15 Jan 11 St. Louis Rams "Nothing more than personal pride on the line for Rams, 49ers

For a period of about 30 years from the 1970s through the early 21st century, 49ers-Rams matchups usually played a big part in deciding the champion in the NFC West Division. Not anymore.With both teams entering this week;s game with identical 2-7 records, there is nothing more than personal pride on the line. No playoff implications ride on this matchup between two teams that know each other well.Commentary: As far as meaningless battles go, this one does offer some intrigue. The Rams will see some familiar faces in San Francisco on Sunday. Reebok New England Patriots #12 Tom Brady Realtree camo Jersey
Former head coach Mike Martz is running the offense for the 49ers, while one of the former faces of the St. Louis franchise, Isaac Bruce, will be catching balls for San Francisco.Both teams are trying to regain NFL respectability. The Rams got embarrassed last week by the Jets to the tune of 47-3. The 49ers, meanwhile, played a good game Monday in taking division-leading Arizona down to the wire in a 29-24 defeat. San Francisco did end up with egg on its face because of clock mismanagement that cost the 49ers a victory.Don;t expect there to be much defense played between the Rams and 49ers. St. Louis is 30th in the league. allowing 398.6 yards per game, while San Francisco is 22nd, giving up 334.6. Fan Pulse: Rams fans are less than excited about this storied rivalry. With both teams out of the playoff race, it is a game with just pride on the line for the Rams and 49ers.Fantasy Football Impact: Be wary of using any Rams on your fantasy roster except for Jackson and rookie receiver Donnie Avery. Jackson should still be benched because he isn;t fully healed from his leg injury. Marc Bulger has struggled this season, but he has found a connection with Avery that has produced fantasy points.Injury Watch: Jackson is still battling his strained quadriceps muscle and isn;t 100 percent. It remains to be seen whether he will play against the 49ers, but he has been practicing on a limited basis. Look for Jackson to play, but not with the usual number of carries. (0) In recent history, the Bengals like the Rams have both stunk and they haveReebok New Orleans Saints #9 Drew Brees Realtree camo Jersey
other similarities: star Pro Bowl quarterbacks (Bulger and Palmer) who have either under performed or have been injured, great running backs (Jackson and Benson), and a desperate need to recreate themselves and get their franchises respectable again.The Rams won last week;s smack down so I have nothing but love for them. However, and none of us want to say it; the real reason they won was due to Bengal turnovers. Three of the 4 fumbles Bengal fumbles were recovered by the Rams.With an exception of the defensive line, who were great, the Rams overall looked pretty good. The defense recorded 6 sacks on Bengal QBs and while they played they kept a lot of pressure on the QB. The O-Line gave up zero sacks and the receivers looked pretty good (but receiving yards for the night was only around 140). Walker had the most receiving yards with 24. Kyle Boller had a pretty good night. Passing for 14/20, 96 yards, and 1 TD pass. The Bengals threw for just under 200 yards. Every Bengal receiver on the field had a reception for at least 10 yards (Ochocinco;s longest catch was 9 yards) which is not good. Good news is that there was only one receiving TD against the Rams. I think the Rams are moving in the right direction. I still have some reservations regarding the Rams. Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
Their QB situation is not completely solid. Where was Marc Bulger the other night? I want to see him and his fractured finger jumping up and down on the sideline cheering his team on. And finally, until I see a healthy Stephen Jackson breaking for some serious yards, I am not going to sleep completely sound. (0)