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Game #3 Preview: Rams at Bills |
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9/20/98
The Rams are coming off a tough loss to the Vikings in which they fell just a yard short of pushing Minnesota to overtime. Some people have voiced the opinion that the team may be a bit over satisfied with what was after all a loss. Well don't kid yourselves folks, this team is NOT satisfied, they are MAD as hell and their not going to take it anymore.
The Rams learned last week that they could play with anyone and if they would have played a clean game, they would have won. QB Tony Banks won't throw 4 INTs very often. He's always been better on the road and the Rams seem primed to blow someone out...
Enter Buffalo. The Bills have looked dismal in an 0-2 start. They traded for QB Rob Johnson from the Jaguars over the offseason and then signed him to a 5 year, $25 million contract based on just one start in his career. Johnson has yet to prove himself worthy of such a commitment, but in all fairness, he hasn't had much of an opportunity as he's been sacked 13 times in just two games! The Rams linebackers should get a rest from having to blitz as often as they're used to, as the defensive line should be able to get plenty of pressure against this sorry offensive line. Kevin Carter, D'Marco Farr, Mike D. Jones, and even rookie Grant Wistrom all showed signs of life getting after the quarterback last week. Look for them to knock out their third quarterback in as many weeks.
The secondary gets a breather as well after Minnesota's three headed aerial assault, Lyght, McCleon, McNeil & Co. shouldn't have a hard time matching up with ancient Buffalo receivers Andre Reed and Quinn Early.
Buffalo does have a decent RB in Antowain Smith, but the Rams should match up better against this their third Smith in a 3 weeks as well. Antowain is more of a between the tackles, power runner than Lamar or Robert, and the Rams have thusfar stifled this brand of running attack at the line of scrimmage. Look for Antowain to have a long day butting heads with new Rams Eric Hill, Ray Agnew, and Joe Phillips.
On the offensive side, the Rams have really moved the ball in the second halves of both games to date, but Buffalo's defense is no slouch. The Rams will need to get off to a quicker start than they have thusfar. If they can avoid getting into a first half hole, then their chances look very bright against Buffalo.
The Rams offensive line played very well against a good Viking defensive line. They were credited with two sacks, but one came on a play when Flannery stepped on Banks' foot and another was the result of a missed assignment by backup TE Tyji Armstrong, not the fault of the line. This week, Orlando Pace will have his hands full with Buffalo DE Bruce Smith and the interior of the Rams line, Miller, Flannery and Wiegert, will have to find some way to move out the big body of Bills runstuffer DT Ted Washington in order for RB Greg Hill to have another strong day on the ground.
Look for another big day from WR Isaac Bruce (duh!), but probably a much lower scoring affair than the Rams have had in the first two weeks.
Statistical Breakdown
Matchups to Watch Rams LT Orlando Pace vs. Bills DE Bruce Smith - Orlando is coming into his own this year and is expected to develop into one of the best offensive linemen in the game. This week, he'll be tested by one of the best defensive linemen in the game for the past 10 years. Last year, Pace had some difficulty stopping the smaller quicker ends with multiple pass rush moves in their arsenals. Bruce Smith is the all time master of the genre. This will be a fabulous battle to watch! Rams offensive guards Fred Miller & Zach Wiegert vs. Bills DT Ted Washington - Last week, Miller and Wiegert rebounded from a rough showing on opening day, to do a stellar job against Vikings all-pro John Randle. They gave up zero sacks and managed to open some holes for Greg Hill to run the football. This week, they'll face less of a rush, but will have to move some folks out of the way if the Rams hope to be able to rely on their running game at all with Greg Hill running on the Rich Stadium grass, where he's less of a home run threat to the corners. Big Ted Washington is known as one of the best run stuffers in the league. Rams WR Isaac Bruce vs. Buffalo Cornerbacks Ken Irvin & Thomas Smith - The Reverand is tearing up the NFL after two weeks, leading the league in both receptions (21) and receiving yards (323). Irvin has had some problems, but Smith is a decent cover corner. Still, it's unlikely ANYONE can cover Ike alone. Expect Ike to see double coverage throughout the day because the Buffalo doesn't have the offensive firepower to get into a score fest with the Rams like the Vikings did. It will be up to the Rams 2nd and 3rd wideouts, Eddie Kennison & Rickey Proehl to take advantage of the man coverage on the other side. Rams DTs Joe Phillips & Ray Agnew vs. Bills RB Antowain Smith - Smith was highly touted coming into the season, but he's struggled behind a very porous offensive line thusfar. He should be easier for the Rams to contain than Robert Smith was last week. His straight ahead, power style plays to the Rams strength at stopping the run between the tackles. If Smith gets shut down on 1st and 2nd downs and the Bills get stuck in 3rd and long situations very often, Buffalo QB Rob Johnson could be in big trouble facing a very strong Rams secondary and defensive linemen Kevin Carter & D'Marco Farr who will pin their ears back and try to build on last week's solid performances by adding to the 13 sacks that the Bills line has already given up in two games, the second highest total in the league. GAMETIME: Sunday, 9/20/98 12:01 PM CST LOCATION: Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY LINE: Bills by 4.5 Eddie's Prediction: RAMS 24, Bills 10 GO RAMS!!! Peace, FastEddie
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