They hung around today with New Orleans. I just heard on the NFL network that this is the first time a team has hosted 3 straight undefeated teams. Maybe having to compete against the best has made the Rams a tougher team.
Still, with Hayes possibly still out I'd fear Steven Jackson. We had a practice squad guy run for over 100 yards on us today in Hayes' absence. We need him back ASAP.
The Rams seem to be improving but there were a convergence of things in today's game vs. the Saints that may have made the game look closer than it was.
Sharper was out. He was voted the defensive MVP of the first half of the season by NFL players and it seems no coincidence that Bulger had his best day in years.
The Saints are a stranger in a strange land right now. They haven't been playing their best football for a few weeks now and facing a 1 win team probably didn't get them particularly pumped up. I'm sure they played just good enough to win, subconsciously playing down to the competition in a relatively meaningless game. Being 9-0 at this point in the season can affect how "loose" a team is and the Saints have been playing very constricted the past 3 weeks in a row.
Steven Jackson is of course a beast and will be the key to the game for the Cardinals defense but let's not make the Rams out to be what they're not. The Colts just hung 42 on them, Minnesota 38, SF 35...teams with an offense of any kind have been pounding them all year. Today was their Super Bowl. If they had beaten the Saints it would have been what they hung their hat on regarding the whole season.
This isn't to say the Cardinals should take them lightly but I think the Cardinals have shown that they can consistently beat the Rams and should continue to do so. The Saints vs. the Rams used to be a very familiar rivalry but now they only meet occasionally so that might have played into it too. It's been over two years since they met(11/07) and the Rams have changed quite a bit since then scheme-wise.
