The St. Louis Rams (1-0) head to our Nation's Capital on Sunday to take on the Washington Redskins (0-1) at noon central time. The game will be played locally on FOX.

The Rams are coming off of a 34-31 overtime victory at home against the Seattle Seahawks, while the Redskins are coming off of a close 17-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Rams and Redskins have met in each of the last six seasons, with the Rams going 4-2 in that stretch. When both teams met last year, the Rams went into FedEx Field and shut the Redskins out 24-0 in front of their home crowd.
 

HEADLINES

Rams Defense

The Rams defense totaled six sacks and seven different tackles for loss last week against the Seahawks and when going up against Washington's shaky offensive line, the Rams defensive unit should have a field day. Expect big games from defensive tackle Aaron Donald and defensive end Robert Quinn.

Gurley Time?

Throughout the preseason and into week one, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher clearly stated that first round pick Todd Gurley would not play. But when asked this week, Fisher stated that, "There’s always that possibility. I ruled him out in the preseason and ruled him out last week. I’m not ruling him out right now. We’ll see how he does. But this is a medical decision, a trainer decision, a collective decision but we’ll see how he does this week.”

The fans in St. Louis are very ecstatic to hopefully see the debut of Gurley, who drew comparisons to Adrian Peterson coming out of the University of Georgia.

Nick Foles: Razzling and Dazzling

In his Rams debut, quarterback Nick Foles shined. He was 18/27 for 297 yards and one touchdown. He also added four rushes for 11 yards and one touchdown en route to the Rams' opening day victory. Against the Redskins, Foles likely won't be under as much pressure as in week one, because he showed what he could do and pulled off a win against one of the best teams in the NFL. He should have more breathing room against a team far less intimidating than the Seahawks.

Rams Offensive Line

The talk all offseason was who was going to be starting on the Rams offensive line and how they're going to struggle. But on Sunday against one of the best defenses, they held their own. They only gave up two sacks, and only one of those was a sack by a defensive lineman. The other came on an outside blitz by defensive back Cary Williams. The Rams only finished with 76 yards rushing but keep in mind that they didn't have Tre Mason or Todd Gurley last Sunday. That number should increase when one (or both) of them return. Tre Mason is likely to return this week and as aforementioned, Gurley could possibly play.

Washington Missing Key Players

Last week against the Dolphins, Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a major hamstring strain and will not be playing on Sunday. Redskins cornerback Chris Culliver will also not be on the field because he was recently suspended one game for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Both players for the Redskins are starters and the Rams have the ability to take advantage of their absences.

Give Tavon The Ball

Rams offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti used Tavon Austin in the run game last week. Austin totaled four carries for 17 yards and most importantly, a touchdown. Austin also had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown. It'll be exciting to see how he is used in the offense and special teams this week against the Redskins.

INJURY REPORT

RB/ST Chase Reynolds - Reynolds is one of the Rams' key special team players but will be out for a few weeks because of a sprained MCL.

DE Eugene Sims - Sims suffered a knee injury late in the game against the Seahawks and is doubtful for Sunday's game. Sims is expected to miss a few weeks, but not the entire season.

CB Trumaine Johnson - Johnson suffered a concussion against the Seahawks and is listed as day-to-day. He participated in stretching and individual drills Wednesday at practice. He is questionable for Sunday.

RB Tre Mason - Mason was held out of last week's game because of a hamstring injury but appears good to go. His status for Sunday is probable.

RB Todd Gurley - As mentioned earlier, Gurley (ACL) has a chance to make his debut Sunday, depending on what the Rams medical staff says.

WR Brian Quick - Quick was inactive last Sunday against the Seahawks. His shoulder injury is fully recovered, as Quick played 30 snaps in the preseason but had zero targets. Head coach Jeff Fisher said Quick was inactive on Sunday because of a numbers related issue, the Rams needed more extras for special teams. It's currently unknown if Quick will be suiting up against the Redskins.

PREDICTION:

The Rams have no problem with the Redskins and easily move on to 2-0. Nick Foles will have another impressive outing and the running game will come alive with Tre Mason and possibly Todd Gurley.

Final Score: Rams 31 Redskins 10