St. Louis on two game winning streak

Apparently St. Louis isn't as bad as we once thought and Oakland isn't as invincible either. As the season enters the half way point this weekend, looking back on the last seven weeks of football leaves us with many unexpected stories.

After winning the AFC championship last year, the St. Louis Rams entered the season as strong contenders for a Superbowl championship. Yet the defending AFC champs did not open the season playing champion-like football, going 0-5 to start the season. The story got even uglier for the Rams, as their star quarterback Kurt Warner was lost for several weeks after breaking his finger.

But just when everyone had thrown in the towel on the Rams season, the Rams started winning again. When they beat the Oakland Raiders in week six, the Rams showed their victory was no fluke as they put together their season's first win streak with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

It may be too late for the Rams to turn their season around and make a play-off run, yet with their offense renewed, the Rams are playing to the ability everyone originally expected. Marshal Faulk hit the hundred-yard mark for the second time of the season rushing for 183 yards. The last time Faulk ran for over a hundred yards (158) was against Oakland, the other time Oakland's offense lifted them to a win. Mike Martz seems to have finally figured out the Ram's winning formula by focusing on Marshal instead of trying to discover new ways to run the offense.

The Seahawks inability to stop Faulk on Sunday wasn't the first time the team's defensive line had problems stopping the run. Ranked last in the NFC for rushing yards allowed with 1,137, the Seahawks defensive woes have now dropped them into last place in the league.

Seattle hopes to turn their season around against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Yet with Emmit Smith standing only 93 yards away from Walter Peyton's all time rushing record, Seattle's inability to stop the run may allow him to break the record at home. While neither of these teams have any reasonable hopes of a play-off run, Emmit's record breaking season may be just what the Cowboys need to draw fans to the stadium.

Speaking of teams with playoff hopes, after week five, the Oakland Raiders seemed to be the strongest team with a 4-0 record. Since then, though, the Raiders have proved they are as immortal as the Seahawks, falling from first place in the AFC East to fourth place in a matter of two weeks. Yet after losing to the Rams in week six, the Raiders fell again to the San Diego Chargers in overtime, catapulting the Chargers into first place.

Why this sudden demise of the Raiders? Like the Seahawks, the Raiders defensive woes have also caused their sudden downfall. After priding themselves on a defense that stopped the big plays, Marshal Faulk broke down the offensive line in week six with his 158 rushing yards. This trend continued in week seven as LaDanian Tomlinson ran for 153 yards and the game winning touchdown.

If defense has become the demise of the NFL's greatest teams, it may also allow for the rise of other teams into greatness. After beginning the season with a dismal 1-3 record, the Baltimore Ravens have come alive as of late with a renewed defensive line. The defense made its first statement on Monday night against the Denver Broncos, led by the 18 tackles of Ray Lewis.

Sunday's victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars was especially important to the Ravens as even without Lewis, the defense proved that they could stop their opponents. Is the Ravens recent turn-around enough to carry them into the playoffs? The Ravens still have significant holes to fill on offense yet with the resurgence of the defense, the Ravens do have a better chance at competing in the AFC East.



The Good

With their victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints proved to critics that they are one of the NFL's premiere teams. Helped by a defense that creates key turnovers, quarterback Aaron Brooks is the main reason for the Saints rise to greatness. Playing the best football of his career, Brooks passed for 254 yards and three touchdown passes on Sunday to help his team rally past the 49ers 27-35.



The Bad

The Chicago Bear's performance against the Detriot Lions against Sunday answered all questions about Chicago's ability to make a playoff run. Sadly, the Bear's loss proved that this is not the year the Bear's will be able to compete in the NFL. Jason' Harrington's 48 yard field goal in the last minutes of the game put the Lions up 23-20 to stun the Bears and drop them to 2-4 on the season. Apparently the Bear's have been unable to build off of their previous season's success.



The Ugly

With a 1-5 record the Minnesota Vikings now find themselves in the basement of the NFC Central looking up at the Detroit Lions. The Vikings season so far has been absolutely dreadful. With no visible strength to focus on in this rebuilding season, the second half of the NFL seasons should be a long and dismal one.