SB Nation St. Louis - Rams Vs. Bears: St. Louis Falls Hard In Chicago, Loses 23-6

Steven Jackson's fantasy football stock plummets ahead of Week 4

2012-09-26T12:30:21Z

After all the concerns Steven Jackson fantasy football owners had about the St. Louis Rams' supposed plans to split his carries with rookie running back Isaiah Pead, competition hasn't been the aging running back's problem at all—the biggest thing keeping Jackson from putting up big fantasy numbers in 2012 has been, surprisingly, his own effectiveness. After some waiting and seeing, some weird conspiracy theories about being benched, and some unsuccessful carries, he's finally fallen off his precarious perch around the middle of the starting running back pack.

Walter Football has him all the way at 27th, and suggests that he has "no chance to do anything" against the Seattle Seahawks. It doesn't get much more locker-room-material than that, so here's hoping Steven Jackson's struggles so far have been related to motivation, instead of, say, his groin and all the miles that are already on him and the Rams' miserable offensive line.

Which... seems a little unlikely. At this point, Jackson has to prove himself fast, or else risk those worries about Isaiah Pead and ostensible seventh-round-stud Daryl Richardson bubbling up in the wake of another three-or-so-yards-per-carry performance in Week 4. Fantasy owners: You're now allowed to freak out.

NFL Schedule 2012 Week 4: Rams host Seahawks in divisional battle

2012-09-26T12:01:18Z

The St. Louis Rams will look to recover from a 23-6 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3 when they host their divisional foes, the Seattle Seahawks, in Week 4 on Sunday.

Seattle (2-1) defeated the Green Bay Packers on Monday night on a controversial last-second pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate that was ruled a touchdown.

The Rams (1-2), on the other hand, couldn't get anything going in Chicago, mustering only 160 total yards of offense. Quarterback Sam Bradford threw an interception for a touchdown to Bears safety Major Wright in the fourth that put the game out of reach.

As for the rest of the NFC West division, the undefeated Arizona Cardinals host the Miami Dolphins (1-2) late Sunday afternoon, while the San Francisco 49ers (2-1), coming off of an upset loss in Minnesota to the Vikings, head to New York to face the Jets (2-1).

The entire schedule can be seen here, and the full Week 4 schedule is as follows:

Thursday , Sep. 27	Time (ET)
Browns at Ravens	8:20 PM

Sunday , Sep. 30	Time (ET)
49ers at Jets	1:00 PM
Seahawks at Rams	1:00 PM
Panthers at Falcons	1:00 PM
Chargers at Chiefs	1:00 PM
Vikings at Lions	1:00 PM
Patriots at Bills	1:00 PM
Titans at Texans	1:00 PM
Bengals at Jaguars	4:05 PM
Raiders at Broncos	4:05 PM
Dolphins at Cardinals	4:05 PM
Redskins at Buccaneers	4:25 PM
Saints at Packers	4:25 PM
Giants at Eagles	8:20 PM

Monday, Oct. 1	Time (ET)
Bears at Cowboys	8:30 PM

St. Louis Rams Avoid Brian Quick Again On Sunday

2012-09-24T21:47:01Z

The St. Louis Rams selected Brian Quick No. 33 overall in the 2012 NFL draft and so far the highly-touted wide receiver has yet to make an impact three games into the season.

Quick was once again inactive on Sunday, a 23-6 loss to the Chicago Bears, the second time he hasn't dressed in three games, and the rookie was targeted just once in Week 2. Jim Thomas of STL Today caught up with coach Jeff Fisher to see if the mystery could be solved as to why Quick isn't playing:

"The other guys," coach Jeff Fisher said. "You're not going to keep seven guys up. You keep six; sometimes you keep five. We've got (Chris) Givens handling some of the returns and it's just one of those things. (Quick)'s going to be a good player."

So is Quick just not ready for much of an NFL role at this point?

"The other guys are still ahead of him, yes," Fisher said.

Givens has caught two passes for nine yards so far this season but has been targeted multiple times on deep passes and appears to be a bigger part of the offense than Quick at this point. Givens is also a bigger part of special teams, a big reason Quick hasn't been dressing.

Stay with the SB Nation NFL Hub for all the NFL news and updates you need. For more on the Rams, go to Turf Show Times. Bears news and commentary is available at Windy City Gridiron.

Steven Jackson Injury: Rams RB Is Ineffective In Return From Groin Injury

2012-09-24T17:38:02Z

Though he could only churn out a measly 29 rushing yards on 11 carries, St. Louis Rams tailback Steven Jackson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he feels good physically following Sunday's 23-6 loss to the Bears.

Jackson, who was curiously benched in Week 2 and then forced to sit out the entire week of practice with a groin injury, opened the Chicago game as the team's unquestioned starter at running back despite concerns to the contrary. "I gave them confidence that I could go and lead this team emotionally and be the starter at running back," Jackson said late Sunday.

"I felt that I wasn't going to further injure myself and make myself more susceptible to missing games," he said. "Came out of this clean. I just wish that I could've been more productive and helped my team win."

There may only be a handful of running backs in the NFL these days who can shoulder the same type of offensive load that Jackson can, but it's starting to become evident that his 29-year-old body is catching up to him. Injuries aside, Jackson has toted the rock 20 times over his last two games compared to 21 attempts in Week 1, which is quite telling.

