By Tony Moss, NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - If the Philadelphia Eagles want to prove the folks at Sports Illustrated right, Sunday afternoon's home matchup against the St. Louis Rams is the place to start.

In its NFL preview issue published two weeks ago, the venerable publication made the Eagles its somewhat surprising choice to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Feb. 1st.

Why somewhat surprising?

Well, the Eagles come off a last-place finish in the NFC East, albeit an 8-8 last-place finish in an NFC East that sent three teams to the playoffs and was arguably the best division in football a year ago.

Philadelphia only finished two games worse than the Super Bowl-winning Giants in 2007, after all, but with the Cowboys, G-Men, and Redskins all gunning for a return trip to the postseason, the margin of error for Andy Reid's team remains slim.

There were very few meaningful defections from last year's roster, but other than Pro Bowl cornerback Asante Samuel, there were very few bona fide enhancements made either.

And the quarterback, talented though he is, remains Donovan McNabb, who has missed 15 games due to injury over the past three seasons and hasn't completed a 16-game season since 2003.

Inasmuch, SI rolled the dice. The Eagles hope to make that gamble pay off.

Coming to Lincoln Financial Field to try to slow down the hype machine are the St. Louis Rams, who are looking to turn the page on a miserable 3-13 finish in 2007.

The Rams were riddled with injuries in '07, including major ones to tackle Orlando Pace, defensive end Leonard Little, and running back Steven Jackson, and enter Week 1 a healthier team looking to rise up the ladder in a thin NFC West.

The biggest offseason addition for the Rams may have been revered play-caller Al Saunders, who takes over offensive coordinator duties after largely successful stints with the Redskins and Chiefs.

SERIES HISTORY

St. Louis has a 17-16-1 edge in the all-time regular season series with Philadelphia, but was a 17-16 home loser when the teams last met, during the 2005 season. The Rams won the previous meeting, a 20-7 affair at the Edward Jones Dome in Week 16 of the 2004 season, when the Eagles had already clinched homefield advantage in the NFC and played the contest without many of its starters. Philadelphia was a 10-3 winner in the previous matchup between the clubs in the City of Brotherly Love, at Veterans Stadium in 2002. The Rams last won in Philly in 2001, taking a 20-17 overtime decision in the regular season opener.

The Rams also have a 2-1 advantage in the regular season series, winning a 1989 NFC First-Round Playoff (21-7) on the road and the 2001 NFC Championship (29-24) at home. The Eagles' lone postseason victory in the series was a 14-0 victory against the then-Los Angeles Rams in the 1949 NFL Championship.

The Eagles' Andy Reid is 3-3 all-time against the Rams in his head coaching career, including the aforementioned NFC Championship loss. St. Louis' Scott Linehan will be meeting both Reid and the Eagles for the first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE RAMS HAVE THE BALL

Rams quarterback Marc Bulger (2392 passing yards, 11 TD, 15 INT in 2007) also experienced some injury problems a year ago, missing a total of four games due to broken ribs and a concussion and ending up with the worst passer rating (70.3) of his career. Bulger should be helped immensely by the return of the left tackle Pace, who needs to prove he's fully healthy after missing 15 games with a torn rotator cuff and labrum last season. If Bulger gets time to throw, Torry Holt (93 receptions, 7 TD), Drew Bennett (33 receptions, 3 TD) and tight end Randy McMichael (39 receptions, 3 TD) are capable outlets. But Saunders will also want to infuse the attack with a healthy dose of Jackson (1002 rushing yards, 38 receptions, 6 TD), who managed to eclipse 1,000 yards last year despite missing four games with a groin problem. Jackson recently signed a lucrative new multi-year contract, and will look to begin living up to the deal.

