Chargers on offense

What's missing of late is a dominating running game -- something that gets overlooked with the passing game humming. St. Louis has the arch, but seldom arches its back stopping the run. The Rams are getting pummeled, allowing an average of 121 rushing yards per game. Look for the Chargers to get LaDainian Tomlinson going down low -- he's had but one 100-yard rushing game this year. It will be up to two North County linebackers -- Pisa Tinoisamoa (Vista High) and Brandon Chillar (Carlsbad) -- to slow L.T., but Tinoisamoa was downgraded to questionable on Friday after suffering a broken hand in practice on Wednesday. The Chargers' line features two players with mending hands -- RG Mike Goff and LT Marcus McNeill. They'll be tested by a pass rush led by Leonard Little (five sacks). The Bolts' front line took some heat last week and looks to rebound.

CHARGERS

Chargers on defense

Don't go to sleep on the Rams, even if the Greatest Show on Turf slogan was placed in storage. The secondary must prove it can handle an efficient Marc Bulger (10 TDs, one INT) and the savvy receiving corps of Torry Holt (seven TDs) and Isaac Bruce (27 catches). The pass rush figures to be off a beat with third-stringer OLB Marques Harris, which could tempt the Rams to load up the other side to stop Shawne Merriman. Plus, RB Steven Jackson is a Larry Johnson clone, and the Chargers are still picking Johnson's cleat marks from their jerseys after he rushed for 132 yards and two TDs last week. Still, the Chargers are the NFL's top-ranked unit; they'll have to prove it today.

Special teams

K Nate Kaeding has converted a team-record 90 consecutive PATs and missed but two of his 17 field-goal attempts. P Mike Scifres paces the league with a 43-yard net average. The Rams are good covering punts (No. 7) but not so on kickoffs (No. 27). The Rams' return game is solid on punts, dreadful on kickoffs. K Jeff Wilkins -- 322 straight PATs -- is second in the NFL with 65 points. P Mike Turk (38.2 net) is No. 11 in that category.

What to expect

When the schedule was announced, this game was circled as an easy win. The Rams were coming off a6-10 season and were breaking in a new leader in Scott Linehan, who had never been an NFL head coach. But instead of taking a big step back, the Rams offer a balanced attack and the mental toughness to beat Denver and nearly upset Seattle. The Chargers should win, but we've said that before. The key is the secondary playing to its No. 2 ranking and the run defense tackling better than it did in Kansas City.

CHARGERS 38, RAMS 31

-- Jay Paris

ANOTHER VIEW

Jim Thomas, St. Louis Post Dispatch

San Diego's power running style with L.T. and the Chargers' stout front seven on defense make this a bad matchup for the resilient Rams.

CHARGERS 23, RAMS 17