The St. Louis Rams will hit the road to take on the Oakland Raiders tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET at the Coliseum. It will be the first preseason game for both teams and the first preview of what's to come for fans.
St. Louis is hoping that their newly acquired quarterback, Nick Foles, will bring some much needed stability under center. Former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford was shipped out of town after suffering back-to-back ACL tears.
With the San Francisco 49ers losing players left and right this offseason and the Arizona Cardinals expected to regress, the Rams have the opportunity to move up in the NFC West. A good showing from Foles tonight would help lay the groundwork.
But Foles isn't the only quarterback generating some excitement in this game. The Raiders are anxious to see how second-year QB Derek Carr has progressed this offseason. Carr, Oakland's second-round pick last year, surprised plenty of folks when he threw for more than 3,000 yards with 21 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions last season. Was it a fluke season or is Carr a much-needed franchise QB in-the-making?
Oakland is determined to find out and has surrounded Carr with additional offensive weapons this offseason in rookies Amari Cooper and Clive Walford and free agent Michael Crabtree. The hope is that the improved supporting cast will aid Carr's development.
Tonight's preseason game is an important one for both coaches as well.
Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has failed to finish above .500 in each of his first three seasons with St. Louis. Another losing record could mean the end of his time there, as well as general manager Les Snead. The Rams have amassed an impressive collection of young talent during Fisher's tenure, especially along the defensive line, but it won't mean much if it doesn't translate into wins.
On the other side, Jack Del Rio enters his first season with the Raiders after spending the last three years as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos. Del Rio's eight seasons as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars produced just three winning records, so he is eager to prove himself in his second stint as head honcho.
Both teams want to start the 2015 season on the right foot but only one can.
You can check out the live stream for tonight's game here as well as the live radio broadcast here.
