Which Rams run defense will show up?

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CGI_Ram

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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_0920e9e8-a1fd-5400-a33d-19a49acd417a.html

By Jim Thomas

The Rams allowed 44 yards rushing and limited Marshawn Lynch to 23 yards and 2.9 yards per carry in a hard-fought loss to Seattle.

Next, they were blindsided with 150 yards rushing by the previously struggling Chris Johnson, yielding 198 rushing yards total in a wrenching loss to Tennessee.

Most recently, in a stunning 38-8 romp in Indianapolis, the Colts managed a meager 18 yards rushing — the Rams’ lowest all-time total allowed in a road game, and their fourth-lowest total overall.

So which Rams run defense shows up Sunday against Matt Forte and the Chicago Bears?

“A lot of times this year, we’ve played really good against the run,” defensive end Williams Hayes said. “Then the next week we kinda stink it up.”

The Rams (4-6) will try to avoid a “stink it up” day against the Bears (6-4) in a noon kickoff at the Edward Jones Dome.

“We did a good job at it (vs. Indy), but we’ve gotta stop being hot and cold with it,” linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar said. “That’s something that we all want to do. Stop with the hot and cold stuff, just make sure we have a solid run defense. And then we’ll be able to do some things in terms of coverages on the back end, and blitzing, and letting the front four get after it.”

It’s a topic that has been broached at defensive team meetings — the need for much more consistency in terms of stopping the run. Throughout the season there have been wild fluctuations, sometimes from game to game:

• In Games 1 and 2 — against Arizona and Atlanta, respectively — the Rams allowed 61 yards rushing per game and an average of 2.9 yards per carry with no run longer than 11 yards in either game.

• Then came Games 3 and 4 (Dallas and San Francisco), both blowout losses. The Rams allowed 206 rushing yards per game, 5.6 yards per carry, with 13 runs of 11 yards or more.

• Things went reasonably well in Game 5, against Maurice Jones-Drew and Jacksonville, with the Jaguars rushing for 96 yards and 3.8 yards per carry.

• Despite a lopsided victory at Houston in Game 6, the Texans piled up 153 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per carry.

• In Game 7, Carolina totaled 102 yards rushing, but only 2.7 yards per carry.

• And finally, came the roller-coaster ride that was Seattle, Tennessee and Indianapolis.

So just when you think it’s safe to trust the Rams’ run defense, it falls through the trap floor.

“We’re getting there with it,” defensive coordinator Tim Walton said. “We’ve just got to be consistent in the stuff that we do. We had a good performance (against the Colts). The key is —got to go do it again this week. You’re only as good as your last performance.”

But the combination of Forte, effective blocking by the Bears’ offensive line and the scheme of new Bears coach Marc Trestman makes this week problematical.

“We’re going to be tested, clearly going to be tested,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “They like to use an extra offensive lineman in the (running) game, run the power game at you, and spread you out and run that game at you.”

Forte, 27, was a Pro Bowler in 2011 and topped 1,000 yards rushing in three of his first five NFL seasons.

But although he’s on pace for career highs in rushing, receiving yards and yards from scrimmage, sometimes it seems like you forget he’s there.

Most of the discussion on the Chicago offense this season seems to center on the quarterback situation or the team’s twin towers at wide receiver — Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

“Well, I haven’t forgotten at all,” Dunbar said. “You can talk about those big guys on the outside, but if they’re running the ball, they can do whatever they want after that.”

“I think he’s very underrated,” Hayes said. “He’s a lot better than people give him credit for. He can hurt you in a lot of different ways If you had to describe him, he’s got kind of the same running style as like an Arian Foster to me.”

Uh-oh. It was Foster who accounted for 141 of those 153 yards rushing by Houston on Oct. 13 in Reliant Stadium. The Rams won in a rout, 38-13, but Foster wasn’t Houston’s problem.

Dunbar agrees with the Foster comparison.

“Absolutely,” Dunbar said. “They both have the same kind of running style and they both can beat you in the run game and the pass game. I completely agree with that.”

It’s a style that includes elements of both a speed back and a power back. At 6-feet-2 and 218 pounds, Forte is a slashing, cutback runner. He can be patient looking for daylight, but decisive when he sees a crease. He likes to bounce plays outside and gets to the perimeter quickly.

As a receiver, Forte excels in the screen game. And if you pay too much attention to Marshall and Jeffery downfield, he can turn a 3- or 4-yard checkdown into a 30- or 40-yard gain.

The cherry on top is ball security: Forte has only one fumble in 224 touches so far this season.

“Matt Forte I think gets overlooked a lot,” Rams defensive end Chris Long said. “He’s one of the best backs in the league. He’s a really good vision runner. He can crack the edge at any time.”

In short, consistency on run defense won’t come easy this week.
 

CGI_Ram

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This will be a tough match up for the Rams. Forte is a cutback runner and we've struggled with that.

Me; I want to shut the bastard down!