Rookie Sam Bradford appears to have the St. Louis Rams headed in the right direction despite yet another loss.
On the other hand, there are very few positives the Oakland Raiders can take out of their latest defeat.
Bradford looks to earn his first NFL win against the Raiders, who will try to avoid a sixth straight home-opening loss on Sunday in a matchup between two of the most down-trodden franchises in the league.
The Rams have been league doormats for the last three years, having dropped 43 of their last 49 contests. Steve Spagnuolo's team went 1-15 last season, earning the right to draft Bradford with the top overall pick in April's draft.
But while Bradford's much-anticipated debut ended in the Rams' ninth straight defeat - a 17-13 loss to Arizona - it provided hope for the future as well.
Displaying poise and toughness in the face of numerous blitzes, Bradford didn't seem overwhelmed by the speed of the game. He threw 55 passes - the third-highest total in team history - without making a ton of errors.
The former Heisman Trophy winner finished 32-of-55 for 253 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, the last coming on a Hail Mary as time expired.
Bradford's favorite target was Mark Clayton, who caught a career-high 10 passes for 119 yards. Clayton has quickly developed a rapport with his new quarterback after being acquired from Baltimore just six days prior to the opener.
And with Laurent Robinson (ankle) possibly sidelined and Donnie Avery (torn ACL) out for the season, Bradford will continue to look Clayton’s way.
The Rams, however, may not have much success throwing against Oakland since Clayton will likely spend much of the day covered by Nnamdi Asomugha – one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
Instead, St. Louis will likely try its hand at exploiting the Raiders’ suspect run defense.
Oakland, which finished 29th against the run last season, was gashed for 205 yards by Chris Johnson (142 yards, two TDs) and the rest of the Tennessee Titans’ backfield in a 38-13 loss last week.
The team tried to address the issue in the offseason by drafting linebacker Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick, but the rookie couldn’t help stop arguably the best running back in the game.
Now, McClain and the Raiders have to deal with another premier back in Steven Jackson.
Jackson was limited to 81 yards on 22 carries in the season opener, but was spectacular in his lone appearance against Oakland. The two-time Pro Bowl selection carried 27 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-0 win in Oakland in 2006 – the last meeting between the teams.
Ironically, that was the Rams’ last win against an AFC team. They have dropped 12 straight interconference games since then.
Like St. Louis, Oakland has also grown accustomed to losing. The Raiders have posted an NFL-record seven straight seasons of 11-plus losses.
In an effort to spark a lifeless offense, Oakland acquired quarterback Jason Campbell from Washington in the offseason to replace first-round bust JaMarcus Russell.
The move didn’t pay immediate dividends, though, as the Raiders mustered a mere 286 total yards en route to their eighth straight season-opening loss.
Campbell went an uninspiring 22-of-37 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The lone bright spot was Darren McFadden, who ran for 95 yards on 18 carries and caught six passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. The fourth overall pick in 2008, McFadden started in place of Michael Bush, who is still recovering from surgery to repair a broken thumb.
Bush’s status for Sunday is uncertain.
The Raiders have lost six straight home openers since beating Buffalo 13-10 in 2004. The Rams, meanwhile, haven't won since beating Detroit on Nov. 1, 2009.