Coming off their Week 4 bye, the Rams head to Philadelphia to take on an Eagles team looking to bounce back from their first loss of year [in San Fran]. Will the extra week of preparation aid the Rams to victory against a team looking to stay atop the NFC East?
Twelve of Turf Show Times’ staff members have their predictions...
Mike Dietrich [@dvond]
Rams would be in better shape if the Eagles were not coming off an awful offensive performance. Kelly will fix his team and with the Rams awful run defense and pass defense giving up 74% completions, its going to be very difficult for them to stop the Eagles. The Eagles OL has struggled but still has only given up 1 sack in last 3 games. Davis and Rams offense will score against an almost a sbad as the Rams defense but it is just a bad match up across the board, and especially the coaching staffs.
Eagles - 34, Rams - 24
Douglas M [@thenovelroad]
On paper, the Rams and Eagles match up well. Each team has its strong and weak points. Philadelphia will be featuring their fast-paced Chip Kelly offense. The key here, is the defensive backs for the Rams actually match up pretty well with the Eagles' wide receivers. It's going to be that little "no man's land" underneath that's going to be how the Eagles move the ball. The Rams' linebacker corp will be in the spotlight, as well as any safety playing in the box. Tight ends will need covering, and don't forget LeSean McCoy coming out of the backfield.
The Eagles defense may be the weakest unit the Rams face - so far this season - and it could be an interesting day for Austin Davis. With little in the way of a pass rush, and weak run defense, a steady mix of run vs. pass could be just what the Rams' quarterback needs to maintain his bizarrely high QB rating. Brian Quick could have a big day too, as well as Jared "I won't drop it" Cook. Mixing and matching receiver sets could prove to be wise for Brian Schottenheimer's offense. But the Rams' offensive line needs to get it's act together. While holes abound in the 3-1 Eagles, they're a potential scoring machine. Turnovers and dumb mistakes will result it quick scores that could bury the Rams early. Ball control, and a balance attack, are key to any St. Louis win.
Doug didn’t provide a score, so we’ll operate under the assumption he thinks there will be none....
Rams - 0, Eagles - 0
Eddie Perez [@iAmEddieP_]
The Eagles are a high-flying offense. They have one of the top passing offenses in the league. They are very well able to expose the Rams' secondary. Or, the Eagles can run like crazy with LeSean "Shady" McCoy. I don't see the Rams being in this game. Philadelphia's offense is too good.
Eagles - 33, Rams - 13
Tevin Broner [@T_Bron]
This game should be closer than many people think it will be. It's all going to be up to the defense to give the offense a rough day. I think the Rams will find Stacy and the Rams and my fantasy team will produce a win.
Rams - 24, Eagles - 14
3k [@3k_]
This one's tough. Philly's coming off of that close loss to San Fran that exposed the deficiencies in their roster pretty glaringly, especially with those O-line injuries. After the Rams, they get another home game against the Giants and then hit a much-needed bye week to rest up. Of the six games they play out of the bye, four of them are on the road so I doubt they're overlooking either the Rams or the Giants for those hoping for trap game conditions.
That being said, is there a more volatile team in the NFL than the Rams? As good as the offense looked in extended stretches against the Cowboys, have we already forgotten the Minnesota and Tampa games? As much as we want to get behind Austin Davis and selectively point out the stronger points of his two performances as starting QB, it's worth remembering that he has thrown three interceptions to match the three TDs he put up against the Cowboys after being blanked in his first game and a half. And Zac Stacy hasn't really gotten going, largely because he hasn't been allowed to. I wonder if that changes this week.
I gave a 27-20 Eagles win prediction to Brandon in the Q&A over at Bleeding Green Nation, but I'm hoping we get the full performance the early minutes of the Cowboys game suggested we're capable of.
Eagles - 27, Rams - 20
VTRamsFan [@PeterDunbar]
Even though the Eagles OL has been a question mark this season, the same can be said for the Rams DL. The loss of Chris Long has affected the Rams pass rush more than was expected, and the Rams have struggled trying to get pressure on the QB, particularly with the blitz leaving many questioning the schemes themselves and DC Gregg Williams. Still, the Rams will move the ball effectively between the numbers, and make some key third down conversions, but will struggle in the red zone with young QB Austin Davis and the aggressive and loud Philly crowd. Once again, TD's will be FG's in an 8 point victory by the Eagles.
