Playoffs Remain a Possibility for Rams

Football Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoffs are still on the minds of the St. Louis Rams, and they will try to do whatever it takes to stay afloat in the crowded waters of the NFC postseason race.

St. Louis will shoot for its second straight win on Sunday, when they welcome the Washington Redskins to the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams ended a two-game losing streak last week with a 20-0 victory at Oakland, winning for just the second time in nine weeks.

Marc Bulger didn't have to do much, finishing with 137 yards passing. Running back Steven Jackson carried the load with 127 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Bulger, Jackson and wide receiver Torry Holt were selected to the 2006 NFC Pro Bowl roster earlier this week. All three will be expected to step up over the last two weeks of the regular season for St. Louis, which needs to win out and get help from other teams to punch its ticket to the playoffs.

Washington, meanwhile, is one of the few NFL teams that has been officially eliminated from postseason contention. But Joe Gibbs and the Redskins have apparently not lost their edge, upsetting the playoff-bound Saints last Sunday in New Orleans to snap a two-game losing streak.

Ladell Betts has continued to shine in the absence of Clinton Portis, and young quarterback Jason Campbell appears to get better every week. Betts has reached the 100-yard rushing mark in four straight weeks, and Campbell has thrown a TD pass in five consecutive games. The two have left the Redskins and their loyal fan base optimistic in regard to the 2007 campaign.

SERIES HISTORY

The Redskins hold a 20-6-1 lead in their all-time series with the Rams, winning each of the last three meetings. Washington was a 24-9 road winner when the teams last matched up, in Week 13 of last season. The Rams' last win in the series was a 23-20 road victory in 1997, and their most recent home victory against Washington came by a 10-6 count for the then-Los Angeles Rams in 1993. The Rams are 0-4 against the Redskins in St. Louis all-time. Washington has won seven straight in the city of St. Louis since last losing there, to the Cardinals, in 1984.

In addition to the regular season series, the teams have split four all-time postseason matchups. The then-Cleveland Rams defeated the Redskins for the 1945 NFL Championship, and the L.A. Rams took down Washington in a 1974 NFC Divisional Playoff. The Skins returned the favor by downing the Rams in a 1983 NFC Divisional Playoff and a 1986 NFC First-Round Playoff.

Gibbs is 6-1 against the Rams in his career, including a pair of playoff wins. St. Louis' Scott Linehan will be meeting both Gibbs and the Redskins for the first time as a head coach.

REDSKINS OFFENSE VS. RAMS DEFENSE

Campbell (917 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs) will make his sixth career start against the Rams, and brings a 2-3 record as a starter into the matchup. The second- year pro has thrown a touchdown pass in five straight games, and did not toss an interception last week at New Orleans. Campbell is beginning to get into rhythm with his receivers too, including No. 1 wideout Santana Moss. Moss (46 catches, 658 yards, 5 TDs) had 37 yards and a touchdown against the Saints, has 206 yards and a pair of TD catches so far with Campbell in the lineup, and has averaged an NFL-high 16.5 yards a reception this season. Tight end Chris Cooley (45 catches, 608 yards, 5 TDs) had 80 yards on four catches against the Saints, and is emerging as a premier tight end in the league. Cooley is also a big part of the offensive line responsible for protecting Campbell, who has been sacked at least once in all five starts. Right tackle Jon Jansen did not play against the Saints because of a calf injury, and is questionable for this week. Todd Wade filled in for Jansen, and did an impressive job against Saints stud defensive end Charles Grant and his backup, Josh Cooper. Left tackle Chris Samuels was just selected to his fourth Pro Bowl this week. He will be the only representative for Washington in Hawaii, barring anything unforeseen. Center Casey Rabach, meanwhile, is questionable after having four screws surgically inserted in his broken hand last week.

St. Louis defensive end Leonard Little (50 tackles, 12 sacks) has a knack for getting to the quarterback, meaning Campbell better be ready. Little had four tackles and a pair of sacks against the Raiders last weekend, has seven sacks over his previous seven games, and multiple sacks in five outings this season. However, Little was snubbed in the Pro Bowl voting, and was selected as a first alternate to Carolina's Julius Peppers, New Orleans' Will Smith and Green Bay's Aaron Kampman. Little, who also has six forced fumbles this season, is a constant cause for concern for opposing offensive lines, which is the reason why he typically gets double-teamed with a tight end or a running back. With defensive end Victor Adeyanju (34 tackles, sack) questionable with an arm injury, the Rams will again give time to Brandon Green (15 tackles, half sack) and Eric Moore (tackle) against Washington. St. Louis is ranked ninth against the pass. Cornerbacks Fakhir Brown (57 tackles, 3 INTs) and Tye Hill (42 tackles, 3 INTs) will be tested early and often on Sunday against Holt, Bruce and Jackson. Brown and Hill will be aided by safeties O.J. Atogwe (60 tackles, 3 INTs) and Corey Chavous (76 tackles, INT).

No Redskins player has taken advantage of his opportunity more than running back Ladell Betts (933 yards, 2 TDs). Betts took over the primary role in Week 10 at Philadelphia, after Clinton Portis broke his hand early in that game. Betts since has destroyed defenses with four consecutive 100-yard rushing games, including 119 yards against the Saints last week. Betts, a former Iowa standout, has 549 yards on the ground over the past four games and is closing in on his first 1,000-yard rushing season. Betts will most likely hit the mark against the Rams, who have the NFL's second-worst run defense, allowing an average of 147.8 rushing yards per game. Campbell, meanwhile, is also mobile but doesn't use his feet unless he has to, a standard among pocket passers. He has 70 yards on 20 scrambles.

