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RAMS TAKE ON SAINTS IN MONDAY NIGHT NFC WEST SHOWDOWN
While the St. Louis Rams have had their way recently with most of the NFL, the New Orleans Saints have had their way with the Rams. Since the start of the 2000 season, St. Louis has won 20 games and lost nine, including one playoff game, for an impressive NFC-best .690 winning percentage. But three of those nine losses have come against the Saints, who the Rams meet this week on ABC’s NFL Monday Night Football. That playoff game was a historic one for the Saints. In a Wild Card game last season in New Orleans, the Saints notched the first playoff victory (31-28) in team history and officially ended the season of the defending Super Bowl champions. A review/preview of this intense rivalry:
THE NUMBERS: An examination of the past four games between the clubs reveals two eye-popping trends. The first is St. Louis’ rushing yards, or rather New Orleans’ rush defense. In their three losses, the Rams have rushed for a total of 110 yards, an average of 36.7 per game. In their lone win (December 24 last year), St. Louis rushed for 264 yards, including 220 on 32 carries by running back MARSHALL FAULK. The second comparison is turnovers. In the lone St. Louis victory, the turnover margin was even. Both clubs threw one interception. In the three New Orleans wins, the Saints have a combined plus-11 turnover margin, including plus-6 in this year’s meeting on October 28 when they forced eight turnovers (four fumbles, four interceptions) while turning it over twice themselves:
CLOSE, EXCITING GAMES: One virtual guarantee for Monday night is an exciting, tight game. The teams have combined to average 56.5 points, 708.3 total yards, and 528.5 passing yards per game over the past four. In addition, those games have been razor-close, having been decided by three, three, five and seven points, respectively. This year’s meeting was decided on a 27-yard field goal by Saints kicker JOHN CARNEY with :01 remaining, giving the Saints a 34-31 win. New Orleans had trailed 24-6 at halftime, but scored 28 points to win. In last year’s Wild Card game, New Orleans led 31-7 with less than 10 minutes remaining. The Rams then executed a valiant 21-point come-from-behind effort, but fell just short, 31-28. A breakdown of the last four meetings:
IMPLICATIONS: Monday-night’s meeting has serious playoff implications for both teams. A win for each is important. For the Rams, they will clinch their third consecutive playoff berth with a win or tie. They also have the best record in the NFC (10-2) and currently control their own destiny in terms of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. A loss may allow one or all of three 9-3 teams – Chicago, Green Bay, and San Francisco – to gain ground. For the Saints, they are currently tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the sixth-best record in the NFC (7-5), and only six teams from each conference go to the playoffs. They cannot afford to lose, and risk falling a game behind Tampa Bay, and also allowing the 6-6 teams, Atlanta and Washington, to gain ground for the final playoff spot. |