Rams-Cardinals: Five Things to Watch

The St. Louis Rams (4-7) will put their unbeaten record in the NFC West on the line Sunday against the first-place Arizona Cardinals (9-2) at the Edward Jones Dome (noon; TV: Fox Channel 2; Radio: WXOS-FM 101.1)

Arizona has won six of seven games since a 24-22 loss to the Rams on Oct. 4. The Rams, 3-0 in the NFC West but 1-7 elsewhere, have lost four straight since opening the season 4-3.

Here are five things to watch in this division matchup:

1. Can the Rams find a way to generate some offense?

It hasn’t mattered whether Nick Foles or Case Keenum was at quarterback. The Rams’ offense has been stuck in neutral as injuries, inconsistency and ineptitute have combined to help drag things down during a four-game losing streak. The Rams are 31st out of 32 NFL teams in scoring (16.9 points per game), tied for 30th in touchdowns (20), 31st in passing TDs (eight), 31st in total yards (304 yards per game) and dead last in passing yards (180.9 yards per game). Foles will start for the second straight week with Keenum still dealing with the concussion protocol after being injured Nov. 22 against Baltimore. The once-sturdy running attack featuring rookie Todd Gurley has run aground and the team has been searching for a go-to receiver all season.

2. Can Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley regain the form he flashed not that long ago?

Gurley burst onto the scene in the first meeting against the Cardinals, running for 146 yards with a dominant second-half performance that included 106 yards in the fourth quarter. But after running for 566 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per carry in his first four starts, Gurley’s production has fallen off. Much of the blame can be placed on a constantly changing offensive line decimated by injuries (no, probably not the Sports Illustrated cover jinx). Gurley has 219 yards in his last four games, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry. He had only 19 yards on nine carries last week in the loss to the Bengals, but the Rams fell behind early and were unable to establish any kind of consistent ground game. The Rams even flashed a wildcat formation with Gurley taking a direct snap, so maybe that’s a wrinkle that surfaces again. It would seem to make sense to use Gurley, or Benny Cunningham, as another receiving option as well.

3. How will the Arizona offense fare without its top two running backs?

Running backs Chris Johnson (fractured tibia) and Andre Ellington (toe) are both out, leaving rookie David Johnson — a third-round pick out of Northern Iowa — as the starter. Johnson (139 yards on 35 carries) leads the Cardinals with eight TDs and is a dangerous return man, but also has fumbled three times including a kickoff in the previous loss to the Rams. The passing game has been strong behind rejuvenated quarterback Carson Palmer, who has led the Cardinals to a 22-4 record in his last 26 starts. Palmer is second in the NFL with 27 TD passes and relies heavily on future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown and Michael Floyd. Fitzgerald has 83 catches for 992 yards and seven TDs and will be matched up against Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Fitzgerald ranks 12th all-time with 992 career catches and 16th all-time with 13,143 receiving yards.

4. What did the Rams learn in their previous upset win over the Cardinals in Arizona?

They benefited from turnovers (plus-3) and despite surrendering 447 yards to the Cardinals that day, also limited them to a 1-for-5 success rate in the red zone. Arizona settled for five field goals from Chandler Catanzaro while Palmer was 29-for-46 for 352 yards and one TD. Arizona lost two of three fumbles and Palmer, who was sacked four times, also threw an interception. The Rams also showed an ability to feature receiver Tavon Austin that day as he had six catches for 96 yards and two TDs along with two rushes for 20 yards. Finding a way to utilize both Gurley and Austin as often as possible might help augment the Rams’ sagging passing attack.

5. Who wins the battle: Rams defensive line or Arizona offensive line?

Arizona’s O-line struggled with San Francisco’s defense last week and a Rams’ defensive front looking to regain its reputation will have plenty to prove playing at home even without injured star defensive end Robert Quinn (back). The Rams have only four sacks in the last four games and 2.5 of those came courtesy of nearly unblockable defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Donald has seven sacks and 17 tackles for loss after registering nine sacks a year ago as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Getting pressure on Palmer could be doubly effective with the Cardinals missing their top two running backs because of injury.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Rams-Cardinals: Five Things to Watch."