The Philadelphia secondary is undoubtedly one of the top units in the league on paper, with the addition of Samuel (44 tackles, 6 INT with New England) to the group giving the team another elite-level body in the last line of defense. Samuel and Sheldon Brown (68 tackles, 3 INT) will start, with ex-Pro Bowler Lito Sheppard (51 tackles, 2 INT) as the third corner, and Brian Dawkins (37 tackles, 1 INT) and Quintin Mikell (74 tackles, 1 INT) will once again serve as the safeties. There are more questions in the front seven, particularly within a young linebacking corps. Second-year-pro Stewart Bradley (18 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) is the new starter at middle linebacker, while Omar Gaither (102 tackles, 1 INT) has slid to the weak side and Chris Gocong (66 tackles, 1 sack) resides on the strong. The pass rush will once again be led by Trent Cole (70 tackles, 12.5 sacks), and run-stuffers Brodrick Bunkley (31 tackles, 3 sacks) and Mike Patterson (67 tackles, 4 sacks) will look to be more consistent at the point of attack than they were a year ago.

WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL

McNabb (3324 passing yards, 19 TD, 7 INT) may still garner a lion's share of the offensive headlines for the Eagles, but the focal point of the attack in the eyes of opposing defensive coordinators is running back Brian Westbrook (1333 rushing yards, 90 receptions, 12 TD). Westbrook earned his second Pro Bowl citation a year ago and posted over 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards. With Kevin Curtis (sports hernia) out, Westbrook remains the Eagles' top target, though the team has high hopes for second-round rookie DeSean Jackson (California). Wideout Reggie Brown (61 receptions, 4 TD) is considered questionable for Sunday with a hamstring injury, and his possible absence could mean more pass-catching opportunities for tight end L.J. Smith (22 receptions, 1 TD). The Eagles were eighth in the league in passing a year ago, and 10th in rushing, but just 17th in scoring offense.

The Rams were 31st in the league in scoring defense in 2007, and were also light in the area of pass rushing (31 sacks). Those numbers have a chance to improve this year, if Little (19 tackles, 1 sack) can return to his previous Pro Bowl form and No. 2 overall Draft pick Chris Long (Virginia) can live up to his promise on the other end. The secondary, which recorded 16 interceptions a year ago, actually did a decent job of playmaking but needs to be more consistent in coverage. Safety O.J. Atogwe (75 tackles, 8 INT) had half of the group's picks last year, and cornerbacks Fakhir Brown (47 tackles, 4 INT) and Tye Hill (35 tackles, 1 INT) had their moments as well. Brown is considered questionable for this week after being limited with a serious shoulder injury in training camp. St. Louis was a modest 20th against the run last year, and returns front seven staples like tackles Adam Carriker (30 tackles, 2 sacks) and La'roi Glover (39 tackles, 6 sacks) and linebackers Pisa Tinoisamoa (40 tackles, 2 INT) and Will Witherspoon (110 tackles, 7 sacks).

FANTASY FOCUS

The "Greatest Show on Turf" days are over in St. Louis, and other than the running back Jackson, most of the Rams principles are backups. Holt isn't the Pro Bowler he once was, but could be a decent fantasy No. 2 if he has enough time to get downfield before Bulger gets sacked. The other Ram worth starting this week is kicker Josh Brown, the ex-Seahawk who should put up good numbers this year while playing half of his games in a dome.

For the Eagles, Westbrook was a top three choice in most fantasy leagues, as the team always finds a way to get him the football. McNabb is still a bankable starting choice when healthy, though he is subject to cold weeks no matter what. DeSean Jackson is an intriguing talent, but it might be too early to rely on him for production. Kicker David Akers had a down year last season, but has reportedly improved his conditioning regimen and could be primed for a bounce-back season.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Rams are heavy underdogs for a few reasons, with their 3-13 finish a year ago and largely uneven play in the preseason, as well as the blossoming hype surrounding the Eagles, contributing to that status. But folks might forget that this was nearly a playoff team in 2006, and that an ungodly string of injuries - not a lack of talent - were the prime component in last year's descent into darkness. A year healthier, St. Louis is going to head to Philadelphia thinking it has a chance to win, and we see no logical reason why the Rams can't make a game of it. The Eagles will get a lift from the home crowd and eventually pull out the win, but expect it to be anything but easy.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Eagles 20, Rams 19