:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47702977/GettyImages-178531272.0.jpg)
The St. Louis Rams [4-5] travel east to take on the Baltimore Ravens [2-7] this Sunday in Week 11. Can the Rams snag a much-needed win on the road to get back to .500, and potentially keep playoff hopes alive? The Turf Show Times staff have their predictions...
Sean Wilkinson [@Papa_Lurch]
So Nick Foles performances were getting ugly. So ugly that Jeff Fisher actually benched him - which surprised the hell out of me. Case Keenum made some nice throws in the preseason, but that was the preseason. It's hard to get worse than a 0% completion percentage on passes longer than 10 yards.
The defense will keep the Rams in the game, but it all comes down to whether Gurley and Tavon can make enough plays on offense to win the game. They weren't able to with Foles, and I don't see a reason why changing to Keenum will change that.
Prediction: Ravens win 21-10
sergey606 [@thatSergey]
Keenum 200 yards
Gurley 150 yards
Defense back to playing like they should
Still a sloppy game with a lot of penalties, it'll be a close one.
Prediction: Rams win 20-17
Mike Dietrich [@dvond]
Ravens still stop the run well, they play 9 in the box plus its Ray Lewis day and they will be pumped. Rams offense wont move the ball and defense will make a few bonehead penalties while Flacco connects on a deep miscommunication by the Rams
Prediction: Ravens win 24-6
VTramsFan [@PeterDunbar7]
Rams on the road with lots of turmoil. I just don't see Case Keenum being the answer and in sync with everyone else. I'd love to see the team rally around him, but last week i also sense the defense starting to tire.
Teams are starting to game plan Gurley now because they realize it's about all we have.
In honor of one of the classic members of this blog "RamChop" (who eventually got banned), we will see the good ole 13 point death score...
Prediction: Ravens win 26-13
EddieP [@iAmEddieP_]
Rams offense won't muster much. Defenses are stacking the box in an attempt to stop Todd Gurley, and as far as we've seen these last two weeks, it's working. There will be no help from the passing game, as Kenny Britt & Jared Cook still do not know how to catch.
The defense will play good but like years past, they are on the field far too long to be effective.
Prediction: Ravens win 20-16
GoRamsGo
Hmm, Rams disappointed last week, and the team looks considerably worse than it had a couple of weeks ago--this much is obvious.
A new quarterback? The first thinking is that it couldn't hurt, but let's be honest, maybe it isn't entirely the quarterback. Foles was never the best QB in the league, but he did fairly well in Philadelphia; he was decent. Contrast that to St. Louis, he's been bad. He's had awful stats, and he isn't leading the team to any points. I think it's more of an overall offense and gameplan thing than an individual quarterback thing.
That said, Baltimore has lost a ton of close games this year; if there was ever a motivated team, it's them. Perhaps they're too far out to rebound and make the playoffs, but the Ravens will be fighting for pride; I could see a strong outing by them against a Rams team that they see sliding. I don't think the answer is Case Keenum; I'm not convinced the answer is on this roster. I foresee a quick touchdown from Keenum as he provides the "spark" Fisher desires, but I don't expect the Rams' offense to catch fire. They'll score a TD early, and they'll fizzle out.
Prediction: Ravens win 21-10
taiko [@RamsHerd]
Regardless of who the quarterback is, the book is out on stopping the Rams – sell out vs the run and bet on the Rams’ passing game being unable to beat you. It’s a pretty good plan and it’s very likely to work for Baltimore at home, particularly if Frank Cignetti dials back the deep ball opportunities in order to keep things simple for Case Keenum.
Offensively, Baltimore has been challenged, as you could say for any team willing to trade for a Rams WR. But one thing that the Ravens have excelled at is in keeping Joe Flacco clean in the pocket. They’ve given up only 31 QB hits all season. The Bears showed last week how to take advantage of a Rams defense that relies too often on the blitz…
Unless the Rams dramatically win the turnover battle and stake themselves to an early lead that forces Flacco to take more chances in the pocket, I see this one going south and the Rams lose a game that a month ago I would have expected to win.
Prediction: Ravens win 30-14
RamBuck [@lannyosu]
Obviously, everyone knows that I am a fan of Keenum's skill set in this offense. He has a very quick release, is an active scanner and has good pocket movements. I think that the Rams will put up 21 points, but I expect 14 of them to be via rushing TD's (Keenum will run one in).
I expect Keenum to pull what Austin Davis did a little of last year before defenses adjusted: extend plays, find open WR's over the middle, misfire on a few deep passes. Keenum doesn't have to be great; like we've been saying all year, he needs to be AVERAGE. This means something like 220 and 1 touchdown. I think he can be average in this game.
However, I think that the Ravens will figure out a way to win this against a vulnerable Rams team, and Justin Tucker will convert multiple red zone field goals.
Prediction: Ravens win 24-21
northwestRAMSfan [@troilus22]
The Rams defense should have a little better game this time around. Hopefully last week was their one game to give up ridiculous big plays, as they had been among the league leaders on limiting big plays. Unfortunately unless Todd Gurley goes for 125+ and 2tds I just don't see the Rams offense doing enough. Teams have realized its Gurley or Austin and have adjusted. Unless Keemun is better than I think he is, the Rams passing and 3rd down offense will continue to struggle.
Prediction: Ravens win 17-13
Eric Nagel [@Eric_nagel]
Nick Foles has a 33.0 QBR rating this year. Case Keenum's career QBR is 34. I expect nothing from this offense.
Prediction: Ravens win 20-6
3k [@3k_]
Prediction: Rams win, 20-13
Brandon Bate [@NoPlanB_]
The Rams - specifically on offense - do very little to inspire belief, even with the emergence of Todd Gurley.
But here are three things I’m banking on in Week 11:
* Case Keenum - leading a new offense - catching the Ravens’ defense off guard. New starters always seem to have something going for them that impending defenses just can’t account for. Maybe it’s being able to review tape. Maybe it’s magic. I’m not sure, it just seems to work [initially].
* Todd Gurley will Todd Gurley. There’s nothing the Ravens can do to stop it. There’s not much any team can do to stop it.
* Homecoming. Tavon Austin wants to show off for the fam this weekend. He’ll succeed.
You’ve probably lost faith in the Rams. Many have. They’re Ram-ing. But they always show up when you least expect it. Just shy of .500 - having lost two straight - is the perfect time to remind you that they’ve still got "it"*
Prediction: Rams win 30-17
* sometimes