RAMS TAKE ON LIONS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2006
Sunday, November 1, 2009, Edward Jones Dome, Noon (CST)

The Rams travel this week to face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Rams are facing the Lions for the first time since 2006 and traveling to Ford Field for the first time since 2003.

This week’s contest is the 81st between the teams (including one postseason meeting). The Rams have met only three teams more times than Detroit (San Francisco 120, Green Bay 91, Chicago 88). The Rams hold a 41- 38-1 lead in the series (including 0-1 vs. Detroit in the postseason). The series began in 1937, the Rams’ first year in the NFL.

Detroit enters the game after a bye week in Week 7. The Rams look to rebound this week after a loss to the Indianapolis Colts at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Against the Colts, RB Steven Jackson continued his impressive play as he rushed for a season-high 134 yards on 23 carries. Jackson gained 95 of his yards in the third quarter, the most in a single quarter in his career. The game was Jackson’s third 100-yard game of the season and the 19th of his career. Jackson ranks third in the NFL in rushing with 635

Passing

M. Bulger
Rams
780 yards

Rushing

S. Jackson
Rams
635 yards

Receiving

D. Avery
Rams
271 yards

Passing

M. Stafford
Lions
894 yards

Rushing

K. Smith
Lions
348 yards

Receiving

C. Johnson
Lions
325 yards

DT Clifton Ryan has started six games for the Rams this season and has tallied 23 tackles (17 solo). Three of Ryan’s tackles have been for losses, tied for first on the team (LB James Laurinaitis).

Ryan has played strong football over the last few weeks. In Week 6 at Jacksonville (10/18), Ryan recorded seven tackles, including a career-high six solo tackles.

Ryan also registered his first sack since he had 2.0 vs. San Francisco (9/16/07).

In Week 4 at San Francisco (10/4), Ryan registered three tackles (two solo), including a tackle for loss when he tracked down 49ers’ RB Glen Coffee for a 1-yard loss in the third quarter.

In Week 3 vs. Green Bay, Ryan tallied a then season-high five tackles.After playing in all 16 games without a start as a rookie in 2007, Ryan has started 18 of the last 23 games dating to 2008.

4th Quarter

- The Lions got what they needed to open the quarter with all of the momentum from the interception. Stafford hit Bryant Johnson for a gain of 36 and scored two plays later on a 4-yard run.

- On the two-point conversion, Stafford faked a handoff and hit Maurice Morris for the score to tie it at 10.

- The Rams took over on the kickoff at their 22.

- Jackson promptly picked up 6 yards, caught a pass for a gain of 12 and another run for 7.

- But the Rams couldn’t pick up 3 yards with two plays and had to punt it back to Detroit.

- The Lions started at their 20 and with the help of a strong running attack, moved to the Rams 49.

- On first down from there, Little dropped Morris for a loss of 7.

- That play led to a 7-yard completion followed by an incompletion and the Rams got off the field.

- Nick Harris booted a perfect punt for the Lions and it was out of bounds at the Rams’ 4. A penalty on David Roach put it at the 2.

- The Rams fed their beast to open the drive as Jackson ripped off runs of 11 and 10 yards to hit the century mark again. Bulger hit Bajema for a gain of 27.

- Jackson picked up 5 on first down from midfield but a pair of incompletions ended the drive.

- Jones dropped a nice punt inside the 10 and the Rams downed it at the 6.

- The Rams defense did its job, getting a three and out and forcing the Lions to punt from their end zone.

- St. Louis took over at its 38 with 2:26 to play and two timeouts plus the two minute warning.

- Bulger had a pass batted down on first down before hitting Burton for a gain of 7 on second down.

- On third-and-3, Lions safety Louis Delmas grabbed McMichael and was flagged for pass interference.

- On first and 10 at the 42, Jackson broke off a 17-yard run to Detroit’s 25.

- Jackson followed with a 25-yard touchdown run and the extra point made it 17-10 with 1:34 to go.

- Rookie K.C. Asiodu made a big play on special teams, coming up with a tackle to start Detroit at its 20.

