The Rams return to
the Edward Jones Dome this week vs. the Houston Texans after spending the
last two weeks on the road. Sunday’s game is the second regular season
meeting between the Rams and Texans. The Rams won the first matchup in
overtime, 33-27, at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The teams also met once in
the 2006 preseason.
The Texans enter
this week’s game with a 6-7 record after a 34-7 victory over Seattle. The
Rams return to St. Louis this week after suffering a defeat against the
Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Rookie QB Keith Null, a sixth-round draft
choice, started the game for the Rams after QB Kyle Boller was unable to
play because of a thigh injury.
The Rams have been
led this season by RB Steven Jackson who has tallied 1,279 rushing yards
(second in the NFL) and 1,552 total yards from scrimmage (third in the
NFL). Jackson has started all 13 games for the Rams this season despite
dealing with a back injury and missing practice for each of the last three
weeks.
On defense, rookie
LB James Laurinaitis, a second-round draft choice, has been a solid
performer for the Rams. Laurinaitis leads the team with 125 tackles.
Laurinaitis is on pace to become only the second rookie in Rams history to
lead the team in tackles (LB Pisa Tinoisamoa, 121 in
2003)
HEAD-TO-HEAD MATCHUPS
Passing
K. Boller Rams 876
yards
Rushing
S. Jackson Rams 1271
yards
Receiving
D. Avery Rams 510 yards
Passing
M. Schaub Texans 3814
yards
Rushing
S. Slaton Texans 437 yards
Receiving
A. Johnson Texans 1237 yards
BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW...
• The
oldest player – DE Leonard Little, 34 years old (10/19/74) • The
youngest player – WR Brandon Gibson, 22 years old (8/13/87) • The
tallest player – T Alex Barron and T Adam Goldberg measure- in at
6-7. • The shortest player – RB Kenneth Darby, RB Samkon Gado and CB
Jonathan Wade all measure-in at 5-10 • The heaviest player – G John
Greco, 329 pounds • The lightest player – WR Donnie Avery, 183
pounds • Most seasons with the Rams – DE Leonard Little, 12
seasons • Most seasons in the NFL – DE Leonard Little, 12 seasons •
The farthest distance a player has to travel from their hometown to St.
Louis, Mo. – LB Larry Grant, is 1,973 miles from his hometown of
Sacramento, Calif. • The shortest distance a player has to travel from
their hometown to St. Louis, Mo. – G Roger Allen III, is 246 miles from
his hometown of Raytown, Mo. • The College that is represented the
most – Nebraska, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas Christian have two
players represented on the roster. • The state that is represented
the most – Eight players represent the state of Texas.
SPECIAL IMPACT
Second-year LB
Chris Chamberlain has made an impact on special teams for the Rams since
joining the team as a seventhround (228th overall) draft choice in
2008.
Chamberlain leads
the Rams with a career-high 23 special teams tackles (19 solo).
Chamberlain is
seven special teams tackles short of London Fletcher’s “St. Louis” Rams
record 30 special teams tackles in 1998.
In Week 10 vs. New
Orleans (10/15), Chamberlain tallied a careerhigh four special teams
tackles. Chamberlain tied his career high in Week 11 vs. Arizona
(11/22).
Last season, as a
rookie, Chamberlain played in all 16 contests and led the Rams with 19
special teams tackles. His 19 special teams tackles were the most by a
Rams’ rookie since FB Madison Hedgecock recorded a team-leading 19 in
2005.
- The Rams started their drive
from the 23 and got a 12-yard run from Jackson to open it up
- The offense continued to move
with some solid completions, moving as far as Houston’s 44.
- But they went backwards from
there and a sack on third down forced a punt.
- Donnie Jones dropped it
inside the 5 and bounced it back before the Rams downed it at the 9, where
the Texans took over.
- The Texans used Johnson to
get down the field as he caught two passes for 77 yards.
- But the Rams defense again
limited Houston to a field goal. Kris Brown connected from 28 yards out to
make it 16-13 Houston with 4:36 to play.
- The Rams moved to their 48 on
a screen pass to Jackson for 25 yards. But a sack killed it and the Rams
punted with 2:39 to go.
- Houston started its drive at
its 15.
- The Texans got a first down
on three running plays and were able to run out the clock for a 16-13
win.
3rd
Quarter
- The Rams got the ball to open
the second half and went three and out.
- Houston took over at its 30
but on third-and-1 the defense came up with another takeaway.
- On a sneak attempt by Schaub,
he rammed into the line and lost the ball as he did. Safety Craig Dahl
recovered at Houston’s 40.
