It's a showdown between two former NFC West rivals when the 3-7 New Orleans Saints host the 3-6 Los Angeles Rams Sunday afternoon. This is the 78th meeting between the Saints and Rams, who competed together in the NFC West from 1970 to 2002.New Orleans trails the all-time series to the L.A./St. Louis/L.A. franchise 34-43. Since the Rams returned to Los Angeles in 2016, the Saints are John Ross Jersey 2-3 against them, including a 2-1 record (with an asterisk) in New Orleans.Both teams have played below expectations in 2022. The Saints come into the game ranked 10th in total offense. However, injuries, self-inflicted mistakes, and questionable play-calling have derailed the unit in key situations.Los Angeles coupled a rugged defense with an efficient pa sing attack on their way to a Super Bowl championship last season. This year, that offense has crumbled a bit, but the Rams rank 6th in total defense.New Orleans comes into the week with an offensive line decimated by injuries to take on the best defensive lineman in the NFL.Let's take a closer look at how the two units match up.-22.2 points per game (17th)-358.4 total yards (10th)-19 turnovers (31st)-237.7 pa sing yards (9th)-16 touchdown pa ses (9th)-12 interceptions (32nd)-21 sacks-120.7 rushing yards (15th)-9 rushing touchdowns (18th)-4.8 per rush (12th)-40.6 Kerry Wynn Jersey % 3rd Down Percentage (17th)New Orleans has had their lowest total yardage output against Baltimore (243) and Pittsburgh (186) in the last two weeks. Offensive line injuries continue to haunt the team. The Saints will be without C Erik McCoy (IR - ankle) and LT James Hurst (concu sion) this week, with LG Andrus Peat unlikely to play because of a triceps injury.The decimated line has been unable to open holes for the running game, which has totaled a paltry 77 yards in the last two weeks. Josh Andrews, Landon Young, and Calvin Throckmorton are expected to join the much-improved Cesar Ruiz and Pro Bowler Ryan Ramczyk up front.The Saints offense still revolves around the versatile talents of RB Alvin Kamara, who leads the team with 469 rushing yards. Kamara is also their second leading receiver, pulling in 39 pa ses for 338 yards. However, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael must find a way to get the dynamic Kamara more involved this week. He has only 23 combined touches in the last two games.With veteran Mark Ingram out with a knee injury, the versatile Taysom Hill provides a solid 1-2 rushing punch to Kamara. Hill is second on the team with 344 rushing yards and leads the squad with six touchdowns. He's a power runner with excellent burst in open space. Hill can also keep defenses off balance with his throwing ability when he lines up behind center.Rookie first-round pick WR Chris Olave is the Saints top receiving threat. Olave has pulled in 46 of his 77 targets for 658 yards and is among the favorites for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has nice deep speed, but has proven to be a precise route runner with excellent hands and understanding of opposing coverages.Nine-year veteran WR Jarvis Landry finally returned last week after a five-game injury absence. Landry, who has for 205 yards, has done little since opening the year with a 100-yard outing against Atlanta. He still brings valuable experience to the offense and could deflect some coverage away from Olave.It's telling that Landry is still fourth on the team in receptions despite mi sing nearly six games. Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, and Kevin White continue to be failures in Sam Hubbard Jersey getting consistent separation and have mostly been non-factors.The three have combined for just 34 receptions and 490 yards. Undrafted rookie WR Rashid Shaheed presents an intriguing big-play option and could see more reps down the stretch.Third-year TE Juwan Johnson has emerged as the teams most consistent pa s catching option aside from Kamara and Olave. Johnson has 28 receptions for 302 yards this season, already a career-high.A converted wideout, Johnson has the athleticism to be a mismatch against most linebackers and the size to be effective in high-traffic areas. Starting TE Adam Trautman is mostly a blocker, but can be used on short pa ses or as a check-down option.Head coach Dennis Allen ended any potential quarterback controversy early this week when he announced that Andy Dalton would continue to be the starter.Dalton has averaged nearly 223 yards with 11 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his seven starts. However, six of those interceptions have come in the last four games and he's averaged just 192 yards pa sing in the last two weeks.Dalton is a smart player capable of working a defense from sideline-to-sideline, but his limitations have been exposed in recent weeks. He'll need some protection from a battered offensive line and some signs of life from receivers other than Kamara, Olave, and Johnson to open up the offense.-22.2 points per game (18th)Scroll to Continue-310.8 total yards (6th)-8 turnovers (27th)-214.7 pa sing yards (17th)-67.8% completion percentage-11 pa Andre Smith Jersey sing touchdowns (12th)-5 interceptions (25th)-18 sacks/37 QB hits-96.1 rushing yards (4th)-3.9 per rush (4th)-40.8% 3rd Down Percentage (17th)You can't start a conversation about the Rams defense without talking about DT Aaron Donald. The 31-year-old Donald is arguably the league's most dominant defender and still single-handedly wrecks opposing offenses. Donald leads his team with 5 sacks, 12 pre sures, and 8 tackles for lo s despite double and triple team blocking on every down.Veteran Leonard Floyd has been a terrific edge complement to Donald's inside dominance. Floyd has 3 sacks, 9 pre sures, and 4 tackles for lo s. Seventh-year DT A'Shawn Robinson gives the Rams another powerful presence up front. Robinson isn't a great pa s rusher, but he's an excellent run defender who ties up blockers and pushes linemen into the backfield.The Rams typically employ a 3-4 front with Greg Gaines at the nose joining Donald and Robinson up front, with Lloyd dropping down from his OLB spot. It's been extremely effective against the run. Los Angeles has yet Ryan Hewitt Jersey to allow a 100-yard rusher and only four players have even rushed for 70 yards or more against them.The Rams also have two tremendous inside linebackers to deter opponents from running the football. They are among the least run-on defenses in the NFL.Offseason pickup Bobby Wagner, an 11-year veteran released by Seattle, has shown he has plenty of quality ball left. Wagner leads Los Angeles with 73 tackles, which includes four for lo s and three sacks. Third-year LB Terrell Lewis has been a terrific complement to Wagner. Lewis has 67 tackles, second on the team, along with an interception. The athletic Lewis is most effective in open space and is the Rams best cover linebacker.Despite the presence of Donald and Lloyd, opponents have had more succe s through the air against L.A. They've given up one 300-yard pa ser this season, but three other quarterbacks have thrown for over 270 yards