- Stafford threw incomplete on first down and a holding penalty on second down made it second-and-20. He threw incomplete again on third down. A last gasp on fourth ended the drive.

- And for the first time in a long time, the Rams lined up in victory formation, taking home a 17-10 victory.

3rd Quarter

- The Rams opened the second half with possession but after one first down had to punt it away.

- The defense responded with a three and out and the Rams got the ball back at their 37, the same spot they ended the previous one.

- The Rams couldn’t get a first down though as Bulger was marked just short of a first down on a third-and-5 scramble. The Rams had to punt again and Detroit took over at its 12.

- The Rams got another three and out and took over at their 48. Methodically, the Rams moved it to Detroit’s 17 with a 16-yard completion to Billy Bajema being the big play on third down.

- But Bulger threw two incompletions before firing a third down pass in the flat for Jackson that was intercepted by Dewayne White to kill the drive.

- At the end of the third, Detroit has the ball at the Rams’ 41 and trail 10-2.

2nd Quarter

- The Lions continued their drive deep into St. Louis territory to set up a third-and-10 at the Rams’ 12.

- On that play, Stafford fired toward a receiver but missed and instead hit Rams safety James Butler.

- Butler intercepted it and instead of taking a knee, decided to bring it out. But he crossed the goal line and went back into the end zone where he was tackled for a safety.

- With 12 minutes to go in the half, the Rams led 3-2 and Detroit got it back on a free kick.

- The Lions moved again into Rams territory but the defense was able to hold and forced Detroit to punt it back with about eight minutes to go in the half.

- Danny Amendola called for a fair catch and the Rams took over at their 10 to begin their second possession.

- That drive started promising with a pair of first down completions to Burton but a 4-yard loss by Jackson and a pair of incompletions forced the Rams to punt. Detroit took over at its 38.

- The Rams got their first three and out of the half as Butler just missed his second interception of the day.

- After the punt, the Rams took over at their 9 and got a 26-yard run from Jackson to Detroit’s 35. At the two minute warning, the Rams have a second-and-1 at their 44.

- Bulger hit Burton for 5 and Amendola for a gain of 13 to Detroit’s 38 for a first down.

- The drive appeared to die at Detroit’s 36 but the Rams reached into their bag of tricks for a fake field goal. The snap went to Donnie Jones, who pitched it back to Brown. Brown rolled to his left and floated a pass to a wide open Daniel Fells. Fells hauled it in and fought off a potential tackler on his way to a 36-yard touchdown and a 10-2 lead.

- The Lions took over on their 24 and picked up a first down on three plays. But that was the extent of it.

- At the half, the Rams lead 10-2 and will have the ball to open the second half.

1st Quarter

- The Lions won the toss and elected to receive.

- Detroit came out running, handing it Kevin Smith on the first four plays of the game and picking up a first down.

- A holding penalty, a false start and a dropped deep pass by receiver Bryant Johnson got the Rams off the field, though.

- St. Louis took over at its 20 for its first possession.

- The Rams quickly moved it down field on the strength of a 22-yard catch and run by Keenan Burton.

- On 11 plays, the Rams traveled 57 yards but a holding penalty on Jacob Bell pushed the Rams back and they had to settle for a 41-yard field goal from kicker Josh Brown. With 3:57 to go in the opening quarter, the Rams lead 3-0.

- Detroit moved quickly into St. Louis territory on the power of an 11-yard run by Aaron Brown and a 16-yard pass from Stafford to Smith.

- At the end of the first quarter, the Rams lead 3-0 and Detroit has the ball at the Rams’ 42.

Pregame Notes

- Greetings from Ford Field where the Rams and Lions are prepared to square off in a meeting of two teams rebuilding and hoping to gain some traction.

- The Rams are headed toward their bye week and a victory would go a long way in building some momentum and good will to that end.

- The Lions, on the other hand, are coming off a bye and looking for their second win. Coach Jim Schwartz kept his team working over the bye in hopes of correcting the errors that plagued it during a 1-5 start.

- The Rams have caught a break as Lions stud receiver Calvin Johnson is inactive because of a knee injury. Johnson tested the knee before the game and apparently it was not enough to get him on the field.

- Rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford will be active and get the start.

- For the Rams, the inactives are third quarterback Keith Null, receiver Tim Carter, safety Anthony Smith, guard Roger Allen III, tackle Phil Trautwein, guard Richie Incognito, receiver Ruvell Martin and defensive end C.J. Ah You.

- Incognito (foot) and Ah You (ankle) were the only injury decisions on the list.

- As expected, Adam Goldberg will start at right guard in place of Incognito, Quincy Butler will start at cornerback and David Vobora will be in the lineup at strongside linebacker.

- For the Lions, Dennis Northcutt will start for Johnson, Jon Jansen for Ramirez and Terrelle Smith for Felton.

2nd Quarter

KTVI, FOX 2 is once again “The Home of the Rams” in 2007.  On Monday evenings at 6:30 p.m., check out Rams Weekly where Fox 2 Sports Director Martin Kilcoyne goes one on one with head coach Scott Linehan and a Rams’ player.

Prior to each game, Kilcoyne will be joined by the St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Bryan Burwell, FOX 2’s Rob Desir and FOX 2’s Maurice Drummond for Rams Gameday pregame show, bringing viewers in-depth analysis, player profiles and the latest inside scoop on every Rams game.

The 2009-2010 broadcast team for Rams Radio is as follows:

Rams Radio Pre-Game Show:
Host: Randy Karraker
Analyst: Coach Jim Hanifan
Reporter: Brian Stull
Gameday Insider: Jim Thomas
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Segment Contributors: Bernie Miklasz, Bryan Burwell, Pat Parris,
D’Marco Farr and Steve Savard
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

Rams Radio In-Game Coverage:
Play by Play: Steve Savard
Color Analyst: D’Marco Farr
In-Game Reporter: Brian Stull
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

Rams Radio Post-Game Show:
Hosts: Steve Savard and Brent Stover
Analysts: D’Marco Farr and Coach Jim Hanifan
Locker Room Interviews: Brian Stull
Studio Host: Tom Casey
Executive Producer: Chris “Hoss” Neupert

All of the Rams game day shows and coverage, along with the weekly Rams programs will be executed under the watchful eye of Executive Producer Chris Neupert. Studio Producer duties will vary by program and schedule, rotating between 101 ESPN Producers Ben Boyd, Todd Wise and Chris Gardner. Steve Bear will be the In-Game Spotter, and engineering responsibilities will be handled by Dodie Rahlman, Craig Rutledge, Marshall Rice, Bob Hoffman and Ken Cunetto.

Along with the Rams game day coverage and pre-and post-game shows, 101 ESPN will broadcast “Rams Rush Hour Shows” weeknights from 7:00 until 8:00 pm. As part of “Rams Rush Hour Shows,” Coach Steve Spagnuolo and General Manager Billy Devaney are expected to do weekly shows.

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Weekly Prize

Seventeen (17) Weekly Team Prizes (1 weekly prize each week for 17 weeks)

• Week 1: Jason Smith Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 2: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 3: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 4: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 5: Steven Jackson Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 6: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 7: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 8: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 9: Jason Smith Autographed Photo (ARV: $25.00 USD)
• Week 10: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 11: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 12: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 13: Chris Long Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)
• Week 14: Rams Fan Pack: includes Rams hat and Rams t-shirt (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 15: Rams Player Autographed Football. (Choice of autograph is at the sole discretion of St. Louis Rams) (ARV: $59.99 USD)
• Week 16: NFL Wilson Portfolio (ARV: $30.00 USD)
• Week 17: Donnie Avery Autographed Photo (ARV: $20.00 USD)

One (1) Overall Grand Team Prize
Rams 2010 Home Opener Dream Package: Package for two (2) for the Rams 2010 regular season home opener, includes (2) club seat tickets***, two (2) pre-game sidelines passes, one (1) complimentary parking pass, and one (1) Rams gift bag which includes autographed memorabilia (such memorabilia determined by Rams in their sole discretion). (ARV: $1,500.00 USD).