The St. Louis Rams are an awful team. Yes, everyone in the NFL is talented and they're way better at football than me. Even the worst NFL team could still beat Alabama or LSU. I'm not saying that their players are bad players, they're just bad players by NFL standards. That's about as diplomatically as I can state that.
They went 7-9 last year, then placed 16 guys on injured reserve this season. They lost their top three cornerbacks, two starting wide receivers, and two offensive tackles. They're now 2-12. They have issues on offense, defense, and special teams. They're 25th in scoring defense and dead last in run defense. They're dead last in scoring offense and 30th in total yards. Sam Bradford and AJ Feeley are hurt and defensive end Chris Long (Howie's kid) hasn't practiced the last two days. They're thinking about next season. Steven Jackson and Brandon Lloyd are talented players, but their quarterback is still Kellen Clemens.
I'm not saying the Steelers are an unstoppable force that will maul anyone that stands in their way, but I am saying that there's no way they should lose to this Rams team. The Steelers are at home, they have something to play for (still a shot at a first round bye, technically), and they're a much more talented team that isn't struggled with the injuries St. Louis has. If Roethlisberger's ankle wasn't sprained, this would be about the healthiest the Steelers have been all season.
They're healthy, they're mad they lost on Monday night, and they have something to play for. In addition, this could be Hines Ward's last game at Heinz Field and all the guys in the locker room know that. They'll make sure he comes out a winner.
Now, the signature win for the Rams this season was their upset victory over the Saints in Week 8, when they dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage and sacked Drew Brees a kazillion times. That was with a healthy offensive line and a healthy Chris Long. That was also on artificial turf. At this point in the season, the grass turf at Heinz Field is usually a total mess and footing is dicey, at best. I don't think their linemen will be able to dig in and come after the quarterback (hopefully Dixon) like they did in Week 8 against New Orleans. Even if that happens, they would still need to score enough points on offense to win and I don't think they're capable of that.
Taking out the Saints game, here are their point totals since Week 6: 3, 7, 13, 13, 7, 20, 0, 13, 13. Sure, take out the game against the Bengals and the last three games for the Steelers are: 13, 14, and 3 and they're probably going to be playing with their third string or back-up quarterback. I get that. I do. It's just that the Rams aren't as good on defense as the Chiefs, 49ers, or even the Browns.
They can't score points and they can't keep opponents from scoring. That's why they're 2-12. The Steelers can score points and they can keep opponents from scoring (most weeks), which is why they're 10-4.
I hope Dixon plays, but I'm fine with Batch. I deconstructed Batch last year and endorsed Dixon and I still believe almost all the stuff I said then. It's just that I don't think it makes too much of a difference in whether the Steelers win or lose. If they don't play a horrible, mistake-filled game, they will win. They'll win with Dixon under center, Batch under center, or Roethlisberger under center. Given that, it doesn't make any sense (in my mind) to risk Ben exacerbating his ankle injury.
This prediction assumes that Ben Roethlisberger does not play. But, even if he does, I don't think it will have a huge effect on the score.
Prediction:
Steelers 21, Rams 10
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