The St. Louis Rams are entering a tough stretch. In the upcoming weeks, the team plays the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. If the football gods don't align themselves in our favor, the Rams could very easily go 0-3 down that stretch.
Of course, anything is possible in this world. The Arizona Cardinals were able to hand the Pats' a defeat in Week 2, and the Seattle Seahawks were able to beat* the Packers in Week 3.
This Sunday, the Rams are looking to give GB an 0-3 record against the NFC West. It will be tough but, as the teams mentioned above prove, it is not impossible. All things have to go well and key players need to perform:
Quinn Ojinnaka
Moose, I find myself being less and able to justify your play. I pulled for ya, bro, but I cannot do it any longer. Each week it is a different thing with Ojinnaka. One week, he gets manhandled by DTs on pass pro. The next, he's killing drives with false starts and holding penalties. The latter affected some of the drives last week versus Miami. Quinn, Moose, you gotta step your game up.
Daryl Richardson
As much as I hate to see Steven Jackson on the sidelines, Richardson gives the Rams' offense way more bang. At Miami, Daryl literally split carries with SJ – he had 11, while Jackson had 12 – and ran for 76 yards, a huge chunk coming on a 44 yard burst. He is gives the Rams a big spark and I believe we will be seeing a lot more of D-Rich.
Trumaine Johnson
Other than the game against the Cardinals in Week 5, where he played 25 snaps, we haven't seen much of Johnson. He does have an interception that came from Week Four's game versus the Seahawks. Credit that to the secondary's success thus far.
Johnson's guest appearance the list this week is due to Wednesday's injury report, listing starter Janoris Jenkins as a no-go. If Jenkins is indeed not ready to suit up on Sunday, we'll be seeing a lot of 'Tru' in the nickel packages against Green Bay's bevy of receivers.
Chris Givens
Givens had a spectacular first half last week in Miami. He had three catches for 85 yards, most of those yards coming on a 65 yard catch. He also caught two other short passes, showing he can be an asset in that aspect as well.
Givens is the Rams lone deep threat, and as long as that remains the same – and as long as Sam Bradford can get him those deep balls – he'll be a vital part of this offense.
Jo-Lonn Dunbar
He might be last on this "watch-list" but he is definitely not the least important. Dunbar has been a tremendous addition by the Front Office. He has played the run, rushed the passer, and covered very well in his six games with the Rams.In fact, PFF has him rated as our best starting linebacker by a wide margin at 5.5 (Rocky McIntosh is rated -3.6, James Laurinaitis is at -5.5).
Dunbar's speed and coverage skills are going to be in high demand this Sunday. He will most likely be asked to take the task of slowing Green Bay's Jermichael Finley.