ESPN NFL

ST. LOUIS -- The team with Sam Bradford and the team without Brett Favre are warming up here in the Edward Jones Dome.

Warming up isn't necessary outside, where temperatures have hit triple digits. The temperature gauge on my rental car showed the motor was already warm at startup.

The St. Louis Rams have continued with two-a-day practices anyway, some with live tackling. The team has been more apt to move practices inside to avoid lightning than to avoid heat during a particularly hot St. Louis summer. I thought the Rams held the most physical camp in the NFC West last summer despite perceptions about the San Francisco 49ers under Mike Singletary. Sounds like the Rams are holding to form this summer, too.

This just in: The Rams' list of players not in uniform includes kicker Josh Brown, receiver Brandon Gibson, cornerback Justin King, cornerback Bradley Fletcher, guard Jacob Bell, guard John Greco, defensive end Eugene Sims, running back Steven Jackson, safety James Butler defensive end James Hall and defensive end C.J. Ah You. The Minnesota Vikings' list features Favre, receiver Percy Harvin, receiver Sidney Rice, cornerback Cedric Griffin, linebacker J Leman, cornerback John Sullivan and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.

The Rams' Roger Allen is starting for Bell at right guard. The Vikings' Greg Lewis is starting for Harvin. Lito Sheppard replaces Asher Allen at right cornerback.Jimmy Kleinsasser starts instead of Shiancoe. Jon Cooper starts in place of Sullivan at center.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

One more fine: The league hit Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams ($7,500) for an illegal blow to the head against Rams quarterback Kyle Boller.

This game was costly.

The Rams' Quincy Butler drew a $7,500 fine for a horse collar tackle. The Vikings' Artis Hicks drew a $5,000 fine for shoving Rams defensive tackle Gary Gibson, who suffered a broken ankle when he fell awkwardly.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

A $5,000 fine levied against Vikings tackle Artis Hicks will not help Rams defensive tackle Gary Gibson recover from a broken ankle.

Gibson, placed on injured reserve this week, fell awkwardly after Hicks shoved him.

Sean Jensen of twincities.com has the details, including this quote from Hicks: "I don't go out there thinking I'm going to hurt anyone. But, people get hurt. It's a part of this game. It's unfortunate."

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Rams left tackle Alex Barron, benched following a penalty in Week 4, played well against Vikings pass-rusher Jared Allen in Week 5.

I haven't studied the game closely yet, but Barron's performance pleased Spagnuolo.

"I thought he did a really good job," Spagnuolo told reporters Monday. "I thought Alex had one of his better games against (who) we all know a legitimate player, a real good player. But again, as a group, I thought the offensive line did a pretty good job."

The Rams finished with 400 yards and 27 first downs. Turnovers deep in Vikings teritory led to a 38-10 defeat. My sense in monitoring the game was that the Rams played better in several areas.

Barron is in the final year of his contract and I'd be somewhat surprised if the team brought him back. I would expect the Rams to move rookie Jason Smith into the lineup at left tackle before the season is finished.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

PHOENIX -- NFC West teams are now 3-8 outside the division after going 2-2 in Week 5. Some of the worst losses resulted from injuries. Four to watch:

• Michael Lewis, 49ers. The veteran strong safety was playing at a high level this season. The concussion he suffered against the Falcons was his third in the last two months. The 49ers have a bye in Week 6, but it's unclear how quickly Lewis will recover. This could be serious. The 49ers would miss Lewis' physical presence.
• Brandon Frye, Seahawks. Seattle was down to its fourth-string left tackle after Frye suffered a stinger early in the game Sunday. Frye's replacement, Kyle Williams, suffered a sprained knee and had to keep playing because the Seahawks had nobody else. Starter Walter Jones remains out. Seattle needs to somehow get through Week 6 and into its bye before reassessing the position.
• Gary Gibson, Rams. The starting defensive tackle suffered a broken foot and ankle against the Vikings. He's done for the season. The Rams have bigger worries, but Gibson was exceeding expectations, I thought.
• Stephen Spach, Cardinals. The veteran tight end suffered an ankle injury and did not return. Arizona used snapper Mike Leach as an extra tight end while running out the clock. Fortunately for the Cardinals, projected starting tight end Ben Patrick returns from a four-game suspension in Week 6.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Hasselbeck and Kurt Warner are showing what Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks can do against bad defenses.

Hasselbeck has two long touchdown passes in staking the Seahawks to a cathartic 20-0 first-half lead against the Jaguars. You remember the Jaguars, right? Kurt Warner set an NFL record for completion percentage against them not long ago. Now it is Hasselbeck's turn.

Warner, meanwhile, has completed 20 of 23 passes against the Texans, twice finding Larry Fitzgerald for touchdown passes. The score is 21-0 at halftime and it could get worse if Warner keeps having so much time. Warner has completed 44 of 49 passes against AFC South teams this season (minus those pesky Colts, of course, but they're in another class). Take that, Paul Kuharsky.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are finding out what coaches mean when they say turnovers tend to even out. They do not always even out, of course, and the 49ers should continue to fare well over the long haul in that category because of their conservative style. But turnovers have proven to be the main reason for their 28-10 deficit against the Falcons.