- Jackson picked up 15 yards on
two quick carries. But on first down at Houston’s 25, Null came under
pressure and forced a throw into coverage where he was intercepted by
Dominique Barber at Houston’s 17.
- The Texans took advantage of
this turnover, moving it quickly through the air. Schaub hit Andre Davis
for a gain of 21, Joel Dreesen for a gain of 13 and David Anderson for a
gain of 10.
- Another strike to Dreessen
for a gain of 22 set up a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter. That
score made it 13-10 Houston with 5:15 to go in the third quarter.
- Null responded well to the
turnover, coming back and hitting a huge third-and-10 completion to
Brandon Gibson for 18 yards. On the next play, he hit Randy McMichael for
a gain of 20.
- Ultimately, the Rams settled
for a 52-yard field goal from Josh Brown who knocked it through to tie it
at 13.
- The Texans have a first down
at their 31 to end the quarter.
2nd
Quarter
- The Rams got a stop after
Houston picked up a single first down and the Rams took over at their 27.
- The offense put up its best
drive of the day as Jackson keyed it with a 35-yard run to Houston’s 20.
- A delay of game penalty
slowed down the drive and the Rams ultimately settled for a 33-yard field
goal from Josh Brown. That tied it at 3.
- Houston came out looking to
get those points right back as Schaub hit a bomb to Johnson for a gain of
49 yards.
- Again, the Texans moved
inside the Rams’ 10 but a drop on third down forced another field goal
attempt.
- Brown hit again, this time
from 25 yards out to make it 6-3 Houston with 4:20 to go in the half.
- The Rams struck quickly on
their own as Danny Amendola busted a 55-yard return with a 15-yard
facemask penalty to start the drive at Houston’s 25.
- Jackson broke a 12-yard run
to start the drive and converted a third-and-1 to Houston’s 2 for a first
and goal.
- On third down, Null hit
Amendola for a 2-yard touchdown and a 10-6 lead with 1:47 to go in the
half.
- Houston moved into St. Louis
territory and got a 52-yard attempt from Brown but his kick doinked off
the upright and the Rams went to the locker room with a 10-6
lead.
1st
Quarter
- The Texans won the toss and
elected to receive.
- Houston moved quickly down
the field as Schaub hit Kevin Walter twice for a gain of 37 yards.
- On second-and-10, Schaub hit
Arian Foster for a gain of 13 but Foster was hit from behind by Paris
Lenon, jarring the ball loose. Darell Scott ran it down and recovered at
the Rams’ 8 to kill the drive.
- The Rams got a boost with a
couple of third down conversions on their first drive. Null hit Ruvell
Martin for a gain of 23 on third-and-5 at the 13 for one and Jackson for a
gain of 16 on fourth-and-1 into Houston territory.
- But on first down at
Houston’s 39, Null couldn’t handle the snap and dropped it. When he picked
it up and handed it to Jackson, the ball again dropped and Mario Williams
fell on it for Houston.
- The Texans took advantage
right away, as Schaub hit Johnson for a gain of 38 yards on the second
play.
- But the Rams held Houston to
a 27-yard field goal by Kris Brown to give the Texans a 3-0 lead with 3:30
to go in the first quarter.
- The Rams picked up a first
down as Null hit Donnie Avery for a gain of 10 on the first part of the
possession but the Rams could advance no further and had to punt it away.
- Houston started its next
drive as its 20.
- That’s where the Texans will
be on second down to start the second quarter.
Pregame
Notes
- Greetings from the Edward
Jones Dome where the Rams appear to be recovered from the mini-flu strike
that hit Rams Park this week. That leaves them wondering how much they can
get from their recovering players as they take on the Texans today.
- Houston comes to town after a
blowout win against Seattle and the Texans present plenty of problems to
the Rams. Offensively, Houston boasts the Matt Schaub-Andre Johnson
combination, one of the best aerial attacks in the league. Defensively,
the likes of Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing lead the way.
- Today is the second and final
time the Rams will wear the 1999 throwbacks for the season, wearing the
old yellow and blue.
- Inactives for the Rams
include QB Marc Bulger, T Jason Smith, T Ryan McKee, DE Leonard Little, T
Eric Young, CB Jonathan Wade and RB Chris Ogbonnaya. Mike Reilly is the
third quarterback.
- As expected, Keith Null will
start at QB and Steven Jackson starts at running back again.
- Chris Long will start in
Little’s place at left end with James Hall at right end.
- Wade is inactive, leaving
Danny Gorrer his first opportunity to be active. Gorrer should figure to
get some work on special teams and possibly in the nickel.