And with the emergence of rookie Daryl Richardson as a change-of-pace back in the team's offense, Jackson's days as a 350-carry workhorse might be dwindling rather quickly. Even though it's obvious that Jackson is still the No. 1 guy for the time being, it will be interesting to see how often he practices heading into Week 4.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for more on Jackson's groin injury, and head over to Turf Show Times for more Rams coverage. Also visit SB Nation's NFL hub for more news from around the league.

Rams Vs. Bears 2012: St. Louis Gave Up Running Game Too Quickly

2012-09-24T15:27:13Z

There was quite a lot that went wrong for the St. Louis Rams in their 23-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The offense wasn't clicking, the defense couldn't stop the Bears enough to keep the score close down the homestretch, and the playcalling seemed to go out of whack near the end of the game as the Rams seemingly gave up on running the ball. Steven Jackson wasn't having his best day, picking up only 29 yards on 11 carries as he returned from a groin injury.

Rams blog Turf Show Times was confused as to why the Rams gave up the run so easily, especially since it had provided them with an early score to keep the game competitive:

The Rams' most successful drive of the game was a 10-play, 39-yard possession in the third quarter, one that ended with a 46-yard field goal to maintain a competitive game at 10-6. Take away the kick, and four of the nine plays were on the ground with Steven Jackson carrying the ball four times for 17 yards.

And notice the sequencing of it too. The drive started with two short runs that set up a 9-yard pass to Chris Givens. They ran it two more times, with Jackson rushing for 13 yards on the first play after Givens' catch, his best run of the game. Those two runs set up a 12-yard pass to Mulligan, the tight end.

Stay with the SB Nation NFL Hub for all the NFL news and updates you need. For more on the Rams, go to Turf Show Times. Bears news and commentary is available at Windy City Gridiron.

NFL Injury Reports: No Big Injuries For Rams Against Bears

2012-09-24T15:16:30Z

Despite the negatives of their bad loss to the Chicago Bears, the St. Louis Rams can at least say that they came out of Week 3 action with a minimal amount of injuries.

Steven Jackson was the biggest injury story of the day, but the news on him was that he was on the field, not off. Jackson had missed practices for the entire week prior to the game with a groin problem. Though he was ineffective at best -- he picked up only 29 yards on 11 carries throughout the day -- he didn't seem to aggravate anything and will probably be back for Week 4 unless something goes wrong.

Only Matthew Conrath, Matthew Daniels and Rodger Saffold are listed as out currently on the Rams injury report.

Stay with the SB Nation NFL Hub for all the NFL news and updates you need. For more on the Rams, go to Turf Show Times. Bears news and commentary is available at Windy City Gridiron.

Should St. Louis Rams Fans Worry About Steven Jackson Yet?

2012-09-24T12:06:32Z

Lost in the rest of the offense being terrible Sunday against the Chicago Bears—the Rams lost 23-6, with Greg Zuerlein providing all the offense and about 50 yards of both scoring drives—was just how bad Steven Jackson was, for the second week out of three. The groin injury might have been affecting him, but through three games he's got 41 carries for just 140 yards—that's 3.4 yards per carry, and a pace that would leave him 250 yards short of 1000 on the season.

Even an effective Steven Jackson might not have set the Rams' offense right on Sunday, but Jackson's mediocrity against the Detroit Lions in Week 1—he carried the ball 21 times for 53 yards—was probably key to their falling four last-minute points short then.

This isn't entirely Jackson's fault. The Rams' offensive line is a mess, and like Sam Bradford he finds himself in a sea of defenders the moment the ball's in his hands. But the Steven Jackson that made himself into the decade's best bad-team player could get around that first defender for extra yards; this one, so far, hasn't found that gear.

Rams Vs. Bears Final Score: St. Louis Struggles To 23-6 Loss

2012-09-23T20:44:46Z

The Bears defense clamped down late as Chicago pulled away from the Rams, defeating St. Louis 23-6. Chicago pressured Bradford all day, ending up with six total sacks. Defensive back Major Wright intercepted Sam Bradford and returned it to the house for the game's final TD.

Bradford threw two picks while Bears QB Jay Cutler was intercepted once. Neither quarterback was able to surpass 200 yards passing; Cutler ending with 183 yards while Bradford had 152.

Both kickers combined for five field goals. Greg Zuerlein had a pair for the St. Louis while Robbie Gould booted three kicks through the uprights.

Fantasy Studs/Duds: Those who started Michael Bush in place of injured fantasy stud Matt Forte were rewarded with a TD and 55 rushing yards. Sam Bradford followed up a career day in Week 2 with a subpar Sunday, completing 18 passes for 152 yards and two INTs. Jay Cutler didn't fare much better, throwing for 183 passing yards and a INT.

Odds/Gambling: Those betting on the Bears won as Chicago won by two scores. For more information on odds and gambling today, click here.

Injury Info: Steven Jackson played today despite not practicing the past week. He was relatively quiet on the day, gaining 29 yards off 11 carries.

Next Up: The Rams will host the Seahawks next Sunday while Chicago will face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

This story was originally published on SBNation.com

Stay with the SB Nation NFL Hub for all the NFL news and updates you need. For more on the Rams, go to Turf Show Times. Bears news and commentary is available at Windy City Gridiron.