St. Louis will have problems stuffing the run, and will count on tackles La'Roi Glover (36 tackles, 5 1/2 sacks) and Jimmy Kennedy (34 tackles) to contain Betts and his bruising style of running the football. Glover owns four sacks over his past five games. If Betts finds his way past the first line of defense, then he will be faced with linebacker and leading tackler Will Witherspoon (103 tackles, 2 sacks), who recorded four stops last week. With OLB Pisa Tinoisamoa out with an injury, veteran Dexter Coakley (20 tackles, 2 sacks) will get the nod as a starter. Coakley's teams are 14-3 against the Redskins over the last 17 games. Brandon Chillar (49 tackles, 2 sacks) can fill in at any of the LB slots.

RAMS OFFENSE VS. REDSKINS DEFENSE

Bulger (3,665 yards, 19 TDs, 8 INTs) is headed to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career, despite suffering through a year in which he has been battered behind a Swiss cheese-like offensive line. Bulger, who has been sacked 11 times over the last three games, was just 11-of-22 for 137 yards in a win over Oakland last Sunday.The West Virginia product has been sacked 48 times this season, thanks in large part to the absence of linemen Orlando Pace (triceps), Andy McCollum (knee) and Adam Timmerman (ribs), the former two of which out for the year. In spite of that fact, Bulger has a career-low eight interceptions this season and is second in the NFL in completions (326), third in yards, and eighth in passer rating (89.5). One teammate who has helped his quarterback is wide receiver Torry Holt (80 catches, 1,044 yards, 10 TDs), who is also headed to the Pro Bowl. Holt opens the offense and stretches the defense with his big-play ability. Fellow veteran wideout Isaac Bruce (61 catches, 884 yards, 2 TDs) needs just 37 more yards to pass Andre Reed for seventh on the all-time list. Bruce only has one TD catch over his last 10 games, but must not be overlooked by opposing defenses.

Rushing the quarterback will be the key to Gregg Williams' defense on Sunday. Redskins defensive end Andre Carter finally broke out over the weekend, posting a team-high eight tackles and a sack against New Orleans. Carter (45 tackles, 4 sacks) has 20 tackles and a pair of sacks over the past three weeks. Defensive end Phillip Daniels (31 tackles, 3 sacks) had four tackles against New Orleans and will help Carter in Washington's quest to put Marc Bulger on his back. In the secondary, Redskins cornerback Carlos Rogers (71 tackles, INT) is starting to heat up, and posted four stops and an INT last week. Rogers is gradually becoming the shut-down cornerback Washington coveted when it selected him in the first round of the 2005 draft. Cornerback Shawn Springs (37 tackles, INT) is back in the starting lineup after a few injuries, while safety Sean Taylor continues to wreak havoc in the secondary. Taylor (94 tackles, INT) had eight stops and two passes defensed in the Superdome, but will have a much bigger job in stopping Holt and/or Bruce.

Rams running back Steven Jackson (1,236 yards, 9 TDs) is headed to the Pro Bowl along with offensive mates Bulger and Holt. Jackson is the focal point of Linehan's offense, and is also a multi-dimensional back. Jackson, who is second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,926, and sixth in the league in rushing with 1,236 yards, can also hurt defenses with his ability to catch the football out of the backfield. Jackson has 680 yards and a touchdown on 82 receptions, good enough for fourth in the NFL. Jackson posted 127 yards and two scores last week against a weak Oakland squad, and has a rushing touchdown in seven of his past nine games.

Stopping Jackson will be a daunting task for a Redskins defense ranked 21st against the run. With defensive tackle Joe Salave'a out with a knee injury, Kedric Golston (39 tackles, half sack) and Cornelius Griffin (44 tackles, sack) held the Saints to 71 yards rushing on Sunday. The Redskins handled rookie Reggie Bush and veteran Deuce McAlister, holding them to 14 and 48 rushing yards, respectively. When Jackson busts his way through Washington's front line of defense this weekend, he may not see outside linebacker Marcus Washington, who is nursing a swollen knee. Washington (88 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) posted four tackles and a sack against the Saints. If he is unable to play this week, the Redskins have linebackers Jeff Posey (4 tackles), Warrick Holdman (59 tackles, sack) and rookie Rocky McIntosh (11) to fill in. Holdman, who starts, would shift from one side to the other if Gibbs decides to go that route. Meanwhile, middle linebacker Lemar Marshall (85 tackles, 1 1/2 sacks) is a staple in Washington's defense, and notched eight stops last Sunday. Marshall is solid tackler and is third on the team in that category.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Washington is in spoiler mode, while St. Louis' playoff hopes are hanging by a very thin thread. The Redskins notched an improbable win over the New Orleans Saints at a hostile Superdome last week, and have been enjoying the emergence of Betts. Betts will have another strong performance against a weak Rams' defense, while Campbell should be able to make some plays down the field as well. However, the Rams have the more explosive offense, with Bulger, Jackson and Holt all capable of doing damage on a given play. That trio will ultimately be too much for a Redskins defense still salivating from a huge win in the Big Easy.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Rams 21, Redskins 13