St. Louis @ Carolina preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2010 ) Carolina 10, St. Louis 20

The St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers are riding waves of momentum and trying to avoid another customary crash as the inconsistent teams prepare to clash Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. The Rams have won two straight to get back to .500 and are coming off an impressive 38-13 win over Houston, while the Panthers have posted blowout wins in two of their past three contests with an ugly loss sandwiched between. "We know our hands are going to be full against a team that's also coming off a big win, but if we get a lot of help from our fans and execute up to our capabilities, we'll be OK," Panthers quarterback Cam Newton told the team's website.

Both quarterbacks - Newton and St. Louis' Sam Bradford - posted the highest passer ratings of their brief careers last week. The Panthers were dominant in a 35-10 win at Minnesota, playing their first game of the season without a turnover as Newton passed for three touchdowns and rushed for another. The Rams have had two straight solid showings on offense after a sluggish start to the season, and the offense has benefited from good field position thanks to seven forced turnovers the past two weeks.

TV: LINE: Panthers -6. O/U: 42.

ABOUT THE RAMS (3-3): St. Louis is finally achieving balance on offense with rookie Zac Stacy injecting some life into the run game, which has taken some pressure off Bradford. The Rams would do well to get off to a quick start and force the Panthers to the air, because St. Louis has struggled against the run, ranking 30th in the league at 130.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Despite giving up big chunks of yardage, though, the Rams have forced seven turnovers the past two weeks with three defensive touchdowns.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2-3): Carolina has been wildly inconsistent but has shown signs of dominance, albeit against lower-tier teams. The defense has been particularly strong the past three games, allowing an average of 230 total yards over that stretch. It's Newton who serves as the bellwether - he has accounted for eight touchdowns and one turnover in two wins and three TDs and five turnovers in three losses.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Panthers WR Steve Smith has caught a pass in 96 consecutive regular-season games dating to 2006.

2. The Rams rank third in the NFL in the red zone, scoring on 94.4 of their trips inside the 20 and scoring touchdowns 66.7 percent of the time.

3. Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart (ankle) is not likely to make his season debut this week, saying he would like at least a full week of practice before playing for the first time since November.

PREDICTION: Panthers 23, Rams 16