Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

Rams seek to continue winning ways vs Chiefs

The St. Louis Rams pulled off a glorious upset in week seven, as they snuck by the once mighty Seattle Seahawks. Suddenly they’re 2-4 and if they can put together a string of wins, they could launch themselves in the conversation for an NFC wild card playoff spot.

They’ll have to get through the Kansas City Chiefs first, however, who host the Rams in week eight. Kansas City is no pushover, either, and has more realistic playoff aspirations with a 3-3 mark. That being said, KC isn’t overly likely to win an AFC West division ruled by the Broncos and Chargers and it will be an uphill climb to get the final wildcard spot. Still, the Chiefs have the talent to do so, but will need to hold serve at home this week to keep those dreams alive.

Naturally, this game carries a little bit of intensity with this being a crucial game for both sides. Despite that, Rams and Chiefs tickets are coming in at a pretty inexpensive rate as fans can get in for just $50 and the average price per ticket is barely over $137. If you’re looking for a hotel in Kansas City, Hipmunk has rates beginning at $99 for this weekend near Arrowhead Stadium. So a ticket and a room could cost less than $150.

The Rams will be hard-pressed to get the victory on the road as Arrowhead is historically one of the more difficult venues to play in. Alex Smith is familiar with the Rams from his days with the 49ers in the NFC West and he should have a solid matchup heading into this one. St. Louis has proven to be fairly tough against opposing tight ends, though, so it’s possible Smith may have to look beyond tight end Travis Kelce to make plays in the passing game. That could mean a big game from Dwayne Bowe or another receiver will be needed for the Chiefs to hold onto the matchup edge.

Of course, KC could always just turn to running back Jamal Charles as a receiver, as well. In fact, it’s almost likely for that to be the case, as the Rams have been quite stout against the run lately and shutting Charles down in the backfield will have to be mission “A”.

Any success from St. Louis will stem from shutting down Charles and establishing the run, themselves. Rookie running back Tre Mason came on strong in last week’s win and could find some success against a shaky KC run defense. Austin Davis is the real question mark, as Kansas City has been a problem for opposing passing offenses lately.

It will be a tall task for the Rams, but after last week’s win, this team can clearly beat anyone.

Quantcast