- For Houston inactives include
third quarterback Dan Orlovsky, SS Nick Ferguson, RB Chris Henry, CB Fred
Bennett, CB Mark Parson, G Tutan Reyes, DE Tim Jamison and DT Frank
Okam.
Scoring Summary
1st
Quarter
FG
K.Brown 27 yd. Field Goal Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards in
2:38
2nd Quarter
FG
Josh.Brown
33 yd. Field Goal Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards in 4:47
FG
K.Brown 25 yd. Field Goal Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards in
3:05
TD
D.Amendola
2 yd. pass from K.Null (Josh.Brown kick is good) Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards
in 2:33
3rd Quarter
TD
K.Walter 3
yd. pass from M.Schaub (K.Brown kick is good) Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards in
5:40
FG
Josh.Brown
52 yd. Field Goal Drive: 8 plays, 39 yards in 3:50
4th Quarter
FG
K.Brown 28 yd. Field Goal (7-81, 3:31)
HOME OF THE
RAMS
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.
101
ESPN
The 2009-2010 broadcast team
for Rams Radio is as follows:
Rams Radio
Pre-Game Show: Host: Randy Karraker Analyst: Coach Jim
Hanifan Reporter: Brian Stull Gameday Insider: Jim Thomas
Studio Host: Tom Casey Segment Contributors: Bernie Miklasz, Bryan
Burwell, Pat Parris, D’Marco Farr and Steve Savard Executive
Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert
Rams Radio
In-Game Coverage: Play by Play: Steve Savard Color
Analyst: D’Marco Farr In-Game Reporter: Brian Stull Studio Host:
Tom Casey Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert
Rams Radio
Post-Game Show: Hosts: Steve Savard and Brent Stover
Analysts: D’Marco Farr and Coach Jim Hanifan Locker Room
Interviews: Brian Stull Studio Host: Tom Casey Executive Producer:
Chris “Hoss” Neupert
All of the Rams game day shows
and coverage, along with the weekly Rams programs will be executed under
the watchful eye of Executive Producer Chris Neupert. Studio Producer
duties will vary by program and schedule, rotating between 101 ESPN
Producers Ben Boyd, Todd Wise and Chris Gardner. Steve Bear will be the
In-Game Spotter, and engineering responsibilities will be handled by Dodie
Rahlman, Craig Rutledge, Marshall Rice, Bob Hoffman and Ken Cunetto.
Along with the Rams
game day coverage and pre-and post-game shows, 101 ESPN will broadcast
“Rams Rush Hour Shows” weeknights from 7:00 until 8:00 pm. As part of
“Rams Rush Hour Shows,” Coach Steve Spagnuolo and General Manager Billy
Devaney are expected to do weekly
shows.
Play for Your Favorite NFL Team! Prizes every week!
Have you ever wanted to play for your favorite NFL team? Now you
can! The Home Team Challenge is an exciting Fantasy game that lets you
play for your favorite team and compete for prizes at the same time! Prove
that the Rams' fans are the best Fantasy players! Win great prizes too!
Pick an eight-player Fantasy team during any week of the regular season.
The more points your Fantasy team scores, the more you help your team in
the NFL standings.
The NFL will rank the teams by
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top scores within each team's fan group, as well as the overall standings.
Compete for weekly and overall prizes... or for the pride of knowing that
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Weekly
Prize
Seventeen (17) Weekly
Team Prizes (1 weekly prize each week for 17 weeks)
Week 1: Jason Smith
Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
Week 2: Rams Fan Pack:
includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 3: Rams Player
Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of
St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
Week 4: NFL Wilson Portfolio
(ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 5: Steven Jackson
Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
Week 6: Rams Fan Pack:
includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 7: Rams Player
Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of
St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
Week 8: NFL Wilson Portfolio
(ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 9: Jason Smith
Autographed Photo (ARV: $25.00 USD)
Week 10: Rams Fan Pack:
includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 11: Rams Player
Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of
St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
Week 12: NFL Wilson
Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 13: Chris Long
Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
Week 14: Rams Fan Pack:
includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
Week 15: Rams Player
Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of
St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
One (1)
Overall Grand Team Prize Rams 2010 Home Opener Dream Package:
Package for two (2) for the Rams 2010 regular season home opener, includes
(2) club seat tickets***, two (2) pre-game sidelines passes, one (1)
complimentary parking pass, and one (1) Rams gift bag which includes
autographed memorabilia (such memorabilia determined by Rams in their sole
discretion). (ARV: $1,500.00 USD).