Eagles - 24, Rams - 16
Joe Stanfill [@papapegasus]
The Rams head to Philadelphia coming off a humiliating loss to the Dallas Cowboys where they let them off the hook. There was lots of promise shown during the Dallas game, which I believe will continue this week. The Ram defensive line is comparable to the 49er's who whipped up on the Eagles offense last week, and I would look for the Rams to get into the backfield often this Sunday. The Eagles running game hasn't taken off yet, with LeSean McCoy running for less than 40 yards in the last two games. Of course, the line play could be boosted by Lane Johnson's return from being on Goodell's naughty list. With the Eagles' last three games decided by 5 points or less, this contest could come down to field goals or whoever has the ball in the last 2 minutes of playing time. My money would be on the Ram's running attack powered by Zac Stacy controlling the clock and time of possession. The Rams showed last week that they can put up a big lead early, now they just have to keep it. Vegas has this game hitting 48 points with the advantage going to the Eagles by 7. I predicted the Eagles winning this one at the beginning of the season. This Rams team is stronger than I thought they would be considering the team's circumstances.
Rams - 28, Eagles - 23
Frank "Dubs" Dobozy [@Bozy1313]
A snippet from his Pigskin Picks piece: I'm sporting an 0-3 record picking the Rams games straight-up this season. The game against the Eagles is another tough one to handicap. Both teams are struggling with their running games, offensively and defensively. LeSean McCoy vs. Zac Stacy and Austin Davis vs. Nick Foles will ultimately decide the outcome. The Rams will keep the game close and cover the 7.5 point spread. If this game was in St. Louis, I'd be picking the Rams to win.
Eagles -23, Rams - 20
Papa_Lurch
Nick Foles was pressured early and often last week against the 49ers. If the Rams are going to win a tough road game, they're going to need the same type of performance from their defense and then some. Janoris Jenkins will need to continue playing well to keep a rejuvenated Jeremy Maclin in check. With a suspect Eagles Defense, expect Austin Davis and Co. to keep the game close, but ultimately I don't think its enough.
Eagles - 27, Rams - 24
Eagles - 24, Rams - 20
Sergey606 [@thatsergey]
I think Sproles will be the main factor in this game, unless our LBs play an incredible game. I think the Rams contain Shady pretty well (meaning 100 yards or less), but Sproles on the screen passes could end-up being a huge pain for the defense. I think Austin Davis keeps slinging the ball and get to 300 yards, with a couple TDs; Stacy with some nice runs. In the end I think the final will be something like 30-27 in favor of the Eagles - a heart breaker to start the Octet Of Pain.northwestRAMSfan [@troilus22]
Any Rams fan who watched the Eagles-49ers game in week 4 had to be encouraged by what they saw. While the 49ers managing to pull out the win surely upset some Rams fans, each team showed some significant flaws in their games. Nick Foles was under constant pressure from a depleted 49ers front 7, and LeSean McCoy managed a mere 17 yards on 10 carries. The Eagles offensive line was the primary reason for the offenses woes, and while they will be getting Lane Johnson back from suspension it likely wont be enough to correct all the lines issues. The Eagles defense and special teams did enough to win against the 49ers, scoring all 21 points, but the Rams special teams unit is one of the best in the NFL and likely wont surrender 14 points in this game. While the Eagles offensive line may present Sack City a chance to finally show up, the Rams defense has been weak in the middle of the field, an area the Eagles are particularly proficient at attacking. Whichever team manages to get the hot start should pull off the W in this one, and since the Eagles are at home you would expect them to strike first. If the Rams can somehow jump out to an early lead, and give the Rams defensive line and running game an opportunity to control the tempo, they have what it takes to steal a win on the road. The question is would the Rams actually take advantage of such a scenario (unlike last week)? This should be a good hard fought game, but the Rams likely fall one big play short of hitting .500.Eagles - 24, Rams - 20
Brandon Bate [@NoPlanB_]
While the Rams struggle defending their turf, they’ve proven exceptional on the road in 2014. And until they lose one outside of St. Louis, I’d say it’s fair to assume they’re unbeatable when away. That, unfortunately, is bad news for the Eagles.
Additionally, the Rams have the fresh legs. Having had two weeks to rest up and prepare, the Rams should be able to stifle an already exhausted Eagles squad. Couple that with the fact that the most accurate QB in the NFL - Austin Davis - has been given extended time to prepare his shredding of the Eagles defense.
To be fair, LeSean McCoy is due for a big game, and I fully expect to see Darren Sproles out there doing Sproles-y things. Will it be enough to end the Defend Our Unbeaten Record on Somebody Else’s Turf campaign though?
I don’t think so...
Rams - 54, Eagles - 48
*****
And there you have it. Eight members of the TST staff predict an Eagles victory. Three picked the Rams to win. One bold TSTer thinks the game will end scoreless.
Time will tell. Either way, here’s to remaining unbeaten on the road and taking out opponent numero uno in what may be the easiest eight-game stretch in Rams history.