
Cardinals
380 yards

Receiving

L. Fitzgerald
Cardinals
661 yards

4th Quarter

3rd Quarter

- The Rams opened the half much like they ended the first one, getting a 14-yard completion to Torry Holt before three plays set up a fourth and 1 at the Rams’ 33. Jim Haslett decided to go for it and Pittman was dropped for no gain, giving Arizona the ball at the St. Louis 33 with 12:45 to go in the quarter.

- Jackson did not participate on the drive and it appears his day might be done with seven carries for 17 yards and nothing in the pass game.

- The Rams defense managed to hold Arizona to a punt with the help of a 15-yard facemask penalty on Deuce Lutui and a sack from James Hall. The offense took over at its 15.

- The Rams couldn’t travel past their 30, punting again to the Cardinals.

- Arizona marched 82 yards quickly for a touchdown pass to Boldin to make it 31-7 with 3:16 to go in the quarter.

- After three quarters, Arizona holds a commanding 31-7 lead.

2nd Quarter

- The Rams couldn’t generate a drive and had to punt back to Arizona.

- But the defense continued its strong play, getting off the field again. This time, though, there was some scoring to be done.

- Unfortunately for the Rams, it was Arizona doing the scoring. On first and 10 from the 15, Bulger threw deep down the left side intended for Donnie Avery. But the ball didn’t have much on it and Antrel Rolle picked it off and promptly returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to tie it at 7 with 12:10 to go in the half.

- The Rams didn’t fare much better on the ensuing possession as Adrian Wilson beat fullback Dan Kreider around the corner and sacked Bulger, knocking the ball loose. Bertrand Berry recovered at the 23 but the defense held the Cardinals to a field goal from Neil Rackers. Rackers hit from 36 yards out to give Arizona a 10-7 lead with about eight minutes left in the half.

- The Rams took over their next possession at their 25 with better immediate results. Bulger ran for 16 yards on third down to give the Rams a first down at their 46.

- But the drive soon fizzled and the Rams punted again, pinning Arizona at its 8 yard line.

- The Cardinals began marching with an 18-yard completion to fullback Terrelle Smith for 18 yards. Two plays later, he hit Boldin for 17 more and the next play Warner hit Steve Breaston for 34 yards to give Arizona the ball at the St. Louis 30 at the two minute warning.

- The Cardinals wasted no time after that break getting in the end zone as Hightower burst in from 30 yards out for a 17-7 lead with 1:53 to go in the half.

- The Rams promptly went three and out, giving it back to Arizona at the Cardinals 44 with 1:18 to go and all three timeouts in the pocket.

- On second-and-10, Warner floated a pass down the right side for Jerheme Urban. Rams cornerback Jonathan Wade had a prime chance to pick off the pass but couldn’t handle it and it bounced squarely into Urban’s hands. Urban ran the rest of the way for a 56-yard touchdown pass and a 24-7 lead with 42 seconds left.

- Arizona put together 24 unanswered points and holds the lead at the half.

1st Quarter

- The Rams won the toss and elected to defer.

- Arizona quickly marched down the field to the Rams’ 1, mostly behind the work of receiver Anquan Boldin.

- Arizona had a first and goal at the Rams’ 2 but the defense stiffened, holding running back Tim Hightower to 1 yard on three tries.

- On third down, Hightower appeared to get in the end zone to the officials but the Rams challenged and the play was overturned as Hightower was just short of the end zone.

- On fourth down, the Cardinals tried a sneak with Warner and defensive end Eric Moore stood him up for a stop.

- After trading punts, the Rams went for the home run and connected as Derek Stanley made his first NFL catch a memorable one. Marc Bulger floated a pass deep down the left sideline where Stanley adjusted to the ball and snatched it from Eric Green.

- Green was so stunned by the catch he forget to continue the play as Stanley tight roped down the sideline into the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. That’s where it stands at the end of the first quarter as the Rams have the ball at their 30.

Pregame Notes

- First and foremost, an update on the injury situation for the Rams.

- The news is good, all of it. Running back Steven Jackson, defensive end Leonard Little and defensive tackle Adam Carriker are all healthy enough to play and will give it a go today at the Edward Jones Dome.

- Jackson announced that he’s planning to play today on his website www.sj39.com and though we here at stlouisrams.com prefer that you don’t navigate away from this site, you should check it out.

- Jackson tested the leg this morning and looks nimble and ready to go.

- Little and Carriker made progress as the week went on and both are ready to go. That will be important because for the Rams to have a chance to slow down Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, they will need to generate a pass rush without the use of a blitz.

