AJ McCarron throws his first National Football League pass

They face a Bengals team that was having an extraordinary season, but has now slipped to two straight defeats, and a third loss today would drop them to 8-3 and would start to threaten their division title hopes - something unthinkable at the start of November. TE Tyler Eifert scored on a 22-yard pass. The message was clear for the day. "It doesn't matter how, whether it's a run play or pass play". As they broke down in the game, Dalton had room to run, and not just two yards but had at least 15 yards between him and the closest defender not behind him. With top pass rusher Robert Quinn likely out on Sunday, it could be very hard to limit the Andy Dalton to A.J. Green dragging across the line for 14 yards.

"Everyone is feeling emotional right now", said Foles, who was 30 of 46 for 228 yards. To those who believe the Cincinnati Bengals simply ran into two hot teams fighting for playoff positioning, the game was an inspired win, allowing the Bengals to take out a lesser opponent. He's the first rookie in NFL history to rush for 125 yards or more in his first four starts, and he's fourth in the league overall, but he's been limited to 200 total yards in the last three games. After trying another cutie pie play, the Bengals were forced to settle for a 21-yard Mike Nugent field goal. But the Bengals picked off Rams quarterback ick Foles three times, largely due to the constant pressure.

The news on Bailey, now serving a suspension of four games, will trump all concerns for the team in the short term. We're going to be challenged that way, and we're going to have to tackle this guy (Todd Gurley).

The Rams play the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals at home this week.

A sense of urgency must have swept over the Bengals. We're going to keep an eye on it. He's encouraged. He weaved through traffic to make the nice catch and give the Bengals a 24-7 lead.

If the National Football League is serious about cutting down on concussions, its handling of the situation in St. Louis isn't a strong example of that. They immediately began throwing to his side.

"Every game from here on out is like the playoffs and means a lot to this team", said safety Reggie Nelson, who had one of Cincinnati's three interceptions. An easy decision to run out the clock followed and the half ended.

The Bengals were on their way to a rout midway through the third. The running game was churning and Cincinnati was moving the ball.

That is exactly what they received Sunday afternoon, riding the arm of quarterback Andy Dalton to a 31-7 shellacking of the scufflingSt.

Dalton was 20 of 27 for 233 yards.

LEAPING LEON: Hall's interception and 19-yard return for a touchdown pretty much iced the game. If the Rams want to continue winning games this season, feeding Gurley is the best option for them.

The running game was a huge compliment to the efficient passing of Dalton, who finished with a passer rating of 121.4 and three touchdowns. The Bengals rushed for 140 yards and 4.5 yards per carry, with Jeremy Hill (16 for 86) doing most of the work.