Victory in St. Louis: How to Make it Happen

The Minnesota Vikings come to town looking for a win against the home team. Here's how the St. Louis Rams can send them home hanging their heads.

Protecting Shaun Hill and Opening Holes for Zac Stacy- Any fan of football can tell you that if the quarterback is on his back his team will lose.  I keep hearing about how Shaun Hill is a backup quarterback.  The Rams offensive line has a starter under center and have to protect him like one.  The alternative is having Case Keenum or Austin Davis handing the ball off to Stacy for the 2014 season.  The success of keeping Hill upright will depend on the effectiveness of the running game by Zac Stacy and company.  If you can effectively run the ball the opposing defense can be caught on their heels, allowing the offensive line that split second advantage on passing downs.  Shaun Hill is smart with the ball, boasting just 23 interceptions for 954 pass attempts. That's just one interception for every 41 pass attempts, and everyone knows the Rams won't toss the pigskin anywhere near 41 times per game.

Robert Quinn Must be Robert Quinn- Simply put right?  People tend to focus on the fact that the Viking's most dangerous weapon is Adrian Peterson.  I'll tell you what- he isn't. The most dangerous part of the Vikings offense is which ever journeyman quarterback is under center.  Adrian Peterson is going to run the ball, and he's going to have a better day than most will against the Ram's fearsome defense.  That's going to let Matt Cassel take the top off of the Ram's D.  Robert Quinn has to turn it up and disrupt any offensive rhythm the Vikings try to establish, starting with the quarterback.  Having the quarterback's rhythm crushed will force a one-dimensional attack.  The Rams were 5-2 against non-divisional opponents in 2013 when Quinn registered at least 1 sack.  Robert Quinn must be unleashed!

Turnover Differential- He who turnith over thy ball shall lose.  Over the past 5 seasons, teams with a positive turnover differential (more takeaways than giveaways) have an 810-220-2 record (coldhardfootballfacts.com).  Under the guidance of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Rams will be hitting hard and putting helmets and hands on footballs.  With Williams blitz heavy attack, the Rams will have plenty of chances to get after the ball. Anyone care to predict what the Ram's season turnover differential will be?