Neither the Arizona Cardinals nor the St. Louis Rams have won a game since the two teams met back on Oct. 3.
"We understand that something is going to give," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.
The Cardinals (4-6) bring a six-game losing streak into their contest against the Rams (3-6-1), who are 0-4-1 since posting a 17-3 win over Arizona at the Edward Jones Dome.
"It's not easy, especially with the way we started," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "When you win four in a row and you feel good, it's tough. I think that a lot of it goes back to your players and the guys that believe in what you're doing. We know that we have won some games this year and we won a string of them. We've just got to focus on getting back to that."
The Rams are 2-0-1 against the NFC West and 1-5 against the rest of the NFL.
"We want to show not only the NFC and the rest of the NFL, but the NFC West that we are a team to be reckoned with," Rams running back Steven Jackson said. "Outside of the tie with San Fran, we've been able to have wins against Seattle and Arizona. We want to continue to build off that.
"We want to go into Arizona and hopefully get another win. But, it's going to be a tough divisional fight. They have their backs against the wall and we know that when we go on the road. Those are tough ones to get."
The Cardinals rank ninth in defense in the NFL, but they're 30th in offense and they'll have rookie quarterback Ryan Lindley making his first NFL start on Sunday.
Lindley was a four-year starter at San Diego State, where he holds Mountain West Conference records for completions (961), attempts (1,732) and passing yards (12,690).
The Cardinals have been searching for a quarterback since Kurt Warner retired after the 2009 season.
"Well, we're not alone in that," Whisenhunt said. "There are a number of teams that face the same dilemma as us when you lose a quarterback -- we think a Hall of Fame quarterback -- there's no proven method of doing it. I think that it's a hard position to find a guy and we're trying to do that."
The Cardinals' offense will get a boost from the return of Beanie Wells, who is expected to see his first action since suffering an injury that caused severe turf toe in Week 3.
Wells rushed for a career-high 228 yards in his last game against the Rams on Nov. 27, 2011.
"I think I'm capable of a full workload," Wells said in a conference call with the St. Louis media. "The thing is, I always look at it like I've been playing football since I was six years old and that's one thing I won't forget how to do. I just take it for what it is. I've been practicing for two weeks, I'm feeling good and getting a lot of reps here. I'm just excited about this weekend."
The Rams' offense likely will have Scott Wells back at center as he's returning from a broken foot suffered in the team's season-opener.
"He's a great player," Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said. "He's just another solid guy up front. He went to the Pro Bowl (in 2011). We expect him to come in and play at a high level and hopefully bring those guys up front together."
The Cardinals forced five interceptions by Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan in a 23-19 loss to the Falcons last week.
Bradford said tipped passes led to a couple of those interceptions, something the Cardinals showed that they had a talent for producing in their previous game against the Rams.
"The last time we played them, they had a few tipped balls. Like I said, they're big up front. Calais (Campbell) is 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8," Bradford said. "They do a good job of getting their hands on the football when it's thrown. I've got to make sure to find lanes, just not let that happen.
Fisher has stated that the Rams will be looking to get the ball to Jackson more often. Jackson had 81 yards on 13 carries in a 27-13 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday.
"I've learned over the years that football is the ultimate team sport," Jackson said of not demanding the ball more often. "The more selfless you are, the more the other guys are able to buy into the program and that's my whole deal. At this point in my career, I just want to win. I want to be part of a winning program."
Jackson said he feels healthy after being bothered earlier this season by a sore groin.
"I do feel good," Jackson said. "Something about competitive spirit, these young guys have definitely tapped in on something on me that makes me want to go out there and play with the energy and excitement that they have. It feels good to go out there with some young guys that are very talented."
The Rams are on the verge of setting an NFL record by going six games without a takeaway.
Only the 2011 Indianapolis Colts and 2006 Washington Redskins have gone five games without a takeaway in the last 62 years.
The Rams have forced six fumbles in their last two games, but recovered none of them.
"It's an ongoing issue," Rams assistant head coach Dave McGinnis said. "We need to get turnovers. It's been documented. We've knocked six of them out in the last two weeks and haven't gotten any of them. So, it's going to start bouncing our way."
Contact reporter Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.
