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Game 10: Bills vs. Rams
The Bills take on the Rams in their second inter-conference battle of the year. The Rams are 5-4 and in a dogfight for the NFC West division title with the Seahawks who the Bills face next week. The Bills are coming off an embarrassing blow out loss on Sunday night in New England, which killed any momentum they had in winning three of their previous four games. They are back home this week, where they have won three in a row.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (3-6) vs. St. Louis (4-5) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
FOX |
| Announcers: |
Curt Menefee and Tim Green |
| Spread: |
Rams by 1 1/2 |
| Series: |
Series Tied 4-4 |
| Last Meeting: |
Rams 34-33 in Buffalo (1998) |
| Rams Offense: |
Rush (14th); Pass (4th); overall (6th) |
| Rams Defense: |
Rush (29th); Pass (21st); overall (29th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (22nd); Pass (27th); overall (28th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (11th); Pass (4th); overall (5th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills continue to get healthy and hope to get Troy Vincent back finally this week. He tore cartilage in his knee and has missed six games. Josh Reed also hopes to return as he has been battling a hyper extended knee. Coy Wire may miss another week with a tear in his abdominal muscle. J.P. Losman saw his first action against New England and is rounding into shape after breaking his leg in training camp.
The Rams got a bit banged up against Seattle last week. WR Torry Holt suffered a concussion but he is expected to play this week. OL Chris Dishman suffered a knee injury in the game, no word on his availability for this week's matchup. S Aeneas Williams is playing, but he's been slowed by neck and shoulder injuries that have limited him to nickel and dime situations.
CB Travis Fisher is also slowed by a jaw injury. WR Dane Looker has been out with an ankle injury and CB Tod McBride missed last week's game with a hamstring injury. OT Kyle Turkey is on injured reserve with a back problem. OL Scott Tercero will miss the rest of the year after needing shoulder injury.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
LB London Fletcher vs. RB Marshall Faulk:
Fletcher will be fired up to face his old team for the first time since coming to Buffalo. He is running away with the tackle title for this team and he will be the main man to stop Faulk. If he can do that, it will make the Rams a one dimensional team.
RE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Orlando Pace :
Schobel has struggled the last two weeks and now goes up against one of the best in the business. Pace will be in a bad mood after getting unfairly ejected last week against Seattle. Schobel has played some of his best football against stud tackles and will need a good performance to put pressure on Bulger.
CB Terrence McGee vs. QB Marc Bulger:
The way McGee has been toasted the past two weeks, Bulger will look to see where he is on the field and throw is way early and often. Even if Troy Vincent comes back, he will probably play safety giving McGee another start at corner.
OT Mike Williams vs. DE Leonard Little:
Williams draws a tough matchup as Little leads the Rams with five sacks. Williams will need to keep Little away from Drew Bledsoe to give him time to throw.
WR Eric Moulds vs. CB DeJuan Groce:
With Fisher banged up Groce may get the assignment of staying with Moulds. This could be a mismatch the Bills could exploit.
RB Willis McGahee vs. LB Robert Thomas:
McGahee needs a solid performance to give the Bills offense life. Thomas is the man in the middle of the Rams defense that will look to stop McGahee and force the Bills to the air.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: The Rams defense is not a stout one, but neither was the Patriots before last week's debacle. Look for the Bills to go back to their blueprint and try to run the ball most of the day to keep the pressure off of Drew Bledsoe. That will hopefully open up the passing game, which is the real weakness of the Rams. They are third from the bottom in the league in pass defense. If the weather conditions tolerate it, look for the Bills to take more shots in the air after the running game has loosened up the defense.
When The Rams Have The Ball: The Rams are a throwing team but that goes right into the strength of the Bills. Look for Bulger to try to attack the weak spots of the Bills secondary and then use delayed handoffs to Faulk and Steven Jackson to mix up the Bills defense and keep them from being too aggressive.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The Bills are still smarting from the thorough beating they took on Sunday night and will look for redemption. The Bills are back at home and will have the weather elements as an ally as the Rams vaunted passing attack may be hampered by the winds of Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills are a much more confident team at home and they should be able to use the weather conditions to their advantage on their way to a fourth straight home victory.:
Bills 23, Rams 17
Season Prediction Record: (7-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (4-5)
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