Better The Second Time Around – The Niners might have been better the first time these teams played, but it was obvious who the better team was on Sunday. The Rams could have easily won this game by 20 or more, and the Niners had nothing in the way of offense all day. Their one offensive TD was a fluke mistake by Troy Smith that accidentally went to Michael Crabtree when it was intended for Vernon Davis.

Ground Attack – As I said before, the Niners did nothing offensively. I was more impressed with Anthony Dixon than Brian Westbrook, but neither was effective. The fact that they had no passing game to speak of was part of it, but the defense just did a really nice job all around.

Growing Up – It looked like Sam Bradford might have hit the rookie wall in December, but he looked like a veteran on Sunday against a pretty good defense. This guy is super special, and the sky’s the limit for him moving forward. Danario Alexander had a big game, and a young Rams team that didn’t look like they could handle the spotlight in the previous two games really showed up against the Niners.

The not making a prediction worked out, so I think it’s obvious that I won’t be making one this week against the Seahawks. You don’t want to mess with the football Gods before a huge game like this.

Better The Second Time Around – We all know that the Rams lost the last time these teams played, but I really felt the Niners were better than the Rams that day more than the score would indicate. San Fran killed themselves with penalties, but we can’t rely on that this week. We have to be better, or we will leave disappointed.

Ground Attack – The biggest difference between this game and the previous one might be the absence of Frank Gore. Gore hurt the Rams running and catching last time, but now the responsibility falls to the shoulders of Dixon and Brian Westbrook (if Dixon plays). The Niners have some major talent with their pass-catchers, so we have to bottle up their running game to prevent big plays in the passing game over the top.

Growing Up – The Rams didn’t show up last weekend. It hurts, but it’s the truth. I know this team is not used to playing in big games like this, but they need to get used to it quickly. Another showing like last Sunday won’t be nearly good enough, so some of these young guys need to sack up right now and make big plays when needed.

As far as my prediction goes, I’ve decided I’m not making one this week. I am highly superstitious, and I don’t want to bring any bad karma to the Rams. I certainly think we can win, but it will depend on how the team shows up. Let’s hope the team steps us and takes control of this division.

BTW… For those who have been asking, I’m still working on getting the Isaac Bruce audio here on the site, and I hope to have it up early in the week.