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Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has regained some of his edge in recent weeks. I think he senses the team has something it did not have for quite some time -- a chance.

The Rams are improving and evolving on offense. I think they were a few dropped passes away from beating the Saints in Week 10 (I counted five drops in a 12-pass span during the second half). They have a fair chance to beat the Cardinals or Seahawks at home over the next two weeks. This team should not go winless in the division this season.

The situation at receiver is not great, but the bye week clearly helped Donnie Avery catch his breath and overcome some injuries. The Rams' early struggles at receiver following Laurent Robinson's season-ending injury had led them to embrace their "Tiger" personnel package featuring one back and two tight ends. The second tight end, Daniel Fells, gave them a sorely needed receiving option. My perception was that they almost couldn't afford to leave fullback Mike Karney on the field as much -- not because Karney was doing anything wrong, but because they needed another receiving option.

That appears to be changing now that Avery is again a positive factor. Yes, the Rams lost Keenan Burton to a season-ending injury. Yes, they were facing an injury-depleted Saints secondary Sunday. Those are all factors to weigh in deciding what to make of this offense. But the Rams have gained 796 yards in their last two games. They scored a season-high 23 points against New Orleans.

The Rams' base offense -- two backs, two receivers, one tight end -- was extremely effective against the Saints. The Rams averaged 6.1 yards per carry on 13 rushing attempts from this grouping. They also averaged 10.7 yards per attempt on seven passes (up from less than 4.5 per attempt out of this group before Week 10). They scored two touchdowns with no interceptions or sacks from this group.

Steven Jackson ran the ball seven consecutive times to end a 13-play touchdown drive in the second quarter. The Rams used two tight ends four times and base personnel three times during that span. Not many teams can get away with aligning base personnel in an offset-I formation on third-and-9. The Rams did it during the touchdown drive in question. Jackson ran for 13 yards. That is dominant football and a good sign for the Rams.

The facts: The Rams fell to 1-8 with a 28-23 home defeat to the Saints in Week 10.

The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.

• The Rams finished with 434 yards and three touchdowns. Both figures were season highs.
• Steven Jackson rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown. He is averaging better than 100 yards per game rushing and needs only 85 yards against the Cardinals to reach 1,000 for the season. Jackson passed Lawrence McCutcheon for third on the Rams' all-time rushing list.
• Receivers Donnie Avery and Brandon Gibson gave the Rams a badly needed boost at the position. Getting Avery healthy -- or at least healthier -- during the bye week was key. Avery set a career high with two touchdown receptions. Gibson caught seven passes for 93 yards. The yardage total was a season high for a Rams receiver. It was easy to forget that Gibson was a rookie getting substantial playing time for the first time.
• Marc Bulger finished the game with a higher passer rating than Drew Brees.
• Chris Long collected his second sack of the season.
• Both starting safeties picked off passes for the Rams. Oshiomogho Atogwe's pick was his first since the season opener. He has 15 since 2007.

Looking ahead: The Rams face the Cardinals at home in Week 11.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams defied expectations by pushing the unbeaten Saints from start to finish. Thomas: "The Rams became the first team in league history to play three straight home games against unbeaten teams. They came close to making more history with what would've been a staggering upset. But Marc Bulger's Hail Mary pass as time expired fell to the turf incomplete. And the Rams fell 28-23 to the still unbeaten Saints (9-0)." The Rams outgained the Saints.

Also from Thomas: Steven Jackson moved into third place on the Rams' all-time rushing list. On the down side, the Rams lost receiver Keenan Burton to a season-ending knee injury. Brandon Gibson's emergence should help offset the loss to a degree.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the Rams' final drive against the Saints. Even if the Rams had scored on the final play, a holding penalty against Alex Barron would have negated the play.

Also from Coats: a Rams report card featuring a "B" grade for the receivers. Coats: "Rookie Brandon Gibson, forced into heavy action after Burton went down, was an instant hit. He finished with seven receptions for 93 yards, both season highs for Rams wideouts. Avery had the two scoring grabs, the first multi-TD game of his career. WR Danny Amendola had a bad drop on a slant that might’ve turned into a touchdown. TE Randy McMichael also dropped a ball. Nice outing for TE Daniel Fells, with three catches for 51 yards. Would’ve been even better if he could’ve held onto to the 2-point conversion pass in the final minutes."

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch came away impressed by what he saw from the Rams. Coach Steve Spagnuolo also saw progress. Spagnuolo: "Based on what happened out there today, I'd say yeah. I'd like to watch the film first. I'm sure there are enough things in there that will be disappointing, that we could have done better. But I'm hoping and I'm quite certain there will be a lot of things that we'll say, 'Hey, we've gotten better here, we've gotten there.' I just think the character in that locker room is what allows what happened today to happen."

Jeff Gordon of stltoday.com thinks the Rams should wait until the middle rounds before drafting a quarterback. Marc Bulger finished the game Sunday with a higher passer rating than Drew Brees. Bulger can be a productive quarterback with a little help from his supporting cast.

Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat says Burton was injured when he fell awkwardly in the end zone. Spagnuolo: "Keenan Burton, I love. He's stepped up to become a leader, he's a workhorse in practice, I love that guy. I get disappointed for that guy."

Rod Kloeckner of the Belleville News-Democrat says Gibson earned high marks. Bulger: "For him to come in with Keenan getting hurt without a ton of work is impressive. I think we found a real good receiver there."

Turf Show Times' VanRam has no trouble awarding a moral victory to the Rams after their strong showing against the Saints. VanRam: "I'm giddy with delight. Let's nab a bit of rationality before we celebrate. Why? Because the Rams could have won this game. Should have won this game. A mistake free outing is rare even for the best teams -- case in point, New Orleans -- but the Rams had a couple of moments where they could have sealed the deal."

Turf Show Times' ram_rod hands a game ball to Bulger.

No offense, Saints-turned-Rams fullback Mike Karney.

Karney

The headline was in good fun, and the Rams are happy to have you as they prepare for 8-0 New Orleans in Week 10.

"We all know what he brings," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo told reporters Thursday. "It's like having a sixth offensive lineman in there. He takes a lot of pride in that; he’s a leader that way."

The Rams had some success against the Lions leaving Karney alone in the backfield, usually with Steven Jackson lining up as a wide receiver. They did it seven times against the Lions, gaining 67 yards and four first downs -- all on called pass plays (with one 5-yard quarterback scramble). The Rams hadn't shown that personnel and formation since Week 4.

The Rams are averaging 4.7 yards per carry when running their base offense from the I-formation.

"I think any ball carrier that runs behind [Karney] has a lot of confidence in him," Spagnuolo said. "He knows the Saints a little bit because he has been down there, so we’ll try to get him in there and let him go against his former buddies."

The Wall of Fame stood firm in Week 9, taunting the NFC West masses.

With the 49ers and Bears kicking off within hours, it's time for the Wall to welcome new challenges in Week 10.

For a spot on the Wall, simply predict outcomes and scores correctly for the following Week 10 games involving NFC West teams:

• Bears at 49ers
• Saints at Rams
• Seahawks at Cardinals

The fine print: Those submitting predictions for "You called it" must pick the winner correctly for their scores to be considered. Scoring is easy to calculate. The difference between a 20-17 prediction and a 31-14 outcome would be 14 points. We would calculate this by adding the difference between 20 and 31 to the difference between 17 and 14.

The Wall of Fame presently features:

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