Semi-coherent Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams preview

Now that the Eagles have fallen from the ranks of the undefeated, they must rebound quickly. A road loss to the 49ers is nothing to be ashamed about, even if it was a very winnable game. But if they follow it by losing at home to the St. Louis Rams, then there might be some real cause for concern.

St. Louis Rams

2014 record: 1-2 (0-1 road)

Last week: Bye week

Head coach: Jeff Fisher (15-19-1 with Rams)

The last time they met

Steven Jackson. Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2011 season opener, expectations for the Eagles were as high as they had ever been. After a surprising NFC East title in 2010, the team had loaded up on big name free agents in the offseason, and appeared to be genuine Super Bowl contenders.

The first opponent on the schedule that season would be the St. Louis Rams. Although the Rams were seen as a “team on the rise” thanks to their second year quarterback Sam Bradford, most people didn’t expect them to provide much competition for the Eagles.

The Eagles were provided with a rude awakening on the Rams’ first offensive play, as running back Steven Jackson broke a 47 yard run for a touchdown.

The Eagles settled down after that, and went on to win by a comfortable margin of 31-13. But that touchdown run was the first sign that things wouldn’t go quite as expected for the 2011 Eagles.

What’s the deal with the Rams?

Despite his status as a former #1 overall pick, Bradford has yet to live up to expectations in St. Louis. And it now appears that he never will. He suffered an injury in the preseason that will require him to miss the entire season, likely ending his tenure with the Rams.

Bradford’s backup Shaun Hill suffered an injury of his own in the season opener, and the starting job fell to Austin Davis.

Sep 14, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The second year quarterback out of Southern Mississippi has made a solid accounting for himself since taking over. He’s currently leading the NFL in completion percentage, and has a healthy 8.02 yards-per-attempt figure. As a result, the Rams named him the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

While Davis has performed better than expected, the same cannot be said for the Rams’ defense. Heading into the season, it looked like the Rams would have a tough defense led by a fearsome pass rush. Thus far, that has not been the case.

The Rams have been gashed repeatedly by opponents’ running games and rank 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed. Partially because of that success, opponents have rarely been forced into obvious passing situations where the Rams’ pass rush could do damage.

Even given the limited opportunities, it’s shocking to see that the Rams have only recorded one sack in their first three games. After all, this is the team that has the most sacks in the NFL over the past two years.

It’s reasonable to think that the Rams see this week’s game as a way to turn that around. In case you haven’t noticed, the Eagles have been having some problems of their own on the offensive line.

Last week, the O-Line was dominated by the 49ers’ defense. In theory it should help to get suspended right tackle Lane Johnson back this week. His presence will allow Todd Herremans to switch back to his regular right guard position, presumably strengthening two positions.

But it might be too much to expect Johnson to seamlessly slide back into the lineup. And the middle of the line is still weak with Matt Tobin and David Molk filling in for the injured Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce.

In other words, I have a feeling that the Rams will have more than one sack by the time Sunday’s game is over.

Featured Rams player: Robert Quinn

Aug 23, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joel Bitonio (75) and tackle Joe Thomas (73) block St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) in the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the season, the Rams thought they had one of the best defensive players in football in end Robert Quinn. In each of his first three seasons, Quinn was able to increase his sack total, culminating in an NFL-leading 19 in 2013.

For whatever reason, that success hasn’t carried over into 2014. Quinn has yet to drop a quarterback for a loss this season.

The absence of fellow defensive end Chris Long has hurt, as Quinn now draws additional attention from offensive linemen. But it wasn’t as if he was seeing a bunch of single coverage last year either. Guys who are in the midst of double digit sack seasons tend to see extra blockers on their way to the backfield.

While it isn’t clear exactly why Quinn’s numbers are off, if the Rams want any hope of a turnaround, they’ll need him to pick it up immediately.

Key Eagles storyline: Riley Cooper MIA

Riley Cooper. Image Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Early last season, Riley Cooper was rated as the worst starting wide receiver in football. He didn’t seem to have any sort of rapport with Michael Vick, and opponents felt comfortable playing single man coverage on him.

When Nick Foles became the starter, Cooper’s season turned around. Foles seemed to trust that the big bodied Cooper would be able to make plays on the ball, and started aiming more throws in his direction.

The result was a 835 yard season. He was then rewarded with a new five-year contract after the season.

Thus far, that contract looks like a bad investment. Much like in 2013, Cooper has gotten off to a slow startr.

It seems like he drops multiple balls every week, some of which would have likely been big plays. Most glaring was last week’s fourth quarter drop of a potential game winning touchdown.

With defenses focusing so much energy on stopping the Eagles’ running game, Cooper will likely continue to get opportunities to make plays against single coverage. For the Eagles’ offense to succeed, he’s going to have to start making them.

Foles-o-Meter

It is impossible to blame all of last week’s offensive struggle on Nick Foles. He was getting little help from his offensive line or the running game, and as mentioned above, Riley Cooper is not providing much assistance either.

That is not to say that Foles is blameless. He had multiple opportunities to hit receivers who have come open on deep routes, but he’s been unable to connect.

Foles had a lot of success with deep balls last year, so it’s curious why he’s had so much trouble this season. Despite the coaching staff’s insistence to the contrary, it’s possible that he’s hiding an injury.

Regardless of the cause for his inaccuracy, Foles needs to pick up his play.

Elsewhere in the NFL

Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy (27) breaks a tackle by Minnesota Vikings safety Robert Blanton (36) for a first down in the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

In the Thursday night game, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, thanks largely to a strong game by my “grandfather” Eddie Lacy. Before last night, Lacy’s season was considered a disappointment, but he showed up in a big way against the Vikings.

He ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. He likely would have had an even more productive night if the game wasn’t such a blowout. His numbers were also limited due to backup James Starks having a big game (46 yards) of his own.

Maybe Chip Kelly will notice that a running back tandem had some success and will start giving a few additional carries to his backup running backs Darren Sproles and Chris Polk.

Prediction

If the Eagles had won last week, I’d be worried that they might overlook this game in preparation to next week’s divisional game against the Giants. But coming off a tough loss, I think the Eagles will be putting their best foot forward.

The combination of Lane Johnson’s return and the Rams’ putrid run defense should allow the Eagles to finally get their ground game going. Or at least, I hope so. If LeSean McCoy isn’t able to break out of his slump this week, there’s a chance he might never be able to.

The Eagles should be able to score some points. And while Davis has been a positive surprise, I don’t think he’s capable of matching the Eagles’ total.

Eagles 27, Rams 17