This week's Rams match-up is Sunday night football with the Rams hosting the Ravens in Saint Louis. This game will feature Rams, Ravens, and running. Why running? Well, the Ravens love to run and last week, the Rams forgot to run. Look for Martz to establish the run on ESPN.

Let me clarify, hopefully, Martz will establish the run. We know the Ravens will run the ball with Jamal Lewis. Lewis leads the NFL in rushing with 1,045 yards in 8 games. He's almost exactly on track to set an NFL record for rushing in a season. He's looking to break Eric Dickerson's 2,105 yards set in 1984. And looking at the Ravens' schedule, it's very possible.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Rams are third worst in the NFL in rushing per game (only Cincinnati and Buffalo average less than the Rams' 86.4 yards per game) and due to injuries, have a running back committee with Marshall Faulk, Lamar Gordon, and Arlen Harris each carrying the ball. . There's no doubt that last weeks' 8 carries for 9 yards dropped the Rams many spots in the NFL rankings but more importantly, it shows how the Rams' running backs need to get some action. Through 8 games, the Rams average 3.3 yards per carry which typically won't win you many games. But it's not talent as the Rams have good backs in Faulk, Gordon, and Harris.

On the other hand, Baltimore leads the league with rushing yards per game with a hefty 171.5 with a nice 5.2 yards per carry. Look for them to pound Saint Louis and continue what San Francisco did last week.

On the flip side of the ball, the Ravens' D is 10th in the league against the run holding opponents to less than 100 yards rushing per game (okay, it's 99.5 but doesn't less than 100 sound so much better?). The Rams are not much worse. Ranked 14th in the league, the Rams give up about 10 yards more per game at 109.6. It may surprise you but even in the 20-point loss to San Francisco, the Rams did not give up a 100-yard rusher. They did however, give up 165 yards (80 to Hearst, 76 to Barlow, 5 to Beasley, and 4 to QB Rattay) and looked ineffective against the 49ers. Another problem for Saint Louis.

But perhaps the running will be by the quarterbacks. The Rams will look to fill the hole exposed in San Francisco last week. And the Rams defense will likely want to startle starting rookie quarterback Kyle Boller. Last week the Rams did put some pressure on SF's QB Tim Rattay. He did collect himself nicely (and received rave reviews for his composure) but the Rams did rattle him. Look for the Rams to try the same this week.

If the Rams fail miserably like they did last week, look for me to want to run myself.