The Rams got their man in the first round of this years draft. Carriker will come in and be an iunstant starter most likely and he will help out on an improving defense.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
2007 Schedule Released!
The complete 2007 NFL schedule was released Wednesday afternoon. I will be going through my own breakdown of each game and include my current prediction.
Week 1 vs Carolina The Rams get the chance to start the season at home. This may play into the results. Although both teams seem to have a chance at the win here, I give the edge to the Rams. Last season, the Rams opened the year with a surprising win against the Broncos. I feel Linehan will guide his team to another week one victory. Although it is a long ways off until the September 9th game, I feel the Rams will use their new players, Drew Bennett and Randy McMicheal to create an even more powerful offense and beat the opposing Panthers; 30-17.
Week 2 vs San Francisco This will be the first meeting of the year between the division rival 49ers. I believe the 49ers are defiantly on the improving side this season. With Frank Gore in the back field, anything could happen. If Alex Smith can settle down and become the quarterback scouts believed he would be, the 49ers may be a team that can surprise some people. Steven Jackson will still be the deciding factor. I believe this game will be closer then the week one game. I still will pick the rams; 20-17
Week 3 at Tampa Bay The Rams open their road schedule in Tampa Bay facing the weak Buccaneers. Although there still is time to improve, it appears the Buccs still will not be competing for much other then pride this season. Jeff Garcia is an upgrade at quarterback but Carnell Williams needs to get back to the Cadillac of old. He didn't put up the numbers people expected last season. If Calvin Johnson somehow falls to the Buccs in the draft, it will help the offense out a lot. But it still wont be enough. The defense is still not what they used to be. The Rams should put together another big offensive day and win 34-13
Week 4 at Dallas The Cowboys came out of nowhere when Tony Romo took over the quarterback position. The Defense stepped it up and T.O. is still T.O. even with all the off-the-field issues. I don’t see why they can’t continue to play good football this season. They are beatable, but I think they will hand the Rams their first loss of the season; 24-13
Week 5 vs Arizona The second divisional game of the season for the Rams comes at home again. The Cardinals are a tough team on paper, but can’t seem to find any consistency on the field. Edgerrin James was supposed to come in and be the missing link that got the team into a postseason contender. What the Cardinals found out was they needed a offensive line before they get any offense. They have many weapons in James, Larry Fitzgerald, AnquanBoldin, and even Matt Leinart is coming around nicely. I think the Rams high powered offense will get the best of the Cardinals defense in a 32-24 Rams victory.
Week 6 at Baltimore The toughest game of the year so far, and maybe of the entire season will be when the Rams come into Baltimore to face the extremely tough Ravens. McNair can still get the job done. With a underachieving Jamal Lewis out the door and a talented Willis McGahee in the backfield, the Ravens may have made a great team better. They still have a good receiving core with Mason, Clayton, Heap, and even Williams. The Defense is still amazing even without Adalius Thomas. They will force turnovers and make the game tough. I think The Rams will be no match for the Ravens and lose 24-10
Week 7 at Seattle This is another game in which the Rams may be the underdog to most people. In the past, the Rams usually could split the series against the Seahawks but as of late, the Seahawks appear to be the better team. As long as no major injuries take them out of contention, they probably will take home another division title unfortunately. The Rams have a shot at both games this year but on the road, Seahawks take this one; 24-21
Week 8 vs Cleveland A breath of fresh air may come as the Rams come back home to take on the Browns. Although the Browns may be improving with the addition of Jamal Lewis, they still may not be too competitive this season. The Rams should take this one into their week 9 bye; 17-7
Week 10 at New Orleans A reoccurring trend this season appears to be the tougher opponents will play at home against the Rams. The Saints have a lot of excitement in their offense with Bush, Brees, McAllister, and others. I think the Rams may hang with the Saints better then people may expect. The Rams offense just has to hang in there with the saints offense. Both Defenses will give up points. I’ll still give the edge to the Saints; 38-35.
Week 11 at San Francisco Same as before, baring no major injuries, both teams have a shot. I still will give the advantage to the Rams even on the road; 17-14.
Week 12 vs Seattle A rematch of a week 7 loss, this time at home. I don’t think it matters. I still think the Seattle still should take this one; 27-21.
Week 13 vs Atlanta A lot of people may see the Rams as the favorite playing at home against the Falcons. Nobody knows which Michael Vick will show up. I feel Atlanta has a good team this year and may slip into the playoffs. Vick can be a good QB if his receivers start catching the ball. With Dunn and Norwood in the backfield, they should be good. I think the Falcons take this one; 17-14.
Week 14 at Cincinnati Another example of the Rams playing on the road against a tough team. I think the Bengals are a dangerous team. Their defense isn’t that good, but they do force turnovers. The offense is high powered and just plain good. Palmer is one of the leagues premiere quarterback and Chad Johnson is and elite receiver. Through in a hard charging Rudi Johnson and the talented T.J. Houshmandzadeh and you have a dominate offense. The Bengals should take this one if their whole team isn’t suspended; 32-21.
Week 15 vs Green Bay As of now, nobody expects much out of Green Bay. I may be the only one. I think VernandMorency is better then any of the backs in this years draft, maybe with the exception of Peterson. If they do select Lynch in the draft, They will regret it. If they take the smart pick in Ben Olsen, they will put together a decent season. They won’t be good, but they may be 8-8 or so again. With Favre at the helm, the Packers have a shot every week. The team is stacked with young talent. I still think the Rams do take this one, but in overtime; 27-24.
Week 16 vs Pittsburgh The Rams end their regular season home schedule against Pittsburgh. I feel the Steelers are on the downfall ever since the Super Bowl. They still have Hines Ward and Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger healthy, they can put together some wins. I think this is one of them. The Steelers may end the Rams hopes at the playoffs with a Thursday night win; 24-13.
Week 17 at Arizona The Division schedule end here as well as the regular season schedule. Cardinals can’t hang with them this time, Rams win 27-7.
It may be close if they get in the playoffs or not with an 8-8 record. Anything is possible in the NFC. I just think the Rams are an average team in a below average conference. The Rams only go 3-1 against the AFC in my projections. They also go 5-3 at home while only 3-5 on the road. There are some other winnable games and some losable games. There still is a long time before the season begins so its tough to say how good these teams are. After the draft we will get a better idea and after the preseason has passed we will start to see injuries playing a major part in everything. As each game approaches, I will further breakdown each game for that week.