- The inactives for the Rams include QB Brock Berlin, CB Tye Hill, RB Kenneth Darby, S Todd Johnson, G Roy Schuening, T John Greco, WR Drew Bennett and WR Dane Looker

- For Arizona, some interesting developments on their inactive list. DE Travis LaBoy, who has four sacks on the season, is inactive and Bertrand Berry replaces him. TEs Leonard Pope and Ben Patrick are also inactive and Jerame Tuman will start at tight end.

2nd Quarter

KTVI, FOX 2 is once again “The Home of the Rams” in 2007.  On Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., check out Rams Weekly where Fox 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne goes one on one with head coach Scott Linehan and a Rams’ player.

Prior to each game, Kilcoyne will be joined by the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Bryan Burwell, FOX 2’s Rob Desir and FOX 2’s Maurice Drummond for Rams Gameday pregame show, bringing viewers in-depth analysis, player profiles and the latest inside scoop on every Rams game.

Steve Savard - Play-by-Play
2007 will be Steve's 10th year on the Rams' broadcast team and his 8th season as play-by-play man. A native of St. Louis, Steve Savard has called play-by-play for more St. Louis Rams' games than any other broadcaster. Steve is the Emmy Award winning Sports Director for News 4, KMOV-TV in St. Louis. Prior to his broadcast career, Steve was in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys for 2 seasons before a neck injury ended his career in 1987. He also attended Northwest Missouri State University where he was a two-time MIAA Conference First Team Linebacker. Steve is also the co-host of The Coach Scott Linehan Show on Rams Radio.

Jim Hanifan - Color Analyst
Arguably the finest offensive line coach in the history of professional football, Jim Hanifan joined Rams Radio after 31 seasons as an NFL Assistant and Head Coach. Jim served as Head Coach for The Big Red for 6 seasons starting in 1980 and has won two Super Bowls, with the Washington Redskins in 1991 and the St. Louis Rams in 1999. In 2003, he released a book co-written with Rob Rains titled Beyond Xs and Os: My 30 Years in the NFL. In addition to his color analyst duties, Jim will also have his own show on Rams Rush Hour at 7:00pm.
 
Malcolm Briggs - Sideline Reporter and Pregame Host
Malcolm has been the sideline for Rams Radio for 8 seasons now. Malcolm is an expert at investigating gameday situations, and is skilled in getting the player perspective. Malcolm attended Kansas State University where he called play-by-play for football, baseball and basketball. Malcolm also serves as the co-host of The Steven Jackson Show.
 
D'Marco Farr - Pregame Analyst
D'Marco Farr played defensive tackle for 7 seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams. Farr's football career started at the University of Washington, where he won a National Championship in 1991. His NFL highlights include playing one year with the Los Angeles Rams before the team moved to St. Louis, representing the NFC in the Pro Bowl in 2000 and culminated with a World Championship in 2000. Upon his retirement from football in 2001, Farr made a successful career switch into broadcasting. He was a regular on Fox Sports Net's hit show "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period." from 2001 to 2003.

Scott Warmann – Studio Anchor
A St Louis native, Scott is heading into his 4th season on the Rams Radio Broadcast.  His first year was the championship season in 1999.  He has spent the last couple of seasons as the studio host.  Scott has also served as the studio host for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament telecast the last couple of years on Fox Sports Net.  And he is heading into his seventh season as a member of the Gateway Football Conference broadcast team.

Doug Vaughn - Pregame & Postgame Analyst
Doug Vaughn returned to his hometown of St. Louis to join KMOV Channel 4 as a Sports Anchor and Reporter in 1988. Vaughn anchors the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. sportscasts on Fridays, and the 5:30 and 10:30 p.m. sportscasts on Sundays. He is also a Reporter for the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. sportscasts, Monday through Wednesday, and is the main Reporter on News 4's "Sports Sunday," a 60-minute show that highlights local and national sports news. A lover of all sports, Vaughn excelled in baseball and played for two years at St. Louis Community College at Meramec before transferring to the University of Missouri-Columbia during his junior year. Now his baseball is limited to coaching little league teams. Vaughn is a graduate from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.

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Weekly Prize

• Week 1: Marc Bulger Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00)
• Week 2: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 3: Rams Player Autographed Mini-helmet. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99)
• Week 4: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 5: Steven Jackson Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00)
• Week 6: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 7: Rams Player Autographed Mini-helmet. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99)
• Week 8: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 9: Marc Bulger Autographed Photo (ARV: $25.00)
• Week 10: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 11: Rams Player Autographed Mini-helmet. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99)
• Week 12: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 13: Marc Bulger Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00)
• Week 14: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 15: Rams Player Autographed Mini-helmet. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99)
• Week 16: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00)
• Week 17: Orlando Pace Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00)
• Overall Grand Prize - One (1) Authentic Torry Holt Jersey and One (1) Authentic Isaac Bruce Jersey (ARV: $1,000.00)