The St. Louis Rams will wake up Saturday morning in Dallas, where they will play their third game of the NFL preseason this evening against the Cowboys.
Head coach Jeff Fisher has said he expects both the Rams' starting offense and defense to play the entire first half, before turning the game over to the reserves in the second half.
Here's our list of 5 things fans should watch for tonight against as the Rams take the field at Cowboys Stadium.
Key No. 1 -- Building momentum.
The Rams' starters looked sharp on offense and defense last week in a 31-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. So tonight Fisher hopes both those units can build on the momentum they created last week, as the club pushes toward the September 9 season opener against the Detroit Lions.
Quarterback Sam Bradford and running back Steven Jackson have both been impressive on both of the Rams' first two preseason games, with Bradford running the offense smoothly and Jackson grinding out chunks of yardage in the run game.
The offensive line has also looked stout matching up against the talented defensive lines from Indianapolis and Kansas City.
The No. 1 goal tonight though, will be to get through the game as healthy as possible and for the starters to look regular season ready with just over two weeks left until the start of the season.
“I won’t have anybody that’s going to play into the second half against the Cowboys," Fisher said. "There will be a number of players that will do that in the fourth preseason game. We’ll do it in Week 4.â€
Key No. 2 -- Young WRs.
Rookie wideouts Brian Quick and Chris Givens have been close to spectacular working with the No. 1 offense this week in practice, but have seen little work with the starters in games. That figures to change tonight, as St. Louis tries to get its young playmakers ready for the season.
Both players will almost certainly see significant time in the first half, while veterans Danny Amendola and Steve Smith get more rest than usual.
Backup running back Isaiah Pead also figures to get some carries behind the No. 1 offensive line as well.
“We’re going to try and play some of those guys a little bit earlier, yes,†Fisher said.
Key No. 3 -- Safety first, or maybe not.
The Rams' top two strong safeties Darian Stewart and Craig Dahl will both not play in tonight's game due to injury issues. Stewart has a hamstring problem, and Dahl has other leg soreness ailments.
That means free safety Rodney McLeod might get lots of work tonight.
A undrafted rookie from Virginia, McLeod will most certainly start and might play the first three quarters, with fellow rookies Quinton Pointer and Matthew Daniels backing him up.
McLeod has been impressive in camp and could earn himself a spot on the 53-man roster with a strong effort against the Cowboys.
Key No. 4 -- Center stage debut.
After missing the entire offseason, following knee surgery, former Green Bay Pro Bowl center Scott Wells will finally make his Rams debut on Saturday.
The former Packer signed with the Rams back in the spring, and didn't begin practicing with his new club until this week.
Fourth-year man Robert Turner has been manning the starting center spot this summer. But both players figure to play with the No. 1 offense on Saturday.
Key No. 5 -- Does Gholston have anything left?
The Rams signed the former New York Jets first-round pick Vernon Gholston (No. 6 overall in 2008) on Wednesday, after he worked out for the club that morning.
He then practiced on Thursday, and will play against the Cowboys on Saturday.
In college, Gholston was a beast, and finished his career as the all-time leading sack man at Ohio State.
But in three seasons with the Jets, he never recorded a single sack and was often the object of frustration for Jet fans and head coach Rex Ryan.
The Rams are dinged up at the defensive end spot -- with only starters Chris Long and Robert Quinn completely healthy.
So Gholston will get his shot to show what he can do. He was out of football last year, so freshness shouldn't be an issue. Rustiness, on the other hand, might be a problem.
Gholston will wear No. 70, and will probably only get a few plays against the Cowboys.
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