Bills vs. Rams
These are two teams on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The Bills are riding high at 3-0 for the first time since 1992. They have found a way to come from behind to win in the fourth quarter the past two weeks. The Rams are struggling and are quite possibly the worst team in the league right now as they are 0-3. They have decided to shake it up and replaced one veteran with another as Marc Bulger is out as the Rams quarterback and Trent Green is in.
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills have lost Roscoe Parrish for four to six weeks after undergoing thumb surgery on Tuesday. Derek Fine remains sidelined with his thumb injury and may be back in a few weeks. Darian Barnes suffered a foot injury against Oakland and may not be available for this game.
The Rams are not as fortunate as they have several players banged up. RB Antonio Pittman is out with a cracked fibula. WR Drew Bennett remains out with a foot injury. WR Keenan Burton is out with a serious knee injury. OT Orlando Pace, OGs Jacob Bell, Richie Incognito, and DL Leonard Little are banged up but should be able to go on Sunday.
KEY MATCHUPS
CB Jabari Greer vs. WR Torry Holt:
The aging veteran Holt is still the premier weapon the Rams have. He will likely be matched up with Greer who has continued his solid play from last year as a solid cover corner. If he holds Holt in check then the Rams offense will be in some trouble.
LB Paul Posluszny vs. RB Steven Jackson:
Besides Holt, Jackson is the biggest asset the Rams have offensively. Posluszny will have to keep him from getting big gains in the running game and may have to cover him out of the backfield where he makes lots of plays in the passing game.
WR Lee Evans vs. CBs Tye Hill:
The Rams secondary has struggled like most of the Rams defense so far this year. Evans will move around to get the best possible matchup. Hill leads the team in tackles but was benched last week. The other starter, Fakhir Brown was released so Evans should find some open space to make plays.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Orlando Pace:
Schobel has struggled some getting to the quarterback this year, as he has recorded just one sack. It won't get easier against one of the best left tackles in the game this week.
RBs Marshawn Lynch vs. LB Will Witherspoon:
Lynch is still looking for his first 100 yard game and it may come this week against a weak Rams run defense. That doesn't mean it will be easy as the Bills run blocking has left a lot to be desired. Witherspoon is a tackling machine and will likely introduce himself to Lynch often.
LT Jason Peters vs. DE Chris Long:
Peters has struggled so far this year as he tries to get his "sea legs" after holding out all offseason and through training camp. He will face a highly touted rookie in Long and will need to use his experience to keep him away from Trent Edwards.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: As usual in the short Turk Schonert era look for the Bills to use a lot of different formations to confuse the Rams. They will probably take a few more shots downfield than they have the previous few weeks and try to open up the running game with some counter plays.
When The Rams Have The Ball: With Green now at the controls they will likely try to attack more through the air. Look for them to try and beat the aggressive Bills defense with a lot of screen passes to Jackson.
These are two teams on the opposite ends of the spectrum. The Bills are riding high at 3-0 for the first time since 1992. They have found a way to come from behind to win in the fourth quarter the past two weeks. The Rams are struggling and are quite possibly the worst team in the league right now as they are 0-3. They have decided to shake it up and replaced one veteran with another as Marc Bulger is out as the Rams quarterback and Trent Green is in.
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills have lost Roscoe Parrish for four to six weeks after undergoing thumb surgery on Tuesday. Derek Fine remains sidelined with his thumb injury and may be back in a few weeks. Darian Barnes suffered a foot injury against Oakland and may not be available for this game.
The Rams are not as fortunate as they have several players banged up. RB Antonio Pittman is out with a cracked fibula. WR Drew Bennett remains out with a foot injury. WR Keenan Burton is out with a serious knee injury. OT Orlando Pace, OGs Jacob Bell, Richie Incognito, and DL Leonard Little are banged up but should be able to go on Sunday.
KEY MATCHUPS
CB Jabari Greer vs. WR Torry Holt:
The aging veteran Holt is still the premier weapon the Rams have. He will likely be matched up with Greer who has continued his solid play from last year as a solid cover corner. If he holds Holt in check then the Rams offense will be in some trouble.
LB Paul Posluszny vs. RB Steven Jackson:
Besides Holt, Jackson is the biggest asset the Rams have offensively. Posluszny will have to keep him from getting big gains in the running game and may have to cover him out of the backfield where he makes lots of plays in the passing game.
WR Lee Evans vs. CBs Tye Hill:
The Rams secondary has struggled like most of the Rams defense so far this year. Evans will move around to get the best possible matchup. Hill leads the team in tackles but was benched last week. The other starter, Fakhir Brown was released so Evans should find some open space to make plays.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Orlando Pace:
Schobel has struggled some getting to the quarterback this year, as he has recorded just one sack. It won't get easier against one of the best left tackles in the game this week.
RBs Marshawn Lynch vs. LB Will Witherspoon:
Lynch is still looking for his first 100 yard game and it may come this week against a weak Rams run defense. That doesn't mean it will be easy as the Bills run blocking has left a lot to be desired. Witherspoon is a tackling machine and will likely introduce himself to Lynch often.
LT Jason Peters vs. DE Chris Long:
Peters has struggled so far this year as he tries to get his "sea legs" after holding out all offseason and through training camp. He will face a highly touted rookie in Long and will need to use his experience to keep him away from Trent Edwards.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: As usual in the short Turk Schonert era look for the Bills to use a lot of different formations to confuse the Rams. They will probably take a few more shots downfield than they have the previous few weeks and try to open up the running game with some counter plays.
When The Rams Have The Ball: With Green now at the controls they will likely try to attack more through the air. Look for them to try and beat the aggressive Bills defense with a lot of screen passes to Jackson.
