Week 14: Rams-Redskins Players to Watch

Hope the Rams are not too hungover from the 52-0 drubbing the team put on the Oakland Raiders.

The St. Louis Rams will be looking to earn its first back to back win, traveling into  3k and Brandon Bates' neck of the woods to face the Washington Redskins (3-9).

Just like last week, the defense have to be overwhelming. Gregg Williams' squad will have to create chaos for Colt McCoy. And just like every other week, the offense will be asked to do just enough to not lose the game. However, we have seen a few young weapons step up in recent weeks.

Players to Watch

Stedman Bailey

Five receptions on six targets for 100 yards. All in the first quarter. Yep, Stedman Bailey surely is stepping up to the occasion.

Bailey is looking like the consistent receiver the Rams' have longed for for a while now. He plays like a veteran. He should be able to continue his emergence this week. Washington's corner backs are very green. The starters for the D.C. team are rookie Bashaud Breeland, and second-year player David Amerson. He will make them look silly.

Mark Barron

With Barron playing close to 60% of the snaps  in last week's game, it's safe to say he is definitely getting into a groove with the Rams. It signifies Mark is getting comfortable with the playbook. The more familiar Barron is with the scheme, the more time he will see on the field.

In a departure from his early role as a blitzer, Mark spent a lot of the time covering the tight end. In fact, he did a hell of a job at it, adding in a pass deflection. TEs Niles Paul and Jordan Reed play a huge role in Washington's offense. With DeSean Jackson seeming to be inactive, both TEs are set to be featured even more. Barron's ability to negate them from the playing field will be huge.

Chris Long

"La Flama Blanca" returned to action last week. He quickly made sure his presence was felt. In Long's 38 snaps, he had two tackles – both for losses – a sack, and a fumble recovery.

Chris' return to the defensive line means the Rams have their best possible line: Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald in the middle, and Robert Quinn at right end.  Offenses will have to pick their poison. Double teaming one will mean the other three having an easy route to the opposing quarterback. This is what we envisioned at the beginning of the season. As Long keeps knocking off the rust, the scarier the D-Line will be.

Tre Mason

For the second time in three games,  Tre Mason eclipsed the century mark in rushing yards. Last Sunday, Mason ran for 117 yards on 14 carries (8.4 yards per carry) with two touchdowns on the ground. His three catches for 47 yards and receiving TD were the cherry on top.

Mason's Week 13 production was great. It was Tre's "breakout" if you will. He has an 8.4 ypc was his average; up from Week six's 8.0 ypc against San Francisco (five carries for 40 yards). However, a huge chunk of Mason's 117 yards came on the 89-yard TD run.

The revelation was Mason's effectiveness in the passing game. He was not asked to catch much while in college, so it was not clear how well he would fare catching out of the backfield. It is clear now, and he's a threat.

Robert Quinn

It was only a matter of time. Quinn busted loose with a three sack performance against the Raiders, giving him a total of nine for the season.

Washington's left tackle,Trent Williams, will not make it easy for Robert. Williams is one of the top LT's in the game. However, Quinn will have plenty of opportunities to use his elite speed in one-on-one scenarios. Like I mentioned above, the Redskins cannot afford to just double team one player the entire time. If they solely focus on Quinn, Donald will get to the quarterback. So will Long. Hell, even the "run stuffing" Brockers has a pair of sacks.