After last week's disappointing loss to the San Diego Chargers, the St. Louis Rams finally wrapped up the stretch of eight consecutive games against teams that had winning records in 2013 (and do again in 2014). Theoretically, things should get a bit easier over the season's final five games and it should start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. Looking solely at the matchups, the Rams' defense strung together three strong outings in a row before last week's loss to San Diego but should be able to rebound against the worst offense in the league. Oakland is last in the league in yards per game (283.2) and 31st in offensive points per game (15.4). The Raiders haven't allowed a lot of sacks this season (12) as quarterback Derek Carr gets rid of the ball quickly, but he has struggled mightily against the blitz with a QBR of 16.6 when facing extra pass-rushers. The Rams blitz more than any team in the league, bringing the heat on 46.3 percent of their defensive snaps. Even if the Rams can't get home for sacks consistently, they should be able to force Carr into enough mistakes to get their fifth win. My prediction: Rams 20, Raiders 13
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