San Francisco's last-second defeat to the Vikings is costing them now. A loss to the Falcons would leave them at 3-2. The Cardinals appear on their way to 2-2. Even the Seahawks could be within striking distance at 2-3.

As we discussed during the week, it's a long season and far too early to jump to any conclusions about which team will prevail in the end.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals are protecting Kurt Warner well enough for Arizona to eventually pull away from the Texans.

Larry Fitzgerald's touchdown reception moments ago gave Arizona a 14-0 lead. Warner stood back there seemingly forever before throwing.

Other thoughts on NFC West games so far:

• 49ers cornerback Nate Clements can cover Fitzgerald, but that appeared to be his coverage when Roddy White broke free for a 90-yard touchdown reception. Atlanta has a 28-10 lead and it's looking like the NFC West race could tighten up. Make that a 35-10 lead. White has six catches for 185 yards in the first half.
• Fans cannot complain about 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye being too conservative. Raye has made some gutsy calls in this game, including a pass to Vernon Davis on play-action in a fourth-and-inches situation.
• Turnovers can be difficult to predict. The 49ers have won by the turnover this season, but they are losing by it Sunday. Turnovers are an unreliable friend.
• Matt Hasselbeck hasn't been spectacular for the Seahawks, but he appears to be functioning pretty much as usual for a quarterback shaking off the rust. He has even scrambled a few times and absorbed a tackle at least once. The Seattle lead is only 6-0, but Hasselbeck could be in position for a better second half.
• The Rams have not suffered any turnovers in the red zone since their game ended.

More in a bit.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Rams are improving, and not only because they couldn't get much worse.
The three turnovers they committed inside the Minnesota 10 -- and a fourth at the 35 -- were inexcusable. Problems are relative, however. Even experiencing the red zone counts as progress for this undermanned offense (the Rams never made it past the San Francisco 22 in Week 4).

Donnie Avery's partial reemergence over the last two weeks -- a 22-yard reception on third-and-14 in Week 4 and a 27-yard touchdown in garbage time Sunday -- stands as the single most important development for the Rams. It's not much to go on, but it's something. Perhaps this is a sign Avery is closer to 100 percent following the broken foot he suffered during the exhibition season. Without more from Avery, the Rams have almost no offensive firepower beyond Steven Jackson.

The Rams lost quarterback Kyle Boller to injury. Marc Bulger completed all seven of his attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown to finish the game. Neither quarterback has shown enough to suggest he's the answer or even the primary problem in St. Louis.

Losing both to injury would put the Rams in a bad spot, but the difference between Boller and Bulger isn't significant enough to affect the offense too greatly. The Rams could be better off, in fact, if Bulger is healthy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The Rams have lost starting defensive tackle Gary Gibson to an injured left leg.

I do not have details, but Gibson left on a cart. He's been a good player for the Rams this season and a bit of a surprise.

Gibson was leading Adam Carriker for the starting job even before Carriker went on injured reserve. Depth at tackle suffers if Gibson misses an extended period. The team already released Hollis Thomas, who signed with Carolina.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Five things I'll be watching for from NFC West teams in Week 5:

• More carries for Beanie Wells. The receivers are getting the attention heading into the Texans-Cardinals game, but Wells' running is a key for Arizona this season. He has looked very good as a runner in limited work this season. Let's see what happens when he gets more touches.
• The Rams actually finishing a drive. Two turnovers deep in Vikings territory have short-circuited an otherwise respectable showing so far.
• Matt Hasselbeck finishing a game. That means no more gutsy quarterback keepers up the middle in the red zone.
• The 49ers' receivers stepping up. Josh Morgan caught a touchdown pass against the Rams, but the 49ers' receivers aren't getting enough chances to get into a rhythm. The 49ers have figured out how to get the ball to tight end Vernon Davis. They need to get the receivers involved next.
• At least one NFC West team winning. All four lost in Week 3. NFC West teams are 1-6 outside the division. Can one of these teams win a game outside the family?

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Thanks for sticking with us this morning through some technical difficulties.

The Rams trail the Vikings 17-3 even though they've shown some good things on offense and their defense has generally played well, limiting the Vikings to 10 points and not much since the opening drive.

James Laurinaitis has an interception. The Rams have sacked Brett Favre. They are moving the ball effectively on offense. It's essential they get some points, of course, but this team has not appeared inept since the shaky opening moments of the game.

I'll be covering the Texans-Cardinals game from University of Phoenix Stadium while monitoring the other NFC West games, in part through DirecTV's Supercast feature.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

NFC West teams went 0-4 the last time they played four games outside the division on the same Sunday.

What's going to happen in Week 5? Glory awaits those in the know.

Simply use the comments section of this blog entry to predict winners and final scores of games featuring at least one NFC West team in Week 5. Correct predictions earn bearers a spot on the Wall of Fame and NFC West blog immortality. The games:

• Falcons at 49ers
• Jaguars at Seahawks
• Vikings at Rams
• Texans 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:

(Read full post)