St. Louis offense vs. Carolina defense

	RAMS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	7
	Pass	4
	Tot. Yds.	1
	Scoring	1
	Int's allowed	7
	Sacks allowed	25
	PANTHERS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	25
	vs. Pass	20
	Total yds. allowed	25
	# of Ints.	6
	# of Sacks	26
	Turnover differential	-5

Last week's win over New Orleans was a tale of two halves, for both the Rams and their quarterback, Kurt Warner. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz went with too many seven-step drop sequences that relied on slow developing routes, a plan that resulted in just 78 yards of total offense in the first half. To their credit, the Rams reverted back to a quick-hitting offense in the second stanza, allowing Warner to find a rhythm.

Look for St. Louis to attack Carolina's streaky secondary with a similar approach this week. The Rams' receiver corps is blessed with such great speed that Warner doesn't need to take deep drops in order for players like Issac Bruce and Torry Holt to get downfield. The Rams will air it out more this week because their coaching staff is confident that the individual matchups in the passing game weigh heavily in their favor.

Carolina's secondary has played well recently but opponents tend to have good success against them in spurts, as Atlanta did last week with two-second quarter touchdown passes. The Panthers must get consistent pressure on Warner to have a chance of pulling off the upset. Defensive coordinator John Marshall's unit sacked Atlanta QB Chris Chandler four times last week but they did so with far too many blitzes.

The matchup to monitor this week will be waged between OLB Kevin Greene and ROT Fred Miller. Miller has tends to struggle if his opponent gets the upper hand early and Green showed last week that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, recording a season-high 2.5 sacks.

St. Louis RB Marshall Faulk was held in check by the Saints for much of the game, gaining just 31 in the first three quarters. However, with the game already clearly in hand, head coach Dick Vermeil, at the urging of his offensive line, decided to leave Faulk in the game until he hit the 100-yard mark. Though it was a risky move, Vermeil's decision will go a long way in the locker room and the fact that the offensive line is taking such pride in Faulk's success is a great sign for this team.

Carolina gave up just 64 yards on the ground last week to Atlanta but the Falcons did so by averaging 4.3 yards per carry. The play of MLB Dean Wells will be huge for the Panthers on Sunday. Wells' strong play in the middle is a big reason the Panthers haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher the past three games.

Considering the Saints played without RB Ricky Williams, last Sunday's effort by the Rams was arguably their worst of the season, as they surrendered 102 yards on 28 carries. St. Louis can expect to see more of FB William Floyd than they have in the past. Floyd, who rushed for 23 yards on just three carries versus Atlanta, has seen his workload increase in recent weeks, especially in goal-line situations. The "jumbo" formation with Floyd at halfback and converted tight end Brian Kinchen at fullback has worked extremely well for offensive coordinator Gil Haskell's offense.

WR Mushin Muhammad had a hamstring tighten up on him in pre-game warmups against the Falcons and head coach George Seifert decided to err on side of caution so that he'll be ready for this week's showdown. If Muhammad plays as expected, QB Steve Beuerlein will have a potent three-receiver attack from which to work. In Muhammad's absence, second-year player Donald Hayes caught five passes for 133 yards in his first career start. If Hayes can maintain that level of play on Sunday, the Panthers should be able to exploit a Rams secondary that has been victimized by a 100-yard receiver in each of the past four games.

The Rams gave up far too many yards against New Orleans, but, to their credit, they stiffened once the Saints crossed mid-field. St. Louis' ability to rush the passer greatly depends on the health of DT D'Marco Farr, who left last week's game with a hip flexor injury only after recording two-first quarter sacks. Even if he is able to play, the Rams could have a tough time generating pressure against a Panthers offensive line that is coming off their best all-around performance of the season.