In week one at the New York Giants, the Rams relived 2002 in a 23-13 loss. In week two, they rallied to beat the Whiners (Niners) 27-24 in overtime at home. The next week, they collapsed and lost to the Seahawks on the road. Coming home, they plucked the Cardinals and Falcons. So... what's the deal with the Rams? Maybe Sunday will show us what to expect in 2003.

The 2003 Packers are not too different from the 2003 Rams. The 'Pack' is 3 and 3. They have pummeled the Seahawks, Lions, and Bears as well as lost to the Vikings, Cardinals, and Chiefs. The odd ball in that mix is a 13 to 20 loss at the Arizona Cardinals (who are 1 and 5). The Packers were supposed to be making a run in 2003 with an aging quarterback who is thirsty to drink in another NFL championship (does that sound familiar, Rams fans?). Now, the Packers are 2nd in their division struggling to prove their mettle this year (again, sound familiar?). Sunday may show us what the Packers are going to do in 2003.

The Packers and Rams have other similarities. The Packers are often plagued by turnovers. In fact, a Packer fan coworker thought his team could beat the Chiefs if they did 3 things: stop Dante Hall, overcome Favre's interception, and overcome Green's fumble. Ouch! Fans of the Rams also understand that problem. The perennial turnover-happy Rams have cost themselves games, too since their last championship.

This is a big game for both parties and the Rams are lucky to have the home field and thus, the edge. Oddsmakers have installed the Rams as 3.5 point favorites which means the Rams should win because they are at home.

This game is big for the Packers who want to prove they are better than their record. For the Rams, this is also a big game. A victory gives them a 4 and 2 record and they "hold serve" at home. With upcoming games at Pittsburgh, at San Francisco, then hosting Baltimore, the Rams have to get in gear and win games. If the playoffs started today (Don't you hate hearing that?!? After all, the teams haven't all played the same number of games), the Rams would be a wild card entry (with Tampa Bay) and as things look today, I couldn't tell if you they could win against Minnesota, Carolina, Dallas, and Seattle. Think about that for a moment! All those teams have a better record than Saint Louis. That's gotta tell you that an NFL championship is out there for the taking!

So who will it be? Will it be the Rams who lost at New York? The team who slapped around the Atlanta Falcons Monday night? Keep your eyes open wide Sunday. And if you have any thoughts, tell me what you see at Don.Ackerman@juno.com. I'll be watching carefully, too.

Ram on,
Don