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Rams-related notes: Divisional round
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/15366/rams-related-notes-divisional-round
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The weekend of NFL divisional playoff games is not lacking for attractive matchups and storylines.
After last weekend's wild card round, there are still three teams remaining who were on the St. Louis Rams' 2014 regular- season schedule -- the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
The Seahawks play Saturday night against the Carolina Panthers, while the Cowboys and Broncos visit Green Bay and host Indianapolis on Sunday, respectively.
There are a few other ties the Rams still have to these playoffs as well:
The Rams' 2014 record against the three teams remaining in the playoffs was 2-2 with losses to Seattle and Dallas and wins against Seattle and Denver. The Broncos and Seahawks were last year's Super Bowl participants and represent the Rams' two best wins of the season. The loss to the Cowboys might haunt the Rams more than any of their other 10 defeats after they blew a 21-0 lead.
None of the former Rams appearing on a roster of a remaining playoff team was eliminated last week. Players who used to play for the Rams still on playoff rosters include Carolina offensive lineman Mike Remmers, Baltimore safety Darian Stewart, Dallas defensive end George Selvie, Indianapolis cornerback Josh Gordy, New England receiver Danny Amendola and New England tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
I failed to mention Stewart in this space last week, not on purpose (and I apologize if I missed one this week) but Stewart made me realize my error by playing well for the Ravens against Pittsburgh. He had a fumble recovery and a pair of pass defenses in Baltimore's win. He'll need to come up even bigger Saturday defending Patriots' tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Although he's not a former Ram, one player still playing with close ties to the team is New England special teams ace Matthew Slater. Slater is the son of Rams' Hall of Fame tackle Jackie Slater and one of the best in the league at what he does. Special teams aren't normally all that exciting, but keep an eye on Slater.
On the coaching front, Dallas passing game coordinator Scott Linehan leads the Cowboys into Green Bay on Sunday. Linehan has earned rave reviews for his work with the Cowboys' offense this season, leading them to a No. 7 ranking in overall yards per game and a second-place finish in rushing yards per game. Linehan was the former head coach of the Rams and often was criticized for not running the ball enough. But with a dominant offensive line and talent at the skill positions, Linehan runs one of the most balanced offenses in the league. Linehan struggled mightily as a head coach, as many former assistants do. But he's done enough to draw interest as a head coaching candidate again, this time with the Oakland Raiders. A win against the Packers certainly wouldn't hurt his case.
As for the games, here are this week's picks sure to be wrong that you didn't ask for:
Seattle over Carolina: The Panthers are good enough defensively to keep this close but it's hard to see how they score enough points to pull this one out on the road. The Seahawks are rolling and they should be able to move on without too much drama.
Dallas over Green Bay: It's hard to go against any of the home teams in this set of games, but the Cowboys have the run game that should be able to hold up in the cold and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is playing through injury. Neither outcome would surprise but we'll go with the Cowboys to avoid going all chalk.
New England over Baltimore: Betting against Joe Flacco and the Ravens in January is an increasingly risky proposition, and Baltimore looks like its rounding into form. But the Patriots have the home field advantage and look like the favorites in the AFC. Like the Dallas-Green Bay game, neither outcome would surprise me.
Denver over Indianapolis: A cold day in Denver could cause quarterback Peyton Manning's recent struggles to continue, but the Broncos have run the ball well enough lately to prove they can play just about any style. The Colts are up and down, and it wouldn't surprise if they put up a good fight, but they've struggled against good teams this season, including a loss to Denver earlier in the season.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/15366/rams-related-notes-divisional-round
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The weekend of NFL divisional playoff games is not lacking for attractive matchups and storylines.
After last weekend's wild card round, there are still three teams remaining who were on the St. Louis Rams' 2014 regular- season schedule -- the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
The Seahawks play Saturday night against the Carolina Panthers, while the Cowboys and Broncos visit Green Bay and host Indianapolis on Sunday, respectively.
There are a few other ties the Rams still have to these playoffs as well:
The Rams' 2014 record against the three teams remaining in the playoffs was 2-2 with losses to Seattle and Dallas and wins against Seattle and Denver. The Broncos and Seahawks were last year's Super Bowl participants and represent the Rams' two best wins of the season. The loss to the Cowboys might haunt the Rams more than any of their other 10 defeats after they blew a 21-0 lead.
None of the former Rams appearing on a roster of a remaining playoff team was eliminated last week. Players who used to play for the Rams still on playoff rosters include Carolina offensive lineman Mike Remmers, Baltimore safety Darian Stewart, Dallas defensive end George Selvie, Indianapolis cornerback Josh Gordy, New England receiver Danny Amendola and New England tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
I failed to mention Stewart in this space last week, not on purpose (and I apologize if I missed one this week) but Stewart made me realize my error by playing well for the Ravens against Pittsburgh. He had a fumble recovery and a pair of pass defenses in Baltimore's win. He'll need to come up even bigger Saturday defending Patriots' tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Although he's not a former Ram, one player still playing with close ties to the team is New England special teams ace Matthew Slater. Slater is the son of Rams' Hall of Fame tackle Jackie Slater and one of the best in the league at what he does. Special teams aren't normally all that exciting, but keep an eye on Slater.
On the coaching front, Dallas passing game coordinator Scott Linehan leads the Cowboys into Green Bay on Sunday. Linehan has earned rave reviews for his work with the Cowboys' offense this season, leading them to a No. 7 ranking in overall yards per game and a second-place finish in rushing yards per game. Linehan was the former head coach of the Rams and often was criticized for not running the ball enough. But with a dominant offensive line and talent at the skill positions, Linehan runs one of the most balanced offenses in the league. Linehan struggled mightily as a head coach, as many former assistants do. But he's done enough to draw interest as a head coaching candidate again, this time with the Oakland Raiders. A win against the Packers certainly wouldn't hurt his case.
As for the games, here are this week's picks sure to be wrong that you didn't ask for:
Seattle over Carolina: The Panthers are good enough defensively to keep this close but it's hard to see how they score enough points to pull this one out on the road. The Seahawks are rolling and they should be able to move on without too much drama.
Dallas over Green Bay: It's hard to go against any of the home teams in this set of games, but the Cowboys have the run game that should be able to hold up in the cold and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is playing through injury. Neither outcome would surprise but we'll go with the Cowboys to avoid going all chalk.
New England over Baltimore: Betting against Joe Flacco and the Ravens in January is an increasingly risky proposition, and Baltimore looks like its rounding into form. But the Patriots have the home field advantage and look like the favorites in the AFC. Like the Dallas-Green Bay game, neither outcome would surprise me.
Denver over Indianapolis: A cold day in Denver could cause quarterback Peyton Manning's recent struggles to continue, but the Broncos have run the ball well enough lately to prove they can play just about any style. The Colts are up and down, and it wouldn't surprise if they put up a good fight, but they've struggled against good teams this season, including a loss to Denver earlier in the season.