NFL 2010 Week 15 – Preview: St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Now 3 weeks are left and the St. Louis Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs are amazingly managing their playoff destiny. Though, neither team seemed postseason-worthy previous week.
The St. Louis or the Kansas City will enhance their final game chances with a bounce-back win on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome, after finishing at the bottom of their particular divisions
last season.
The St. Louis (6-7) is tied with Seattle Seahawks for the NFC West lead, after Coming off 1-15 attempts in 2009. The Kansas City is hoping to get Matt Cassel back under center and the Chiefs
sitting unaccompanied on the AFC West after going 4-12 the earlier season.
Cassel suffered an emergency appendectomy at December 8 and he was held out of Kansas City's 31-0 loss to San Diego Chargers last Sunday. He came back to practice on Wednesday, but the squad
has yet to declare if he will start against the St. Louis.
Cassel is 5th highest rated passer in the NFL and he has thrown for 19 touchdowns with 1 interception over his last 8 starts.
With Matt Cassel on the sidelines, Brodie Croyle made his 2010 first appearance completing 7 of 17 passes for 40 yards and falling to 0-10 lifetime as a starter.
The Kansas City (8-5) got 67 yards of total offense and it is their least since recording 61 in a 22-7 loss to Oakland Raiders on November 8, 1963.
The Chiefs’ league-leading speeding up attack (165.4 yards per game) struggled to find holes against Chargers and was held to 2.8 yards per carry -- 2.0 lower than its 2010 standard. Thomas
Jones and Jamaal Charles could bounce back against Rams, which has allowed an average of 123.5 yards on the ground over its last 4 playoffs.
A week after allowing 161 to Denver Broncos, the Chiefs gave up a season-worst 207 yards rushing against the San Diego, but now they must try to stop 6 time 1,000-yard runner Steven Jackson.
The Chiefs were 0 for 11 on third down last week and they have lost 5 of 6 on the road.
The St. Louis is limiting opponents to a 35.3 percent success rate on third downs -- tied for 8th-best in the league -- but let the New Orleans Saints convert on 11 of 16 efforts in a 31-13
loss last Sunday.
Quarterback Sam Bradford was unsuccessful to throw a touchdown pass in continuous games for the first time and his 2 interceptions came in the red zone, where the St. Louis ranks 31st in
touchdown efficiency (36.2).
The Rams' most lopsided defeat in 2 months was their 18 points loss, but Coach Steve Spagnuolo is not worried about it and he remains confident in his club.
"Because I love this group so much and I know what they are and I know how good they can be and what they're all about, I want other teams to feel that. I want the league to know that," he
said.
"I think what the guys have got to realize is that it's a special time, this time of year, to be in the divisional race. Because not everybody gets that."
The Rams have a 4-2 record at home after going 2-22 there over the previous 2 seasons and St. Louis coming off 3 straight road games.
The St. Louis has lost all 4 meetings with the Kansas City since moving to St. Louis, dating to a win at Kansas City in 1994. Chiefs and Rams have not faced each other since the Kansas City
won 31-17 on 5th of November 2006.
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